Elgin Easter Seals gets more space, bilingual programs

Veronica Martinez, of Elgin, started taking her daughter Cassandra to therapy at Easter Seals shortly after she was born with cerebral palsy and limited use of her right side.

Back then the Elgin office of Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley was a small, dark space. Now Cassandra, 5, runs and plays in bigger rooms with plenty of natural light during her physical and occupational therapy sessions in the agency’s new office space.

Leaders held a ribbon cutting Thursday at the facility at 799 S. McLean Blvd. Easter Seals previously occupied a different section of the building — and even earlier in the agency’s evolution, the entire building — but funding flows have changed the size of its programming space in recent decades.

Theresa Forthofer, president and CEO of the regional Easter Seals chapter, said the skylights, big windows and broad hallways have been an important change for the people the agency serves.

“It’s just a completely different atmosphere when you walk into the building,” Forthofer said.

The new space means a better atmosphere for clients — mostly children with developmental disabilities — but also an expansion of program offerings.

The Elgin location is the only one of the agency’s three to offer bilingual social work programs — Villa Park and Naperville locations do not. The Elgin facility children throughout the Fox Valley; Villa Park and Naperville serve DuPage County.

Maria Robles was hired in June to see students in small groups and help them develop their social skills. While many of the children are fluent in English, their parents benefit from communicating with Robles in Spanish during the therapy sessions or over the phone.

Forthofer said the official opening of the new space — after a gradual move — will give the agency the opportunity to expand its bilingual offerings moving forward.

“It’s such an important part of the work we do in Elgin,” Forthofer said. “Treatment needs to happen at home, too, so the more effectively we can communicate with the parents and the children the more effective the treatment can be.”

Easter Seals is a national organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities through various therapies while also supporting the families who care for them. For details visit easterseals.dfvr.org.