Easter Seals Disability Services

Upcoming Events 

Give the gift of Friendly’s Ice Cream this Valentine’s Day and Support Easter Seals at the same time!

Beginning January 11th, the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation will support Easter Seals Camp Friendly’s through its annual Cones for Kids Campaign! From January 11- February 13, 2010, Friendly’s Restaurants will offer Valentine Cards as a thank you gift to restaurant guests who made a donation to Easter Seals. The Valentine Cards are redeemable at Friendly’s for 5 free Kids Cones and $5 off any $25 purchase.

Donations collected from the campaign support Easter Seals Camp Friendly’s Programs in all Friendly’s markets. Every time you and your family visit Friendly’s during the campaign, you can help support essential disability camp programs in your community.

 “As a person with a disability I get ‘special’ treatment every day, but from the second I get to camp, I get to see what ‘normal’ feels like," said one Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart camper. "When you are at Camp, everyone notices you for being yourself.”

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Friendly’s, Camp Merry Heart continues to expand programs that serve people with disabilities, like eleven year old Cosette, who are able to experience recreational opportunities not otherwise available to them.

Cosette, who spends most of her time in a wheelchair, is able to experience independence through the assisted ability to soar across the sky on a zip line one of the many challenge course features at Camp Merry Heart and the freedom to skim across a lake in a canoe.

“Friendly’s has consistently shown its commitment to engaging its employees, restaurant guests and local communities in our cause,” said Brian Fitzgerald, ceo of Easter Seals New Jersey. 

The Friendly Ice Cream Corporation has supported Easter Seals since 1981 with nearly $26 million through Cones for Kids. With the help of generous consumers, 26 Easter Seals affiliate organizations have benefited from this powerful campaign created by Friendly’s Restaurants up and down the East Coast.

To find a Friendly’s restaurant near you visit http://www.friendlys,com/.

FRIENDS WHO CARE®

Friendly’s has funded the redesign and update of Easter Seals’ award winning disability awareness curriculum FRIENDS WHO CARE®, designed to help children better understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability. Easter Seals thanks Friendly’s for their tremendous support in making this possible.

Over 200 of Easter Seals “Favorite Family Recipes” Cookbooks Have Been Sold! Hurry and Get Yours Now!

All of the 250 recipes contained in the Easter Seals “Favorite Family Recipes” cookbook were lovingly contributed by many Easter Seals New Jersey employees, their friends and family members. The book is comprised of recipes for everything from main and side dishes, to appetizers and beverages, to desserts and candy and there’s even a recipe for homemade dog biscuits for the pooch!

For every cookbook that you purchase, not only will you be getting fine recipes with which to expand your culinary skills, but the satisfaction of knowing that every time you select a recipe from the book to prepare for you and your loved ones, that you have also helped to make a difference in the life of someone with a disability.

Cookbook prices are as follows:

• 1 - 3 books   $12 ea. ($10 per book + $2 for shipping)*

• 4+ books      $11 ea. ($9 per book + $2 for shipping)*

* Note: You may deduct $2 shipping cost for each book if you choose to pick up your cookbook order at Easter Seals New Jersey’s administrative offices located at 25 Kennedy Blvd, Suite 600, East Brunswick, NJ, 08816.

Cash or checks made payable to Easter Seals New Jersey will be accepted. To order, please contact Stacy Edelkraut at (732) 955‑8389, or by e-mail at sedelkraut@nj.easterseals.com.

All proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will go directly to Easter Seals New Jersey for funding programs and services that benefits people with disabilities or special needs.

It's not too late to get yours...but with over 200 already sold, don't wait too long! And, don't forget to tell your family and friends -- especially those who contributed recipes!

Century 21 Cardinal Realty in Parsippany Hosts Toy Drive to Benefit Children of Easter Seals

Century 21 Cardinal Enterprises is asking the community to join with them in their efforts to make the holiday season a little brighter for children with disabilities or special needs at Easter Seals by donating a new, unwrapped toy.

For more than 30 years, CENTURY 21® offices nationwide have supported Easter Seals, a non-profit organization that helps adults and children with disabilities lead more independent lives. Since that time CENTURY 21 has raised nearly $99 million for children and adults with disabilities at Easter Seals.

"Locally, we are so pleased to be a part of Century 21’s commitment to Easter Seals and impacting lives through this toy drive,” said a representative from Century 21 Cardinal Enterprises. “Not only is this a great morale-building opportunity for our team to get involved and experience first-hand the types of programs and facilities that Easter Seals provides, but it’s also an opportunity for the whole community to get involved in spreading the holiday spirit.”

New and unwrapped toys for children of all ages can be dropped off at the Century 21 Cardinal Enterprises office located at 979 Littleton Road, Parsippany, by Monday, December 21st.  For more information, please contact (973) 267-9500. 

For volunteer or event sponsorship opportunities for Easter Seals New Jersey, please contact Robert Cohen at (732) 257-6662, ext. 229.

Just Released New Autism CD titled “Songs of the Spectrum”! A portion of proceeds benefits Easter Seals New Jersey

The new album features a message of hope and an unflinching look at the realities faced by the families of people on the autism spectrum sung by an appealing mix of established artists along with Jackson Browne and Dar Williams and includes an e-bundle of autism resources and book excerpts.

Songs of the Spectrum is available for download at http://www.singsos.org/ for a $15 donation, or available for purchase as a CD for a $20 donation. It’s also available for purchase through major online outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.

In a field flooded with misinformation, the album offers a hand-picked selection of brochures, articles and book chapters, along with links to videos and interactive tools a one-stop shopping resource for people with a need to know more.

If you or someone you know is living with the effects of autism, Songs of the Spectrum has an important message for the heart, there's music telling of both autism's terrors and unexpected joys. For the head, a selection of resources, from the signs every toddler's parents should know, to advice on helping siblings to understand.

The purpose of the CD is to make an abstract disorder real; to make autism a problem of "us" instead of "them." So listen. Learn. And share. Donors can select Easter Seals New Jersey as the organization of choice to receive the proceeds for each CD purchased or downloaded.

To purchase your copy, or for more information, visit http://www.singsos.org/.

Helping people with disabilities is what we do at Easter Seals... Visit this site often for updated information on events in your area!