Community DC Interview | James Smith | Easterseals

Community DC Host Dennis Glasgow visits with Easterseals VP of Development James Smith to talk about the History, Programs, Volunteering, Donating and much more when it comes to Easterseals in the DMV. We'll also get a chance to hear a first-hand account from a Mom that with Easterseals help. was instrumental in assisting her young son get the help he needed regarding his speech.

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Welcome to Community DC. I'm yourhost, Dennis Glasco. This morning we
get another visit from Easter Seals.We're also proud partners with them here at
iHeart and they have a lot ofgreat events coming up soon that we'll have
a chance to talk about. Butif you're being introduced to them for the
first time, we'll go over thehistory, what they do, and who
they work with and how you cangive back. During the halfway point,
we'll also hear from a first handaccount from a parent, Staria Gibson,

(00:25):
and how Easter Seals helped her sonObi out and how he's doing today.
Here's my conversation with the VP ofDevelopment, James Smith. I hope you
enjoyed the conversation as much as Idid, and it's a pleasure to be
talking with you, Dennis. EasterSeals has been around for over one hundred
years, which is incredible, bythe way, absolutely and you know,
the wonderful thing about Easter Seals.We started with really tending to the needs

(00:50):
of children who had disabilities, andthat threat still runs throughout all of the
Easter Seals across the country. Butsimply put, Easter Seals really off programs
that empowers individuals and families, includingpeople with disabilities, veterans and military families,
and low income families, all tomake you know, our communities much

(01:11):
stronger. All right, well,let's talk about some of the amazing things
to do. And by the way, later on in our conversation, we're
going to have a chance to meetwith Daria Gibson, whose son Obi at
the time, during COVID to fourteenmonths old, reached out to Easter Seals
and got the help when it cameto speech. It's a really cool story
that's going to be in the middleof our interview, so I want you

(01:32):
to stay tuned for that. Youknow, I know there are different buckets
when it comes to Easter Seals aboutyou know, all the different things when
it comes to the services. Sothere's children and families, there's adults,
seniors, veterans and caregivers. AndI'm not sure, James, if everybody
knew how many buckets are were whenit came to Easter Seals. Can you
spend just a little moment on eachone and exactly what they do? Yeah,

(01:53):
so you know, we do,thank you, And that's a great
way of kind of categorizing the workthat we do and the impact that we
make inmmunity. So it's really wethink about early education, health and well
being, and veteran employment, right, and so I'm going to kind of
take it from that angle. Soin the early education space, we operate

(02:14):
four early childhood education centers plus threehead Start centers, which is a federally
funded program serving both children with andwithout disabilities, ensuring that every child is
kindergarten reading by the time that theyleave our program, right. And so
we believe that every child has theability to learn, regardless of their socioeconomic

(02:38):
status, if they have a disabilityor not. Our job is to make
sure that that child when they leaveus is ready, kindergarten ready. And
kindergarten ready is not just learning colors, but it's be able to formulate sentences
and kind of know their name andhow to connect with other children in community,
right, And so it is aboutreally an investing in the life of

(03:00):
that child. We also have earlyIntervention, which supports families who have infant
or toddlers with disabilities or development delaysat no cost. I think that's one
of the great things about the workthat we do. We're sensitive that obviously,
you know, sometimes families simply justcan't afford that extra support that they

(03:23):
need. And we've seen a lotof children come through our program programs who
honestly can't talk, can't speak,but by the time that they get to
the end of early intervention, theyare ready. They're talking and they're formulating
sentences, they're communicating, and that'sreally the joy of what I consider the
work that we do in the earlyeducation space. You know, one of

(03:46):
the words that we hear, especiallywith easters, is we hear about disabilities.
And that's wide radging word that canbe used. But you just mentioned
a few things where you can helpfamilies. Can you go over maybe just
once again an education for families peoplethat are listening about. It's not just
what we're going to hear from Starryof the mom with the obie who had
a speech issues and was regressing,and you touch on just a few,

(04:08):
but what other when it comes todisabilities do you work with and help out?
So consider a child who's autistic,consider a child who's wheelchair bound,
consider a child who has some behavioralissues. Right, we as what I
love about the work that we do. It's all about inclusivity and so if

(04:29):
a child has a speech delay,if a child needs occupation with therapy,
our therapists actually go into the classroomsetting and work with the child there.
For a number of reasons. One, it gives a sense of normality that
the child is not abnormal or can'tfunction, if you will, in the

(04:50):
sense of community. Two, itallows the teacher to really reinforce the skills
that to be behavior of specialists isreally providing to the child. And third,
and probably most importantly, it doesagain speak to the fact that children
need to understand and see that childrenwho have a disability are okay, they're

(05:15):
not. You know people that whenI was in school, you know,
there was a thing called special educationwhere children were brought or or segmented if
you were from the general population.Our model is very different. We do
build an inclusive community where all childrenfeel they're part of that community and they

(05:35):
thrive. And that's the wonderful thingabout the work that we do in the
child development space. So, James, if there are any families or people
or parents that are listening to thisright now, they're probably wondering about criteria.
I wonder if my child can qualifyfor something like this that you offer.
So when it comes to anything,is there any criteria for families or

(05:56):
people that want to get involved withthese seals. It's a phone call,
right, and you call us andwe'll start that process. Children are screened
and assessed. Every child has anindividual play and so that's the whole point
of our team, a hope thatwraps around this child. That we're not
doing a cookie cutter approach to learning. Every child learns at the modality that

(06:21):
they can learn, and our jobis to help facilitate that learning. So
just if you call us, westart right there. Right, that's the
entry point, and we don't turnpeople away. Obviously, we have families
that can afford the services for whichwe're grateful. There are some families who
are on subsidized support, and thereare some families who really just can't afford

(06:45):
anything, and right, and sowe have that whole mix of families coming
to our centers, and our jobis to work with every family, regardless
of where they are, again,to ensure that their child is kindergarten.
Ready, I'm glad that you broughtthat up. And we'll talk about giving
because there are so many different layersto the way you can give to Easter
Seals with donation and volunteering, butespecially when it comes to money and being

(07:09):
a part whether your a corporate sponsor, your a small business, or your
family. We'll talk about that inthe second half of our interview. We'll
get the website and the phone numbersand all that kind of good stuff.
But I'm glad that you talked aboutthat because I think a lot of families
would be listening to SAGEZ. Idon't know if I can afford this.
So it sounds like whatever social classyou're coming from, whether you can maybe
a little bit or can't afford it, you're covering everybody here. We want

(07:30):
to make that real clear to everybody. That is absolutely correct. Correct it
is we work with every family,regardless of where they come from, because
again, it's our job to helpbuild an inclusive community where all people have
the ability to thrive. You know, there's so many cool jobs at a
nonprofit and you're going to have toclue me in here and give me a

(07:51):
little education with our listeners. Butyour VP of development, so what does
that entail at Easter Seals? Whatdo you do well? Job? Great
question, Dove tailed and what wejust talked about, right, So I'm
responsible to manage a team of professionalsthat actually go out and we fundraise to
augment for our program support. Andso we have a team that focuses on

(08:16):
events, individual giving, corporate giving, grants, and our Again, we
are connecting with donors and we're sograteful for to our donor base because people
really have a genuine concern and heartabout the work that we do. And
so my job is actually easy becauseI really get to talk about the phenomenal

(08:37):
work and I don't want to leaveout the other two buckets because I think
that's important, you know, aroundour adult day services and our veterans employment.
Those areas also make up what wedo. So we're talking to donors
about really having an impact and sothat we don't have to turn families away,

(08:58):
because my job is to talk todonors, people in the community to
really help us to augment that fundingstream and source to ensure that we don't
turn any people away. Well,let's do this before we take a break
and meet Staria Gibson and talk abouther son Obi. Let's talk about the
ways to give, because when Iwas on the website, today, I

(09:18):
go to Holy Smokes. They've coveredeverything. There's so many ways to give
it me a part of the organization. Can you go through some of the
top ones for everybody? Well?Sure, you know we try to make
giving seamless and easily. Well yousure did that. So our website probably
is the best portal because again,you know, what our website allows us

(09:39):
to do is really share with donorsthe impact. And so we're not just
asking people for money just for thesake of operating. It is about really
having an impact on someone's life.And so what our website allows donors to
do is to see that impact firsthand. And so that's an easy way to

(10:03):
give. It's quick. And again, what our donors because everyone, we
understand have different passions, right,and so while some people may really have
a passion around child development, thereis a great audience in this market that
really support our veterans. And soyou know, our website allows people to

(10:26):
designate their gift if there's a particularprogram or area that they are really passionate
about. And again, I can'tunder underscore and overemphasize the importance of impact,
right, And I think we reallywant our donors to understand when you
invest in Easter Seals, you're investingin someone's life, right, It's more

(10:50):
than a program. It's about howdo we keep seniors in their homes with
their families, how do we keepveterans in a space where they are men
to help the sound and secure,how do we help children learn? And
those are the investments that we're makingfinancially, and so our website obviously we

(11:11):
love to talk to people one onone. We certainly set up appointments and
we meet the donor where they areright and every dollar counts. It's no
gift is too small, and youknow, one of the things that is
important to us. We'll talk aboutthe circus on the other side of the
interview, but our community walk inthe fall is a great way in which

(11:33):
the community can galvanize and engage becauseat the grassroots level, it's a twenty
five dollars entry if you will,into the walk, but the groundswell of
people that come from the community thatsupport that event is absolutely amazing, and

(11:54):
so all of our donors, we'rejust so grateful for their investment, and
we invite the listing audits to becomea part of the journey with us as
we really impeg loves O standing.Thanks for sharing all that and I wasn't
joking. Folks, when you geton the get involved there in the donating,
there's monthly giving, there's matching gifts, plan giving, workplace giving,

(12:15):
make an honor, a memorial gift, cryptocurrencies covered, donor advice funds,
stocks and charitable gift annuities. Youhave covered it all. So listen,
We're going to take a small breakand talk to Staria and then come back
and talk about some of the greatevents that are coming up in twenty twenty
four. Excellent. As promised,we're here to visit with Staria Gibson and,
along with her husband, had beenon a journey with her son,

(12:37):
Obi, who has a time threeplus years ago, was having issues with
his speech, and Staria reached outto Easter Seals. Here's her story.
As promised, we're here to visitwith Staria Gibson and, along with her
husband, had been on a journeywith her son, Obi, who has
a time who at the time threeplus years ago, was having issues with
his speech and Staria reached out toEaster Seals. Here's her story. Eastern

(13:00):
Seals came into my life by astroke of luck. I was desperate to
figure out some help for my sonwho was regressing with his speech and about
the year mark, a little afterhe turned a year old, and talk
with our pediatrician about it, andshe referred us to some speech therapists in

(13:24):
the area, and I was ableto make an appointment with a speech therapist
and have come with an introductory session. And the speech therapist was a phenomenal.
They were private practice, and afterthe session, she's like, you're
great, I love your studies,adorable, but have you heard of Strong
Start in DC? And she kindof opened up that world to us,

(13:48):
where we learned about early intervention andStrong Start, and then through Strong Start
we met with our therapist who asan Easter Seals therapist, and that's how
my relationship with Easter Seals started.Well, thank you for sharing the start
of the story, and we shouldalso tell people too, as we're getting

(14:09):
to know about you and Obie.He was only fourteen months old when this
all happened, and this was duringCOVID, so you had to do everything
by computer like we all did backthen, which I'm sure made it challenging
at first. I'm sure that changedeswe got out of COVID, but that
must have been challenging for the family, but also still welcomed. Yes,
I mean, so I work inhealthcare, so I kind of had a

(14:31):
little bit of a supercharge start toCOVID and a lot of things, especially
when it came to my son andtrying to find help because we didn't know
that he was autistic. Then wewere just like we knew it was a
speech regression, and I'm like,Okay, I need help. I don't
know what I'm doing, and I'mdesperate. So a lot of the things

(14:54):
I was advocating for, I wantedto meet in person if I could,
you know, if it was safeand if I could to me in person.
But a lot of things were scary, you know people and people were
trying to get access to things,and some things were virtual, somethings completely
fill off the map altogether. Andwe I mean we were really my husband

(15:15):
and law and we were just doingas much as we could with the resources
that we had available. So it'slike if it's virtual, okay, if
it's in person, even better,if you know emailing. Yeah, we
were just doing everything we could toget help. So when we started with
developmental therapy, and we were oncea week sessions and eventually the developmental therapists

(15:39):
we were doing virtual sessions. SoI would get my laptop out. I
have like a seventeen inch laptop andI would just put it on the floor
in my friend's room and you know, have as much connection as we could.
So he was a little at thetime, so put it on the
floor and our developmental therapist worked withus for an hour once a week,

(16:02):
and I remembered her giving us justsome tools that I could implement. It
was a lot of family coaching,so tools that I could implement and things
that I could do in my environmentat home to be able to foster a
deeper connection with Obi. And Iremember there were simple things, you know,

(16:26):
but I didn't have that information.I didn't have that knowledge, I
didn't have that education. So thedevelopmental therapist sharing those things with myself and
my husband, and we made somesmall changes, and it was like the
light bulbs went off with the dynamicbetween us and Obi, where when he
maybe wouldn't give us eye contact orhe wasn't mimicking things, and all of

(16:48):
a sudden, when I would,you know, change the way that I
introduced a sentence to him, allof a sudden he's looking at me,
or all of a sudden he wantsto imitate what I just did. And
it was because of those wall changesthat the developmental therapist was coaching us through.
That was in the early days.And I don't know if you want

(17:12):
more information about as we progress through, because Obi worked with Easter Seals therapists
for a year and a half andthen we added speech therapy too, so
those that looked a little different thandevelopmental therapy. But I just remember in
the early days, the one hoursessions of a lot of family and environment

(17:36):
coaching where we could implement things tohelp with our with our relationship with Obi
and really seeing him open up andkey in in the way that we didn't
see before the developmental therapy. Well, it really is an amazing story.
Now I think we should recap everythingbecause that's kind of three and a half
four years ago that that all happened. So where is Obi today? How

(17:56):
is he doing? So he's inpreschool and so he's three and a half
now, and well, I thinkhe's hilarious and he's emerging in his speech
and he still a lot of timesprefers American Sign language. We do a

(18:17):
lot of Americans sine lguage with himfor him to be able to be able
to advocate for himself or to beable to start a conversation or start an
interaction, a lot of non verbaltools for him to be able to do
that. And he goes to apublic charter school that has an autism classroom,
and he still is receiving therapies.We actually have a relationship with Easter

(18:42):
Seals, the two of the therapiststhat we work with. We still I
still text them, and you know, they made it really they made it
very clear to me. They're like, you know, we're a community resource,
so you know, if you wantto keep these channels open, you're
welcome to And I was like,yes, please, So you know,
I text them. I'll send himvideos of ob you know, when he's

(19:04):
trying something new or doing something funnyor I I just I feel like he's
I it. Autism is a newa new way of life that I'm learning,
and so Obi showing me new thingsevery day about what it is to
be an autistic individual. And Imean I feel like he's he's growing in

(19:30):
his skill set, and and heis learning at the same time. These
little humans, they you know,they soak up things at lightning speed.
But as far as Obi today,he's he's a little spunky thing. And
and he's in preschool and and andwe're still we're still desperate to make sure

(19:52):
that we're might we meaning myself andmy husband, that we're changing our environment
and learning even more about how wecan interact with him in ways that are
meaningful to him, in ways thatwe can support him. I really appreciate
you sharing the story with us.Thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely,
it's my pleasure. All right,James, we're back and we had

(20:14):
that great visit with Staria, andwhat a special story ob fourteen months old
COVID was happening. They noticed somespeech regression that was happening. The parents
did and you know, talking tostory about even though she's in the healthcare
industry, she knew that she hadto go to somewhere else that was Easter
Seals and got a great experience andOb is striving in pre k it.

(20:36):
I'm sure there are just so manystories like that, but it was really
wonderful that she shared that a veryspecial one, absolutely, you know,
and I think it speaks to ourability to partner, right the one thing
that is the anchor, one ofthe anchors of the work that we do.
We have a mirriad of partners inschool systems, other childcare facilities,
therapists that we really again are ina collaborative space. And so while we

(21:00):
are creating this hopeful and inclusive communitywhere all people have the opportunity to thrive,
we also know that we are partof a greater community and we're just
grateful for opportunities to collaborate, referralsthat come to us from professionals. It
really again speaks to our ability tonetwork and to impact lives. Twenty twenty

(21:23):
four is a big year for yourevents. I know you've got some annual
events that you do that we're goingto talk about, but can you tell
us about twenty twenty four what's comingup to get everybody excited? Yeah,
Well, what's right around the corneris our Bright Stars Night at this Circus,
presented by M and T Bank,and we are really excited about this
event. For more than twenty fiveyears, we've actually done this because of

(21:47):
our friends at M and T Bank, The Rupert companies, Atlantic reality companies,
and that's just the top of thelist. There are a number of
partners that help us do this work. This event is so special because the
Omnion Circus is our partner and theyare a spectacular troop of diverse and multiabled

(22:07):
acrobats and performers. And what's amazingabout this the children that come to the
Circus can see themselves on the stagethe Omnion Circus. The first year,
I was blown away when there wasa contortionist that didn't have legs and she
was graceful and just her movement wasflawless and to be able for children to

(22:34):
see that who can dream big?And again again it's all about you know,
tomorrow and the possibilities of what canbe and so Bright Stars allows us
to do that at that level.While we're raising money for the organization,
we're also really showing and demonstrating toour children that anything is possible. And

(22:56):
so on Saturday, February that's twentyfour at Capitol one Hall in Tyson's Corner
at seven pm, it's our BrightStars Night at the Circus again presented by
m ty Bank, one of ourgreat great partners and sponsors By the way,
that's a great venue. I'm gladthat you guys picked it because that's

(23:17):
perfect. It's kind of centralized,which I'm sure you guys wanted. But
also the venue is beautiful, isn'tit It is? It is. And
the other thing that you know,I think is worth mentioning. You know,
I talked earlier about children who potentiallymay have autism or some attention deficits.
And you know, when you takeyour children to let's say, Disney

(23:37):
on Ice or other venues and yourchild is overstimulated by sight and sound,
you know, sometimes our parents feelyou know, ashamed and their challenge.
But the wonderful thing about this eventis you don't have to feel that pressure.
You don't have to feel that senseof shame because you know, we
are we open this event to allof our families understanding that we create this

(24:03):
space, this safe space for childrenwith disabilities to come and to just enjoy
the evening and not feel the pressure, if you will, of quote unquote
what other venues might present. I'mglad you talked about that because you know,
first of all, what's normal anymorewhen it comes to your children and
how they behave in public but whenyou do have some challenges, I think

(24:26):
it's easy to feel like you're alittle put off around other people when the
kid, the child might be misbehavingor loud, or something's going on,
But then you embrace that, andI just think that's another great thing of
Easter Seals that you do. SoI'm really glad to hear that. Are
there any other events that you're excitedabout in twenty twenty four that you want
to talk about? I am.So there's our Advocacy Awards dinner, which

(24:48):
is slated for Wednesday, May thefirst at Union Station, and it is
an opportunity that we celebrate all ofEaster Seals again, going back to celebrating
and thinking about early education, healthand wellbeing, and veteran employment and services.
We coalesce the whole community. Andthis year we're really excited about We

(25:11):
just learned that we're going to behonoring to United States Senators Senator Susan Collins
out of Maine and Senator Mark Warnerout of Virginia for their work to champion
the things that we're doing in thesespaces, and so that will be there,

(25:32):
and then in early fall we areagain gearing up for our Walk with
Me, which is an opera whichwill be hosted at the National Harbor for
the third year. And it isan amazing morning because we get everyone out
in the walk. It's a fivek walk, three k walk, and

(25:52):
again it's the celebration of Easter Sealsand we walk to support the work that
we do. We are for opportunitiesfor children to do face painting and we
just do a warm up. Disneycharacters are there and we also invite our
community partners. In the first twoyears we offered both flu and COVID shots

(26:14):
to people in the community. Allof the work that we do, partners
are there. It is just anamazing warning of just fun walking, exercising
and again lifting the banner of EasterSeals in the community. James, before
we give the website to everybody thatI'm sure a lot of people have already
googled, and a phone number andany social channels you'd like to give out,

(26:37):
I'm just going to give the floorto you. We only have about
three minutes left, and i knowyou've been there for almost three years and
I'm sure that special things have happenedthat have blown you away that you're proud
of with you and your team andeverybody work with and also the future.
But can you just give some takeawaysto everybody about what Easter Seals has meant
to you and about the future ofthe nonprofit for us, That's a great
question. And I've worked in thefield for over thirty years and this is

(27:03):
a place that really is near anddear to my heart. And it's not
just it's no longer work for me, but I see my experience as an
extension of being able to really impacthumanity. And most nonprofits there is a
singular mission, singular focus, andsingular target population. Easter Seals allows us

(27:25):
to really touch people throughout the wholehuman if you will, lifespan, children,
seniors, adults, military vets andtheir families, the whole gamut,
and every day you know we arein the trenches of really again making impact.
We heard Staria's story, They're countlessother stories where we have helped children

(27:49):
to gain their sense of independence,We've helped seniors to stay connected to their
families, We've helped veterans to turntheir lives around after suffering PTSD and other
challenges. And so being able tolook ourselves in the mirror every day knowing
that the work that we're doing ischanging someone's life. That keeps me going,

(28:15):
that drives me. And I havea wonderful group of colleagues that you
know, I'm not in this journeyalone, but you know, over two
hundred and fifty of us every dayshow up to engage in this work and
it's meaningful and it's impactful, andat the end of the day, we
can point to the fact that we'vehelped someone really gain independence over their lives

(28:41):
and really again live up to ourdrive to create an inclusive community where all
people have the opportunity to thrive andreach their full potential. Let's give the
website phone number, any other informationyou'd like to give the listeners that they
can reach out and find out more. Well, I want to start with
our Bright Stars night at the Circusbecause that's coming right up and we would

(29:03):
love for people to be a partof that. And that website is bright
Stars DC dot org and that's bR I G H T S T A
R S d C dot org backslashiHeart and we will you'll find all the
information there about the about the BrightStars event. And then finally, donate

(29:26):
dot e Seal dot org if youwant to make a contribution or learn more
about the work that we do.Uh, it's right there. James.
Pleasure to speak with you here inCommunity, d C and continue success with
you and all the great folks atEaster Seals. Thanks Sena, this was
great connecting with you and our appreciationfor all the iHeart does to help us
in the community. You all aregreat partners and again we are just in

(29:49):
this work together. So a hugethank you to you and iHeart Radio for
just being tremendous supporters of us,not just this year, but in past
years and in years to come.So thank you.