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A group of children sits and stands on the left while a girl with glasses sits in an adaptive seat on the right holding an American Flag

Our History

From one room in a hospital once a month, to a whole house that included classrooms and therapy sessions, to a beautiful, accessible center with state-of-the-art equipment, Easterseals has moved and changed along with the needs of our clients and community.

Portrait of a woman with short brown hair wearing pink dress and white pearls

Before the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed in 1990, we had Rosemary Front.

— Pete Cuffaro, Letter to the Editor, Sunday News-Register, May 31, 2009

Timeline

1937

The Wheeling Society for Crippled Children was founded as a nonprofit corporation in 1937. The primary mission of the Society was to "help children with cerebral palsy help themselves." Initially, the space for this service was provided by the outpatient department of the Ohio Valley General Hospital with the Ohio County Board of Education furnishing tables and chairs. Thanks to the generous financial support of the Wheeling-Ohio County Junior Red Cross, youngsters with cerebral palsy were able to receive training, counseling and physical therapy treatment.

1948

In 1948, the local Society joined forces with the National Society for Crippled Children, known today as the National Easterseals organization. After becoming affiliated with the National Society, services were expanded and moved to the American Red Cross building on Main Street in downtown Wheeling.  Using two rooms and holding cerebral palsy clinics twice a month, 20 children received both physical and speech therapy. It also was during this period of time the Society broadened its caseload to treat other disabilities.

1955

In April of 1955, the Society moved to a new home at 1316 National Road. Operating with financial help from the annual Easter Seals Appeal, bequests and endowments, the Society continued to increase in scope and number of clients treated. Special Education, a branch of Ohio County Schools, became housed in this facility, and an Occupational Therapy wing was added to the existing three-level structure. A few years later, a Speech and Hearing department was constructed allowing for an increased number of children with speech and hearing difficulties to be seen. In 1966, a pilot nursery school began three days a week and was so successful that three years later it expanded to five days a week. It also was during 1966 that the Society hired the first Executive Director.

1974

In 1974, the very first Easterseals Telethon aired locally on WTRF-TV 7.

1976

Rosemary Front, a speech language pathologist, became the first paid administrator of the Wheeling Society for Crippled Children. Front became disabled after contracting polio at age 13. She used a wheelchair and became the face of the Society and a force for people with disabilities.

1977

November 1977 marked another milestone as the Society became accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for program excellence in Speech Pathology and Physical Restoration.

1979

In the 1979, the Wheeling Society for Crippled Children relocated to a newly constructed one-floor, barrier-free facility at its present location, 1305 National Road. This project was financed through local contributions, a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a Hill-Burton grant and the Society's own building fund.  

1983

President Ronald Reagan appointed Rosemary Front to the U.S. Access Board, also known as the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. The Access Board is made up of 12 representatives of federal departments and 13 members of the public appointed by the president. Ms. Front served on the board through 1986, during which time she had a hand in formulating what would become the guidelines for the Americans With Disabilities Act, signed by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990.

 

Woman sitting next to a boy who is pointing at a photo in a book
Speech Therapy circa 1992
BW photo. Woman assisting a child on stairs
Physical Therapy
BW photo. Child on a tricycle with braces on legs in a hallway
Physical Therapy
Black and white photo of man in plaid jacket kneeling in front of a group of children in a classroom
Pittsburgh Steelers player Jim Clack visits Easterseals
1970s era photo of women on street corner selling daffodils
Daffodil Sale on Market Street in Wheeling
Man in a suit with silver hair holding the hand of a preschooler in a bow tie, suspenders and cap
Easter Fashion Show
Man with a microphone sitting down. Two young girls with crutches are on either side of him, and the one on the right is whispering in his hear.
Easterseals Telethon
Woman in purple sitting at a table assisting two boys with a game
Speech Therapist plays a game with two boys
  1. Speech Therapy circa 1992
  2. Physical Therapy
  3. Physical Therapy
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers player Jim Clack visits Easterseals
  5. Daffodil Sale on Market Street in Wheeling
  6. Easter Fashion Show
  7. Easterseals Telethon
  8. Speech Therapist plays a game with two boys

1986

The year 1986 brought with it additional change when the Board of Directors split the Wheeling Society for Crippled Children into two nonprofit organizations: the parent corporation, the Wheeling Society for Crippled Children, and the subsidiary, the Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, Inc. In the early '90s, the Center became an Early Intervention site for the state of West Virginia, which eventually became the WV Birth To Three program. Continuing to meet the needs of all children and families, the Center expanded its service area to include Belmont, Jefferson and Monroe counties in Ohio during 1994.

2001

In the fall of 2001, Easter Seals was awarded a grant from Johnson & Johnson's Pathways to Independence Program to fund the R.E.A.C.H. (Real Experience with Augmentative Communication Hardware) program. R.E.A.C.H., an expansion of the Outpatient Medical Rehabilitation program, is a complete laboratory of evaluation and treatment devices aimed at helping individuals with communication difficulties gain access to a wide variety of communication devices prior to selecting and training on one specific piece of equipment.

2002

In August of 2002, the Center's West Virginia Birth to Three program expanded services to Tyler, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt, Calhoun, Roane and Jackson counties.

2006

By 2006, the Center had grown significantly through providing services to the entire state of West Virginia and eastern Ohio. Recognizing the need to update facilities to meet ongoing and increasing demand, the Center undertook a major renovation and expansion project at the 1305 National Road location. The facility grew by nearly 5,000 square feet with increased direct care and community collaboration space.

2012

Again, in 2012, the needs of the community surfaced in the area of child development and educational services. The Center expanded its involvement in state-sponsored universal pre-kindergarten, now running five public school classrooms. Four classrooms operated in Ohio County (WV) and the fifth was in Monongalia County (WV). Before it closed in the mid-2010s, the Wheeling location provided childcare in two inclusive classrooms serving children ages 16 months to 4 years.  

2015

In 2015, Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center followed the National Easterseals' lead and changed its logo from the lily to the word "easterseals" using a sunburst around the initial "e." The logo change was a fresh update that also resulted in the name being combined into one word: Easterseals.

2020

Easterseals pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue serving children via telehealth. Once clients were allowed back in the center, Easterseals followed all the safety protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including checking temperatures of clients and staff, asking families to wait in their cars to avoid congregating in the waiting rooms, wearing masks, and "socially distancing." Therapists who treated children in schools and homes followed the guidelines of each school and the wishes of each family. 

2021

Easterseals Rehabilitation Center received a $1 million grant from Amazon co-founder MacKenzie Scott. Ms. Scott gave away at least $4.3 billion to 375 nonprofits, according to Bloomberg. The gift gave Easterseals the ability to continue providing life-changing services during the pandemic and helped provide the means to continue for decades to come. 

2022

Easterseals partnered with advocate David George, the Augusta Levy Learning Center, and the Wheeling Nailers to offer Inclusion on Ice, a free, inclusive ice skating event at Wheeling Park Ice Rink. The event continues to be held and attracts hundreds of people of all ages and abilities to experience skating, some for the first time. 

Easterseals remains a mission driven organization and works each day to provide high quality, comprehensive rehabilitation and medical care to clients and their families. Our tradition of creating life-changing solutions will continue as we evolve with the needs of those we are proud to serve.

You make our mission possible

Without community support, we would not be able to provide life-changing solutions for the number of children we serve each year. We are grateful to our donors and supporters. Because of you, we never turn anyone away for inability to pay.

Donate Today
  • 83.2%
    of every donation goes to provide direct, life-changing services to children right here in the Ohio Valley.
  • 2,000+
    children were served in 2024 at our centers, in schools, and in homes through West Virginia Birth to Three.
  • 70%
    of clients require finanical assistance.
Seven men and women smiling and standing on a brick sidewalk in front of a banner with business logos

Other Ways to Give

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