The National Easterseals began in 1919 with Ohio-Businessman Edgar Allen founded the National Society for Crippled Children, which would later become known as Easterseals. In Eastern Pennsylvania, we trace our history back to 1924. It began with children who needed specialized medical care that was not available and the people who came together to fill the need.
In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown Elks Club established the first orthopedic clinic for children with disabilities in 1924. Four years later, The Monroe County Crippled Children Association formed to serve the Pocono region.
In Berks County, the Reading Elks Lodge 115 began offering similar clinics in 1926, but ceased operations within two years. Then in the 1940s the local chapter of the National American Business Club consulted with the Pennsylvania Society for Crippled Children and Adults, physicians and community leaders to develop a plan to serve children with disabilities. In 1949, the AMBUC Reading Spastic Paralysis Clinic was incorporated. The agency changed names over the years: Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center of the American Business Club, Berks County Society for Crippled Children & Adults, and Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children & Adults of Berks County.
In 1957, Northampton County community leaders recognized the need to serve children with disabilities and they banded together to form the Northampton County Society for Crippled Children. The organization's office was located in Easton and provided similar clinic services as those offered in Lehigh, Monroe and Berks counties.
In 1963, the Lehigh and Northampton organizations merged to form the Lehigh Valley Society for Crippled Children & Adults. That agency merged with the Monroe County Society in 1991 to form the Easter Seal Society of the Lehigh Valley & the Poconos.
Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania formed in 2000 when the Easter Seal Society of the Lehigh Valley & the Poconos, Easter Seal Society of Berks & Schuylkill Counties, and Easter Seal Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania merged. The name was modified to Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania as part of a national rebranding in 2017.
Through the decades, Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania has expanded to provide innovative services across the lifespan. From providing therapies to help children meet their milestones, to preparing teens and young adults to enter the workforce, to giving adults the support they need to thrive in their community, Easterseals has pursued its growth in the direction of the community’s needs.
Every chapter through the years has been very much the same: providing innovative services, advocating for inclusion, reaching for independence, and celebrating achievements. We honor this legacy as we look forward to the future with a passionate commitment to making a profound difference in people’s lives every day.
