Easter Seals event is a walk with a purpose.
Easter Seals event serves as fundraiser
People with disabilities and their families who rely on Easter Seals Greater Houston just might walk to the ends of the Earth to support the organization that connects them with vital services. But such a trek isn’t necessary to go the distance for the nonprofit, and they’re inviting the community to join them.
April 24 marks the 10th anniversary of Walk With Me, presented by Prosperity Bank and other sponsors, which serves as the sole annual fundraiser for Easter Seals’ local chapter. Families of children, adults and veterans with disabilities have formed teams to take part at the Houston Zoo, which has hosted the noncompetitive 5K or shorter walk (or roll, for those in wheelchairs) since its inception. The deadline to walk in person has passed, but the pandemic prompted organizers to create a virtual option; registration for that is open through April 23.
Easter Seals Greater Houston is the only local nonprofit serving people of all ages, with any type of disability, and their families. Its therapy, training, education and support services help those with disabilities thrive.
The organization operates via a combination of government grants, Medicaid and private insurance, and philanthropy, according to Elise Hough, executive director. It serves 14,500 area families, 67
percent of whom fall at or below poverty level, development director Kelly Klein noted.
Avery Reilly, 13, and Jack Grodin, 5, are serving as honorary ambassadors for this year’s Walk With Me. The two attend Easter Seals’ Caroline School, which offers a customized curriculum to develop cognitive, social and physical skills for students 18 months to 21 years old. Avery has participated in the walk since 2014, Jack since 2019.
It took doctors several years to find the cause of Avery’s low muscle tone, developmental delays and cerebellar atrophy. In that time, she and her parents,
Helena and Brennan Reilly, learned to use her iPad to communicate via Easter Seals’ BridgingApps program. She also attended its respite care and camp offerings. After her genetic defect was diagnosed when she was 10, Avery began attending the Caroline School, where she enjoys reading to the younger students.
“Easter Seals really gets to know your kid,” Helena Reilly said, noting its proactive
approach to addressing social deficits. “They knew she needed to go to Camp Smiles.”
As a peppy Jack flicked a light switch off and on at the school, his mother listed some of the more than 10 operations, both planned and emergency, he has undergone in his short life: for his bladder and kidneys, eyes, tonsils and adenoids, ears and a broken femur that landed him in a body cast for eight
weeks. He receives physical, occupational and speech therapy. As his medical issues and diagnoses evolve, his parents, Amma and Jared Grodin, see gains they attribute to Easter Seals accommodating his needs, particularly his speech.
“This has been a wonderful, safe place to be,” Amma Grodin said. “… We’ve just dipped our toe into what Easter Seals has to offer. I feel like this is a lifelong relationship.”
As of early April, Team Avery had raised $5,400 from 20 donors and team walkers. Jack’s Pack had raised $5,000 from 45 people near and far, including El Paso and Dallas as well as Alaska and England. As of publication, Easter Seals Greater Houston had tallied just over $533,500 from nearly 2,400 participants toward its goal of $1 million.
Walk With Me has grown since the first event in 2011. Back then, the goal was to break even. But it netted $100,000 with 800 participants, Hough recalled.
“We knew we were onto something great,” she said.
The stakes are high for this year’s walk. Government funding has dropped during the pandemic because many of the parents of children Easter Seals serves are front-line workers “who can’t be home for therapy,” Hough said. Similarly, contributions from foundations whose assets are based in the oil and gas industry have fallen in the COVID-hit economy. At the same time, the organization has tried to step up mental health support for clients who are veterans.
Ninety-one cents of every dollar goes directly to clients, an accomplishment she jokingly attributed to being “a little cheap” with administrative duties and the relatively low-cost walk as a fundraiser.
“I’m really proud of the fact that Walk With Me is recognized in the community,” said Hough, adding that Easter Seals will continue to support all people with disabilities. “We don’t care what you look like, what you have or where you come from. It is our joy and passion.”