| "We have but one life. We get
nothing out of that life except by putting something into it. To relieve suffering, to
help the unfortunate, to do kind acts and deeds is, after all, the one sure way to secure
happiness or to achieve real success. Your life and mine shall be valued not by what we
take...but by what we give." -- Edgar "Daddy" Allen Founder, Easter Seals |
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| Easter Seals Society |
| Easter seals were first created to attract
attention and support for services provided by the National Society for Crippled Children.
The first experimental launch of the seals took place in eight participating states in the
spring of 1934, with an Easter theme. |
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Paul H. King, who succeeded founder Edgar Allen as president of the
society in 1933, recommended the seals be distributed during this particular season
because of the correlation between Easter and children with disabilities. "Easter
means, of course, resurrection and new life, and certainly the rehabilitation of crippled
children means new life and activity complete or partial physically, mentally and
spiritually," King said. |
| J.H. Donahey, the famous cartoonist of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer, designed the first Easter seal, much like a miniature
poster. Donahey said "simplicity" was an important element in his original
design because the children served by the society asked "simply for the right to live
a normal life." He said he also tried to express "civilization's devotion to a
program of rebuilding human frames and dedicating its efforts to prevention." The distribution of Easter seals was a success, triggering both an
unprecedented expansion of the society and a nationwide movement on behalf of people with
disabilities.
Today, Easter Seals continues to rely heavily on public support. New
sophisticated, cost-efficient fundraising techniques have been implemented, including many
special events, but direct mail requests to donors continue to be Easter Seals' largest
single source of fundraising revenue. The foundation of this direct mail program is still
a small colorful stamp an American tradition for more than 60 years: the
Easter seal. |
| To visit their site click here. |
| Related Sites |
| The Easter Seal Society of
Metropolitan Chicago operates an online store with all of the items for sale carefully and
lovingly hand made by artisans with special needs. The proceeds from each sale proudly go
to support people with disabilities. http://www.thestore.org |
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