Hi everyone,

I wanted to share with you a personal story I wrote about my son Colin Bell, and all the wonderful services he has received through the years with Easter Seals.  In December my firm (Lionakis) made a $2350+ donation to Easter Seals Superior California, as part of our 2009 giving.  I’m currently serving as a Director on our firm’s leadership council for the Lionakis Foundation and nominated Easter Seals last year.  The Lionakis Foundation is committed to philanthropic giving in areas of education, healthcare, and community which are representative of the values and goals of our employees.  For 2009, the program was focused entirely on employee driven giving in which seven employees wrote a personal story  on their nominated charitable cause.  I have included my story about Colin and Easter Seals below.

Thank you again for all the wonderful care, guidance, and support you have provided Colin and our family over the years.

Personal Story

Unfortunately my wife Amy and I didn’t get to experience the special joy that goes along with being a new parent for the first time.  We were told the day before our son was to come home that he had a rare genetic syndrome and may never walk and/or talk.  It was devastating news and we felt like no one else could possibly understand what we were going through at that moment in time.   Easter Seals was the first contact we had with any agency that understood the journey ahead of us in raising a child with special needs.

Today, our son Colin starts Kindergarten in two weeks and can run just as fast as any kid in his class.  He can also speak in small sentences and can carry on a conversation with his sister who understands him completely.  He’s doing things that we were led to believe weren’t possible.  If it was not for the early childhood intervention services that Colin received through Easter Seals, he would definitely be further behind in his development.  Over the years we’ve been provided with Early Start Development Services, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Swimming Therapy.  We’ve worked with numerous therapists who not only provided guidance for Colin but gave us the inspiration we desperately needed.  Colin’s future has never looked brighter and Amy and I are in a much better place than we were a few years ago.

Easter Seals Pediatric Services - "Children with disabilities will be fully included and have the same experiences as their peers."