Grant will help build a digital skills and employment training program for youth with disabilities

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 12, 2023) – Easterseals Crossroads, a local nonprofit organization providing disability services, has been awarded a one-year $75,000 grant from Comcast NBCUniversal for the Comcast NBCUniversal Digital Literacy and Employment Program. This is the second year that Easterseals Crossroads has received funding for this project. The grant will help build a digital skills and employment training program for transition-age youth with disabilities.

The Comcast NBCUniversal Digital Literacy and Employment Program is for any young adult ages 18-24 with a diagnosed disability who is preparing to work in a competitive work environment. The project focuses on delivering targeted digital skills curriculum in the classroom combined with an internship that will allow each participant to demonstrate what they are learning in a real work setting.

“We are thrilled to receive a second year of funding so that we can continue the important work of providing young adults with disabilities training on Digital Literacy.  These skills are crucial for them to move from school successfully and safely to adulthood and manage both their work and personal lives” said Marjorie Duryea, Director, Employment Programs, Easterseals Crossroads.

Easterseals Crossroads is pleased to partner with national Easterseals and affiliates in Arkansas, Colorado, Greater Houston, New Hampshire and Washington State by sharing resources and best practices in offering digital learning opportunities for young adults with disabilities in our community.

Digital literacy and access to technology are two areas of strategic investment at Comcast NBCUniversal that empower people and create opportunities for those who need it most. Easterseals and affiliates throughout the country have been chosen by Comcast NBCUniversal for many grants and programs throughout the years.

About Comcast NBCUniversal  |  Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

Easterseals Crossroads Expands Services for Individuals with Brain Injuries

Brain Injury Program recently transitioned from Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 6, 2023) – Easterseals Crossroads is now expanding services for people with brain injuries after transitioning the vocational brain injury rehabilitation services program from Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI).

The new Resource Facilitation Program at Easterseals Crossroads identifies specific resources such as therapy, support groups, education options, transportation assistance and social services so individuals with brain injuries can live as independently as possible.

“A brain injury can happen to anyone at any point during a lifetime,” said Easterseals Crossroads President and CEO David Dreith. “Comprehensive services are critical so that individuals with brain injuries can work, contribute and live their best lives. Easterseals Crossroads is proud to continue the great work begun by the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana in meeting the needs of those with disabilities throughout our state.”

“A person living with a brain injury is capable and valuable to the community,” said Easterseals Crossroads Director of Brain Injury Resource Facilitation Services Amy Miller. “Sometimes a person just needs support and accommodations. Adult services at Easterseals Crossroads have long been positioned to serve individuals with brain injuries through day service options, employment services and assistive technology solutions. This transition from RHI perfectly aligns with the existing array of service delivery within Easterseals Crossroads. The transition will create new opportunities to more fully meet the needs of individuals living with disabilities in our community and state.”

Resource facilitation is a robust community-based public health model proven to improve outcomes in both acute and chronic brain injury. The services at Easterseals Crossroads are available to individuals who qualify for vocational rehabilitation, giving them the opportunity to work with a team of brain injury professionals to achieve return-to-work or return-to-school goals.

“The majority of people we work with are five to 10 years post injury, and many never knew they had a history of brain injury,” Miller said. “Our program provides brain injury-specific education to individuals with brain injury and their families or caregivers; helps individuals identify, obtain and navigate needed services and supports; promotes brain injury-informed care with other providers; and ensures collaboration, integration and coordination between providers and community-based resources.”

The Easterseals Crossroads Brain Injury Resource Facilitation team includes six resource facilitators, one psychotherapist and one brain injury coping skills (BICS) specialist.

For more information about brain injury services, contact Amy Miller at amiller@eastersealscrossroads.org. Visit eastersealscrossroads.org for more about the services offered through Easterseals Crossroads.

First Bingo Bonanza since 2020 returns on Friday, February 3

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (January 18, 2023) – Bingo Bonanza is back! Easterseals Crossroads, a local nonprofit organization providing disability services, has partnered with Century 21 Scheetz to bring back the popular Bingo Bonanza event to benefit children’s programs and services at Easterseals Crossroads. (License 000834)

Bingo Bonanza takes place Friday, February 3, at Northside Events & Social Club, located at 2100 E. 71^st Street in Indianapolis. Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and bingo at 7:15 p.m.

There will be seven games of bingo for exciting prizes valued up to $1,000 per game. There will also be crazy contests in between games for added fun, but cash is required. Individuals must be 21 years of age or older to attend; identification must be presented and checked at registration.

Tickets are $55 in advance only and include three game cards for each of the seven games along with a buffet dinner and two drink tickets. Due to charity gaming laws, tickets can only be purchased via cash or check. A limited number of tickets are available; so purchase early.

 To purchase tickets by mail, checks should be sent to Easterseals Crossroads, Bingo Bonanza, 4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis, IN, 46205. Please make checks payable to Easterseals Crossroads.

For more information, contact McKenzie Stewart at 317-466-1000 x2605 or mstewart@eastersealscrossroads.org.

Indianapolis, January 11, 2023 – Easterseals Crossroads received 195 granted passes from the IndyGo Foundation to allow students, job seekers, and employees with disabilities to access the public bus system. The IndyGo Foundation helps our community thrive by connecting people through accessible, equitable, and inclusive mobility solutions.

In partnership with IndyGo and the PNC Foundation, the IndyGo Foundation provided bus pass grants to 79 local nonprofit organizations on Jan. 10. Including this grant, the IndyGo Foundation announced the distribution of 27,308 bus passes to nonprofit organizations in Marion County, totaling more than 111,000 days of free transportation.

Some of the granted bus passes will be used to provide bus training to students with disabilities.  The remaining passes will be provided to job seekers and employees with disabilities and military veterans who are receiving services from Easterseals Crossroads.

David Dreith, President and CEO, stated, “Access to safe and reliable transportation is the number one priority for people with disabilities and veterans who want to pursue their life’s goals through employment. The IndyGo Foundation’s generous donation of bus passes will help kickstart the careers of many talented workers.”

“Bus passes are one of the greatest needs of nonprofit organizations as they are an easy way to provide clients with immediate assistance,” said IndyGo Foundation Executive Director Emily Meaux. “The bus pass grants have become a hallmark of the IndyGo Foundation and we are thrilled to expand the program this year to serve more in our community.”

For more information about the work of Easterseals Crossroads, please visit https://www.eastersealscrossroads.org/.  For more information about the IndyGo Foundation, visit indygo.net/foundation/.