Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Rockford

12/04/2025

🎸🎁 Final stop of our 2025 Holiday Rockin’ Road Trip!

Today, our Leadership Team wrapped up the tour with visits to Easterseals Academy Tinley Park Campus, Early Intervention Child & Family Connections (CFC) # 12 office and Easterseals Early Learning Center.

From classrooms to care coordination, every stop this week was a reminder of the incredible work our teams do—and the children and families we’re honored to support across Chicagoland & Greater Rockford. Thank you to our staff for the warmth, heart, and impact you bring every day. 🧡

12/04/2025

Day 2 of our 2025 Holiday Rockin’ Road Trip! 🎸🎁

Each year, our Leadership Team travels across Chicagoland and Greater Rockford to spread holiday cheer with our incredible staff—and the students and families we’re honored to serve at program sites throughout our community.

Today, our senior leadership team visited our Administrative Office, Easteresals Academy Chicago campus, and Gilchrist Marchman Child Development Center, one of our Easterseals-owned and operated Head Start centers.

We’re grateful for the warmth, joy, and community that make this season so meaningful—and it’s truly our privilege to serve!

12/03/2025

12/03/2025

There’s still time to give with double the impact! 🧡

Because of a generous match from the Paul & Joan Rubschlager Foundation, every gift to Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford is still being matched—and the match has now been extended through the end of the week.

Your doubled gift helps provide timely evaluations and therapies, inclusive education (including our therapeutic day school, Easterseals Academy), caregiver support, and meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.

Donate today and make twice the difference: https://ow.ly/Toyq50XBs7A

Thank you for supporting Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Greater Rockford

12/03/2025

🥫💛 Food Drive Success at Easterseals Academy Machesney Park! 💛🥫

Recently, our Easterseals Academy Machesney Park campus hosted a food drive benefiting three local food pantries—the school community collected and donated 642 items! They also raised $180 for the Northern Illinois Food Bank which can provide $1,440 worth of groceries for local families.

Thank you to the Easterseals Academy team for organizing this effort, and to everyone who donated, participated, or helped spread the word!

12/02/2025

Today is not only Giving Tuesday—it’s also Special Education Day, giving us a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the value of special education and make a direct impact for students who rely on these services.

Your gift to Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford helps strengthen vital special education programming, including our therapeutic day school, Easterseals Academy, where students receive the individualized instruction, therapies, and support they need to thrive.

💛 Make your Giving Tuesday gift today:

https://ow.ly/pJXX50XAnXZ

12/02/2025

As needs rise and funding feels increasingly uncertain, more families are facing obstacles to care. Your support helps Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford remain a lifeline—providing timely evaluations, inclusive education, caregiver support, and meaningful employment for adults with disabilities.

This Giving Tuesday, your gift goes twice as far. Thanks to a generous match from the Paul & Joan Rubschlager Foundation, your donation is doubled!

Give today—every dollar makes a difference, and today every dollar is doubled: https://ow.ly/Jx7550XAoLe

We transform the lives of early learners and individuals of all abilities through access to expert educational, family, and community support.

12/01/2025

Today kicks off our 2025 Holiday Rockin’ Road Trip! 🎸🎁

Each year, our Leadership Team travels across Chicagoland and Greater Rockford to spread holiday cheer with our incredible staff—and the students and families we’re honored to serve at program sites throughout our community.

Today, our senior leadership team visited Partnering with Parents and our Rockford-area programs, including Easterseals Academy Machesney Park, The Autism Program, Teen Family Support, and Family Support Services.

A special moment from the day: during the visit to Easterseals Academy Machesney Park, a mother of an Academy staff member, generously donated $1,000 to support holiday gifts for students at the campus.

We’re grateful for the warmth, generosity, and community that make this season so meaningful—it’s truly our privilege to serve!

12/01/2025

11/29/2025

Small Business Saturday is here—Shop Small. Make a Big Impact. 🛍️🧡

When you support HB Threads—Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford’s social enterprise—you help create paid, above-minimum-wage jobs for adults with disabilities, building independence, confidence, and community connection.

This Small Business Saturday, you can support HB Threads by:

✅ Ordering custom gear for your business, school, team, or next event
✅ Shopping gifts that give back—tees, hoodies, hats, and more
✅ Sharing our mission with your friends, family, and colleagues

Every purchase—big or small—helps create opportunity and proves inclusive workplaces aren’t just possible… they’re powerful.

Shop Small. Make a Big Impact: https://hbthreads.org/

11/26/2025

Our November Newsletter is out! Catch the latest updates from Easterseals Serving Chicagoland & Greater Rockford—plus a few bright spots we’re especially grateful for this season:

✨ A thank-you video celebrating the moments your support makes possible
🏆 Sara Ray Hallman named (again!) to Chicago’s Titan 100
🧵 Rep. Theresa Mah visits HB Threads to spotlight inclusive employment and fair pay
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Support Services’ Fall Sibling Workshop recap
🎶 Highlights from The Generations concert benefiting Easterseals
🎅 Plus: Photos with Santa at Easterseals Academy (Dec. 13)

Read it here: https://conta.cc/3KmxpVM

11/25/2025

Last week, our Family Support Services (FSS) program brought families together for an afternoon of joy and connection at Carlson Ice Arena! The event offered a variety of activities designed to create lasting memories, including ice skating, playtime at Sapora Playworld, and hands-on arts and crafts.

This event was made possible through the Rockford Park District Recreation Voucher, which provided families with access to the arena and its amenities. One of the highlights of the day was the toy giveaway. Each child had the opportunity to select a toy and take it home. In total, FSS welcomed 38 individuals to this event!

The event reflected FSS’s ongoing commitment to supporting families in meaningful ways, blending recreation with community connection.

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible—and to the families who joined us and made it so special!