This Veterans Day, ways to move past the thanks and really get to know us

by Col. David Sutherland

Veterans Day is a very special day in my family. We take time to remember the men and women with whom I have served, many of whom have eaten dinner with us, played with the kids and crashed on our couch. In the military, everyone is family.

My military family now numbers 21 million – the number of veterans we commemorate today. About 1,000 are coming back from service daily, with the bulk of those who have served in Afghanistan to be home by New Year’s. Many of them are returning with experiences of war trauma.

These returning heroes deserve to be thanked for their tremendous service to their country. But, like many civilians, it also might make them uncomfortable to be singled out. So what to do?

Here’s one idea. Thank their family. Thank the spouse who serves as a single parent for six, even 12 months at a time while her service member is deployed. Of course, times have changed for the better and nowadays, you may actually be thanking a stay-at-home dad who is juggling the kids while his wife carries out her country’s duties on a ship thousands of miles away in the Pacific.

For a family whose deployed service member has recently come home, lend a hand. Offer to babysit the kids so that the parents can have some much-needed alone time. Be a real neighbor. Instead of waving from your front door and then disappearing back into your world, take the time to while raking leaves.

In her book When Johnny and Jane Came Marching Home, Paula Caplan writes that helping may be as simple (and as difficult) as not turning away when vets speak of their experiences, but rather listening attentively and nonjudgmentally. In other words, show some empathy.

Americans love to talk. I’m guilty of it myself. But on this Veterans Day, might I suggest a different approach? Sit down with a vet and simply listen, one-on-one. You’ll be surprised at what you hear, at what you’ll learn.

If you’re one of the 99 percent of our country who has not served in the military or have close family ties to someone in service, make a resolution today to get to know us. We are your neighbors, the person you stand behind in the supermarket cashier line and the family sitting next to you in the church pew. We like hot coffee and can be good listeners, too, if you need it.

Caplan’s book is sub-titled How All of Us Can Help Veterans. I’d like to suggest it’s less “help” than an opportunity to get to know a remarkable group of people. And there’s no better day than today to start.

These war wounds aren’t easy to heal

by Beth Finke

Last year my Seeing Eye dog Whitney and I volunteered at a sports camp here in Chicago that was specially designed for injured military personnel. The camp was sponsored by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) and the Wounded Heroes Fund, and volunteering there was an experience I’ll never forget.

Out of respect for privacy, I won’t be sharing any specifics here about the veterans who participated in the camp. One thing that surprised me, though? Very few of them had physical disabilities. The vast majority had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress (PTS) or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

An op-ed article about the high percentage of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan who report mental health problems happen to come out in the New York Times the very day I started volunteering at the military sports camp. The piece followed the heartbreaking story of Maj. Ben Richards. He came home in 2007 after suffering multiple concussions in Iraq, and it took three years for him to get a diagnosis of TBI and PTS. Richards was retiring from the U.S. Army when the article came out, and the article quotes him saying that things might have been easier if he had lost a leg in Iraq.

“I’d trade a leg for this in a heartbeat,” Ben said. “If all I was missing was a leg, I’d be a stud. And if I’d lost a leg, I’d be able to stay in the Army. That’s all I want to do.” He summed up his future saying, “it comes to failure.”

The article referred to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress as the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, “partly because of the strains of repeated combat tours and partly because the enemy now relies more on bombs than bullets.” It quoted then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta admitting in a congressional hearing last year that the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs are overburdened by the mental health demands of returning soldiers. “This system is going to be overwhelmed,” he said. “Let’s not kid anybody. We’re looking at a system — it’s already overwhelmed.”

Today is Veterans Day. It brings that New York Times story and my experience at the summer camp back to mind, and I’m hoping maybe Easter Seals is helping some.

Last year, the Dixon Center partnered with Easter Seals to help meet the needs of veterans and service members by focusing on employment, education and access to health care. If the stories I heard at that summer camp last year are any indication, our veterans need that help.

Create * Adapt * Inspire

by Beth Finke

She’s back! Here’s our former intern Kelly Zatlin with a guest post.

Katie can do, and you can, too

by Kelly Zatlin

It’s been over six months since I finished my internship at Easter Seals Headquarters in Chicago, but my three months there connected me to the red seal for life, and my heart will forever have a spot for people who are affected by disabilities.

"Create. Adapt. Inspire." - Katie

The other day I learned about a 10-year-old girl who wrote and published a book. Umm. What? I’m 22 and can only dream of getting a book published! But wait, there’s more! She also surfs, swims, skis, plays basketball, has raced in a 5k, speaks at events, has won a pageant and has been on television. How many of those things have I done? Let’s just say that I still have a lot to cross off my bucket list.

One thing that I haven’t told you yet is that this young lady, Katie Hull, has spina bifida, which has left her feet paralyzed and her legs partially paralyzed. Katie uses a wheelchair, but she doesn’t let that stop her from participating in physical activities that others might think are impossible. And this is exactly what led her to write a book.

Katie was recovering from hip surgery when she decided to write about her experiences in a wheelchair. Katie Can Do and You Can Too is meant to inspire and teach others about all the different things that are possible for people, whether or not they have a physical disability. From Katie’s web site:

She has shared her personal journey in order to help inspire others, with and without visible challenges, to work hard, remain positive, and hold true to a can-do attitude. Katie can do, and you can too!

I’ve been following Katie’s journey through her amazing mom Sarah Hull’s blog and Instagram page for a few months now, and once I heard about Katie’s book, I said to myself, “Ok, the Easter Seals community needs to know about this!” I contacted them immediately and here I am, writing a guest blog six months after leaving my internship in Chicago, graduating college and coming back to my Southern California home.

I truly hope that Katie’s book will inspire other children and adults who have challenges, whatever they may be. Her smile and positive attitude alone are enough to encourage me to write my own book, take up surfing lessons or go back to school to get my Masters Degree.

I just want to leave you with one last thing that brought tears to my eyes: in a television interview, a reporter asked Katie if she thought God made her this way for a reason. Katie’s response? “I think he made me this way because I think he knew I could handle it.” All I can say is WOW!

Visit Katie’s web site to learn more about this amazing young lady. You can see a video of Katie in action there, and you can order her book there, too.

Hey, wanna go across 500 miles of northern Spain?

by Beth Finke

Here’s Mary Van Poolen, our Marketing and Corporate Relations intern, with another guest blog post.

I’ll push you

by Mary Van Poolen

Justin and Pat

Easter Seals Project ACTION staff members were at the Every Body Walk! Summit in Washington, D.C. last month and spoke with two courageous friends about the incredible journey they are about to undertake. From June 1 to July 12, 2014, Justin Skeesuck and his best friend Patrick Gray plan on taking a 500 mile trek across northern Spain. The two men were born a little over 24 hours apart and were friends from the get-go.

These life-long friends have a deep relationship that spans over 38 years. They tell their supporters, “We travel together; we live life together through ups and downs, and most importantly, will do anything for each other.”

Normally the Camino de Santiago walk takes travelers about 4 weeks, but because of Justin and Pat’s circumstances, it will take them 5-6 weeks. Justin has an auto-immune disorder that attacks his nervous system. He has loss of movement in his legs (and, more recently, his arms and hands) and uses a wheelchair. Pat reflects on the day they began planning their journey, “We were sitting in his living room and…uh, he asked me, ‘you wanna go across 500 miles of northern Spain with me?’ and I said, ‘I’ll push you.’”

Justin is a motivational speaker, an accessible travel consultant, and a trainer who inspires and instructs people with disabilities how to overcome challenges when traveling. Patrick, “the best friend,” is a program manager for St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho. He will not only use his physical strength to push his best friend 500 miles on this journey, but will use his skills as a registered nurse to help Justin with his everyday needs.

The Camino used to be a Roman trade route until it became a Christian pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain. Justin and Pat will be leaving from St. Jean Pied de Port on the French side and ending in Santiago de Compostela on the west coast of Spain. They are taking the journey to actively promote physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness.

Justin and Pat want to inspire others with the world changing message that there is more to life than just sitting around and complaining about our daily challenges; life is too short and dreams are achievable if you only try! The two live by this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

In partnership with Emota, a digital storytelling company, Pat and Justin are creating a “real-time” documentary covering the 500 mile wheelchair journey, and you can read more about it all now at their I’ll Push You web site.

I am amazed by the strength that Justin and Pat have both as individuals and as friends and hope their story will be heard, shared and end up impacting the lives of others. “This turned into fuel to do more,” says Justin, “to dream big, that’s a world changing message.”

Our kids and staff get into the spirit of Halloween

by Beth Finke

I’m pleased to introduce Mary Van Poolen, our Marketing and Corporate Relations intern, as a guest blogger today.

What were you for Halloween?

by Mary Van Poolen

Direct Marketing Department says Happy Halloween!

At Halloween last year we gathered photos of kids in their Halloween costumes from about 10 different Easter Seals affiliate’s and posted them on our social media sites. The response to the pictures on Facebook and Twitter was so great that we decided to do it again!

The only difference is that this year, we thought it was only fair to include pictures of our great staff, too. I was impressed by our office participation here at Easter Seals headquarters and happy to meet Mary Poppins (OK, that’s me), a fairy, Minnie Mouse, a pumpkin, a forecaster, and much more.

While we were busy posing and shooting photos here in Chicago, our affiliates were busy taking photos, too. Check out these precious pictures from Easter Seals Peoria Bloomington. Max dressed up as a turtle and Sabrina showed up as a beautiful Halloween princess.

Max the Turtle

Sabrina the Halloween Princess

Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio sent moo-velous Kellen as a cow and Audrey as the cutest little bumblebee.

Kellen the cow

Audrey the bumblebee

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween, and if you’re sad it’s all over, don’t despair — you can still see more fun, creative Halloween costumes on our Facebook page.

What’s your favorite flower? Tell us!

by Beth Finke

It’s that time of year again: time to choose which design to use for our next Lily Seal. Every year, over 100 artists submit beautiful paintings and drawings of lilies. We’ve chosen six finalists, and now we need your input to help us decide which one will be the next Lily Seal of the Year.

Voting ends at midnight tomorrow, October 31, 2013, so vote now for your favorite design to become our 2014 Lily Seal of the Year. We’ve been sending our seals to supporters for 80 years now, and they’re often the first way many people find out about Easter Seals. Participating in the 2014 Lily Seal of the Year vote is a simple way for you to share your compassionate support of people with disabilities and Easter Seals’ life-changing mission far and wide.

Be part of this important tradition! Act fast and vote today: show your support for people with disabilities and vote by midnight tomorrow.

Instagram, hashtags and Twitter: oh my!

by Beth Finke

Students from DePaul completing their New Student Service Day at Easter Seals

Last month college students enrolled in a business and society class came to Easter Seals Headquarters as part of DePaul University’s New Student Service Day. The students participated in a focus group on social media, and a few wrote to us afterwards with their thoughts about their day here.

Many of the students hadn’t heard of Easter Seals before their visit. “Easter who?” Darshan wrote. “That was the exact thought that crossed my mind when my teacher told me that we were going to Easter Seals for our DePaul New Student Service Day. I had never heard of Easter Seals prior to this day and I told the representatives about that.”

Students were treated to breakfast and then heard different Easter Seals staff members explain what we do and the population we serve. The students were all ears. One of them, Emily, wrote afterward that she was “taken back by the impact Easter Seals has, not only in Chicago, but also in different communities worldwide.”

For one student, Mohammad, Student Service Day wasn’t his first encounter with Easter Seals. “Easter Seals helped diagnose my older brother with autism,” he said, adding that the diagnosis helped his family engage with his brother and help his brother’s development. “After the diagnosis, Easter Seals helped my family again by providing their many services to us.” He said it felt good to give a little bit back to Easter Seals by participating in the focus group, and that he looks forward to volunteering again some time in the future. “I did not feel like I was volunteering, I felt like I was helping a friend who has helped me tremendously.”

During the focus group, students brainstormed and pitched ideas on more ways we can use Instagram, hashtags and Twitter to let people know about the services we offer. Connor’s note afterwards said that since his visit here he has been following Easter Seals on all social media outlets. “I have noticed that they have taken our suggestions into account,” he said. “I left Easter Seals feeling excited that I was able to help such an exceptional organization.”

My day at the Rose Garden

by Jennifer Dexter

I am pleased to introduce Marcelle Altshuler, a government relations intern here at Easter Seals, as a guest blogger today.

Guess where I sat at the President’s press conference?

by Marcelle Altshuler

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Me

My internship at Easter Seals in Washington, D.C. started in August and I have had the chance to do many exciting things and meet many wonderful people. Last Monday I had the privilege of representing Easter Seals at President Obama’s speech regarding The Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Rose Garden at the White House. In fact, I found myself settled in the front row only a couple seats from the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Easter Seals was invited in recognition of the importance of access to health insurance for people with disabilities, as we have championed this message throughout the passage and implementation of the law.

A small group of advocates and people who have already benefitted from the ACA stood with the President to celebrate the ACA’s successes and discuss how to address technical issues with the registration website healthcare.gov.

Me in the Rose Garden

We were reminded that although there have been technical issues with the website, insurance coverage may also be purchased over the phone or in person with local Navigator assistance. President Obama emphasized that even though this process has had some bumps through the rollout, the new system for purchasing insurance is simpler and will result in people actually getting health insurance that before had been out of reach.

Prior to the law, children and adults with pre-existing conditions could be dropped from their coverage. For the past 2 years, children cannot be denied coverage for preexisting conditions, and starting in January, these protections will apply to adults with pre-existing conditions, too. I know these two reforms will guarantee that many people with disabilities have a better chance of accessing private healthcare coverage.

It is a true pleasure to be a part of Easter Seals and work with a group that is aiming to ensure that people with disabilities have access to affordable health coverage and that the needs of people with disabilities are met.

Good news about Project Search

by Bob Glowacki

Beth Finke’s post here about October being Disability Employment Awareness month reminded me to share some good news about our Project Search program here at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin. Since 2011, 18 young men and women have completed our Project SEARCH program at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to help them transition into the workforce. Five were hired by Children’s Hospital, and, what’s more, two of our graduates have nearly full-time employment and access to private health insurance!

This great news positively affects the people who were hired, and it positively affects the community, too. Children’s Hospital has talent they were not previously aware of on staff now, and Peggy Niemer, Vice President of Service Excellence at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, says they are a better place as a result. “There is inherent value for patients, for families, and for our employees who want to be part of great futures for children,” she told us. “It’s a win for the wonderful interns, plus it is good for the soul.”

What’s it like to go blind?

by Beth Finke

Screenshot of my YouTube debut

Early in September, four creative and energetic young guys showed up at our apartment door armed with audio equipment and cameras, and now, just one month later, you can already see what all the fuss was about.

Craig Benzine was one of those creative guys at my door. He conducted my interview, and it appears on a new YouTube channel called The Good Stuff. Craig is very familiar with YouTube: he already has an uber-popular vlog there called Wheezy Waiter that has half a million followers. In a blog post on Wheezy Waiter, he explained why he decided to start The Good Stuff channel now, too:

“There’s this type of entertainment I enjoy that I can only really find in podcast form, specifically from the shows Radiolab and This American Life. They take a topic and delve into it from all sides. That could be short stories, news stories, stand up comedy, interviews, etc. These shows give me a certain feeling when I’m done listening to them that I really don’t find much on YouTube. I guess it’s sort of a feeling that everything’s connected and you can find interesting things and people everywhere you look. With The Good Stuff, we’re attempting to get at that feeling, at least a little, and do it with video.”

The theme for the current segment on The Good Stuff is Senses. Before shooting a single frame for the “What’s it Like to Go Blind” segment, Craig and fellow Good Stuff staff members Sam Grant, Matt Weber and David Wolff spent nearly an hour figuring out the ideal way to film inside our apartment, which angle to shoot from and where the lighting would look best. My husband can see, and from what he says, their fussiness was worth it. “They make our apartment look great!” he marveled.

The Good Stuff puts tons of time and scientific research into all its video segments, and this one does not disappoint. My husband and I huddled together in front of his iPad so he could described some of the graphics out loud to me. My fave? The inside of an eyeball. It shows up on screen while I explain retinopathy (the disease that caused my blindness). The filmmakers got down on Whitney’s level to film shots of her working outside, and the film fades to black at appropriate times while I try to explain how I picture things I can’t see.

The video sounds good, too. Mischievous music that sounds like it’s from a Three Stooges episode plays while I take Whitney out to “empty,” and if you listen closely you’ll hear me playing Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues on the piano for a few seconds, too.

But wait. Why describe all this to you? You all can watch it: