John has been one of the race directors of Run the Woods for over twenty years! This 5K/8K trail run and 1-Mile Hike is held on the first Saturday of October at Easterseals Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, and brings several hundred runners, volunteers and supporters to Timber Pointe every year while raising money for Easterseals through race entries and sponsorships.

He shares, “I love Run the Woods, because it showcases the wonderful mission of Easterseals and the beauty of Timber Pointe in a powerful way to weekend athletes every year. When I am at Timber Pointe, I reflect on my many blessings and I know I need to give back to our community and to Easterseals.”

John has been practicing law for twenty-nine years with the Bloomington law firm, Pratt and Pratt, P.C. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, community service, music, swimming and the great outdoors.

Thank you, John, for your dedication to the children and families we serve!

In a year filled with uncertainty, want to share a story with you that fills our hearts with thankfulness.

This year, so many generous supporters stepped up to help Easterseals families continue their therapy through Telehealth. Here is a message of thanks from our friend Isaac’s mom, Christina.

“Telehealth has been a huge blessing to our family during these uncertain times. Isaac gets sick very easily, and unfortunately, sickness has caused him to be hospitalized multiple times.

For the safety of Isaac and his siblings, I made the decision in March to stop all therapies. Easterseals contacted me and asked if Isaac and his older brother Elijah would like to participate in telehealth, and of course we said yes!

Children with special needs thrive on structure, and your donations help our kids continue to reach their goals in therapy without regression. We are so grateful for Telehealth because even though life has been turned upside down, our kids can still interact with their therapists, putting a bit of structure and normalcy back in their lives. Thank you so much for supporting Easterseals. It means the world to us and other Easterseals families!”

You can learn more about Isaac here and get your holiday shopping started with limited edition gifts inspired by Easterseals ambassadors, like Isaac, here!

This year, we dedicate our 30^th annual tribute to Our Common Threads – the values that have woven our community together throughout 2020. At Easterseals, Our Common Threads are  family, joy, love, friendship and growth. To help us share these threads with the community, we relied on the help of several Easterseals Ambassadors, who in addition to working hard to make progress in therapy, dedicated time to creating pieces of art that could be used for Our Common Threads.

For opportunities to purchase merchandise inspired by the art of these artists, or to learn about how to become involved in the #OurCommonThreads social campaign, visit Eastersealscommonthreads.com.

Keep reading to learn more about our Easterseals Artists!

Annalise W. (Age 7) Eureka IL

Smart, crafty, kind, and loving- 4 words to describe Easterseals Artist, Anna. Anna’s favorite color is purple and she adores unicorns. She can swim like a fish and her favorite thing about Easterseals is doing physical therapy in the warm water therapy pool. Because of the co-vid, Anna has been using telehealth, and though she misses the pool, nothing is getting in the way of her reaching her goals. In the last few months, Anna has been working on her balance and is now able to stand on one foot. Annalise would like everyone to be happy, and she enjoys ensuring that everyone is smiling.

Avah W. (age 10) Normal IL_

“Spreading Kindness Like Confetti”.

 The title of Avah’s beautiful piece-says it all. Full of joy, Avah is in 5^th grade this year, and spreading sunshine to those around her, just comes naturally. She is a confident, hard worker and dreams of having a career as an Art teacher one day, but for now she continues to paint with passion. In the past year, Avah has made progress in speech and occupational therapy. She is now able to answer more complex questions accurately and has worked hard on her handwriting skills.

Chase D. (Age 9) Pekin IL

A lover of all things video games, Chase loves to play Mario games. Recently Chase was able save up all of his chore money to get his very own Nintendo Switch, something he is very proud of. When not playing video games, he loves to draw and play the keyboard. In fact, he had a shining moment performing live on the Easterseals Telethon this past year. Chase is determined and works hard in Occupational Therapy on his communication skills and focusing on tasks.

Elijah S. (Age 7) Morton IL

The colorful spirit of Elijah, is reflected in the joy of his artwork. Elijah loves to be outside as riding his bike and playing at the park are some of his favorite things in the world-besides the color green of course. Born at 25 weeks, Elijah has been a fighter since he was born, and his family is proud of his never give up attitude. With the help of Occupational therapy Elijah has learned how better understand his emotions and which emotions are appropriate for certain situations.

Ethan H. (Age 4) Morton, IL

Ethan has a huge heart! Ethan will show his love by giving a hug, or by taking your hand to run the yard as fast as he can. Ethan loves anything outside, and his favorite thing to do right now is go on bear hunts! Ethan’s are is really cool in that he uses colors to show the energy he feels when doing or describing certain things. Easterseals has given Ethan the tools to effectively navigate his need for sensory input. When Ethan started occupational therapy at Easterseals, he couldn’t stand to be hugged or cuddle and now he is a big snuggle bug!

Isaac S. (Age 6) Morton IL

Meet music lover, Isaac!,- but don’t be fooled, he is very particular about who and what he listens too. Isaac is recording artist Charlie Puth’s biggest fan! Along with jamming out to his favorite tunes, Isaac likes swimming and swinging- he even has a swing in him room. Like his brother Elijah, Isaac shares the strength of never giving up. In occupational therapy Isaac is working on his strength and activating toys that require pressure! This past year, he met is goal of being able to activate “The Gumball Toy” all by himself. In fact, with some of the skills he has practiced in OT, Isaac was excited to draw his piece titled “Celebrate Love”, all by himself.

Jordan R. (Age 9) Peoria IL

Calling all sports fans, Jordan is your guy! Jordan is a big fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Bulls basketball. Jordan also enjoys books, video games and of course coloring. One of his biggest talents however, is capturing an audience with his storytelling. Jordan loves to make people smile, and can sometimes leave people on the edge of their seats with enjoyment. Mom says Jordan is a “natural” at keeping a crowd engaged. Easterseals helps Jordan understand and regulate his emotions.

Kamari P. (Age 8) Pekin IL

Kamari is very witty and always has something clever to say. His family calls them “Kamari-isms.” He has a great sense of humor and a one-of-a-kind personality that is loved by all. Kamari enjoys baseball, basketball and floor hocky, and when not on the move, he enjoys collecting toy cars and watching nascar. Mom says he would live off of twizzlers if given the chance. Some Kamari’s biggest accomplishments since coming to Easterseals include tying his shoe independently, learning how to advocate for himself and effectively communicate his needs.

Larkin H. (Age 6) Pekin IL

Larkin is open and innately happy.

Larkin is a sprinkle of goodness in everything that she is, and she has spread joy to far reaching places. She is curious and silly and has a beautiful imagination. Larkin is a talented singer, and pretend play is one of her favorite things. Art is definitely a strength of Larkins, and it provides a wonderful opportunity for her imagination to come life. With the help of Easterseals Larkin is able to communicate more effectively with those around her. “With Easterseals’ guidance, her light isn’t being snuffed out but spotlighted.”

Reece K. (Age 7) Normal IL

Reece never stops smiling, and cares about others more than himself, and brings joy to everyone around him. Reece enjoys anything with rolling wheels including firetrucks and trains, and the color green is his absolute favorite. He is also a Godzilla fan, and likes the 3-D world of Roblox.When Reece started at he was completely unable to communicate verbally. In the Past year, Reece has made huge progress in being able to talk to his friends all by himself. He is also now able to ask and answer questions regularly.

When our 28 students at the Easterseals Learning Academy returned to school for the first time since March, they were greeted with a wonderful surprise.

Their outside patio had been transformed into a bright, colorful Sensory Garden! This active, outdoor space, made possible by a small grant from PNC, was designed to create a multi-sensory experience for students and to enhance their learning environment. Filled with artwork created by Teacher’s Aide and free-hand artist Niccole Maloney, the garden’s vibrant multi-colored flowers, insects and giant bird promote visual stimulation and help students with their social emotional development.

Our friend friend, Tana (pictured above), loves going down the slide and blowing bubbles. This sensory garden allows her to flourish in an environment that is safe, educational AND fun. So far, she has enjoyed hopping on the hopscotch while her teachers count the numbers, bouncing on the tires and, of course, sitting on the slide and blowing bubbles.

Her teachers share: “Tana is a cause and effect girl. There is a big wind tunnel in the small corridor where [the playground is]. I believe she might be using the wind for better bubbles, which is why she is drawn to this area.”

According to Andrea Hartnett, Director of the Easterseals Learning Academy, “This is a huge asset to our program that we continue to build and expand upon… We now have three spaces to use outdoors, which has given us more options to educate students outside as recommended by the State Board of Education. The Sensory Garden is just another example of how we can meet the students’ needs.”

In addition to the PNC First Grant, several donors including Barr Landscaping, Born Paint, Ace Hardware, and many others came together and made this garden such a special escape for our students. To see the impact that this garden has on the Easterseals Learning Academy students, you need to look no further than the expression of true joy on Tana’s face below.

Just as small acts of kindness made this garden possible, YOU too can make a meaningful impact for kids and families at Easterseals by becoming a Milestone Maker. Through an automatically recurring monthly donation of $10, $15 or $20, your support adds up to make a big difference, especially as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact our organization and our community.