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Tom Waters, longtime local philanthropy leader, became President and CEO of Easterseals Southwest Florida in October 2014. Tom brings significant experience in nonprofit management, fundraising and community partnerships to Easterseals. Prior to running Easterseals, Tom was the Chief Advancement Officer at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. He was responsible for leading the laboratory and aquarium’s 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan. Tom was also responsible for heading the organization’s fundraising efforts. In addition, Tom has held leadership positions at nonprofits including Mile High United Way in Denver, Colorado and Community Foundation of Sarasota County. As President and CEO of Easterseals, Tom is leading one of Southwest Florida’s oldest and most successful nonprofits helping children, teens, adults with disabilities and their families live their lives to the fullest.
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A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-HELP-FLA. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER 59-0638490.
Equine-Assisted Services are therapy sessions guided by a Licensed Mental Health Therapist that is certified as PATH Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Participants will initially meet with the therapist for an individual evaluation to develop personalized goals for treatment. The number of sessions will be determined by individual needs.
Individual and group sessions are available.
To learn more about equine-assisted services with Easterseals, call 941.355.7637.
Easterseals Happiness House is proud offer therapy and horseback riding services at InStride Ranch, a beautiful 62-acre therapy facility in Nokomis, Florida to deliver Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Speech Therapy. Additionally, InStride also offers Therapeutic Riding and Equine-Assisted Learning Programs. Our horseback riding program offers the ability for riders ages 7 and up to learn Classical Horsemanship and Classical Dressage.
To learn more about hippotherapy with Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Through partnerships with Samaritan Counseling Services, Telement Therapy and The Florida Center, the Easterseals Happiness House mental health program provides services to many of the clients we serve throughout the agency.
To learn more about the mental health services at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Our case management office consists of two case managers who represent the agency as a whole. They are the first point of contact for the programs listed below. One of the case managers is bilingual, so we can help the Hispanic community navigate the process of getting support for their families.
For more information on Case Management at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637 x 418 and x 430.
This program supports all parents in developing a joyous, mutually beneficial relationship with their children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a way that will help each child reach his/her full potential.
To learn more information about the Play Project at Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
This family strengthening program provides a lifeline to parents of medically fragile and/or special needs children. Each family has access to up to 16 hours of care for ALL their children – and even the pets!
In addition to in-home care, we also provide a monthly “Kids Night Out” event, where families can get some much-needed rest while their children enjoy themed, educational activities right here at Easterseals Happiness House. We provide this monthly event with the help of our many treasured community partners.
Our services for families include:
To learn more about the family support services at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
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To learn more call 941.355.7637
Occupational Therapy helps people participate in their desired occupations with the therapeutic use of everyday activities, based on the client’s personal interests and needs. Following an initial evaluation, our occupational therapy practitioners can promote independence in areas such as self-care, work, school and play.
Occupational Therapy is used to:
Services may be provided on-site at Happiness House, in an outpatient clinic, at a child development center or adult day program, as well as at home, at school and in a variety of other care settings.
To learn more or to begin occupational therapy services, call 941.355.7637.
Physical therapy services focus on preserving, developing, and restoring physical function that may have been lost due to injury, disease, aging, or congenital abnormality. Based on an initial assessment, our licensed physical therapists incorporate therapeutic exercise and physical agents to encourage independence at work, home, school, and in the community by:
Services may be provided on-site at Happiness House, in an outpatient clinic, at a child development center or adult day program, as well as at home, at school, and in a variety of other care settings. State and federal laws determine referral requirements and funding opportunities.
To learn more or to begin your physical therapy process at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Speech-language pathologists, also called SLPs, are experts in communication. SLPs work with people of all ages, from babies to adults, and treat many types of communication and swallowing problems. These include problems with:
Speech Sounds—How we say sounds and put sounds together into words.
Language—How well we understand what we hear or read and how we use words to tell others what we are thinking. In adults this problem may be called aphasia.
Literacy—People with speech and language disorders may also have trouble reading, spelling and writing.
Social Communication—How well we follow rules, like taking turns, how to talk to different people, or how close to stand to someone when talking. This is also called pragmatics.
Voice—How our voices sound. We may sound hoarse, lose our voices easily, talk too loudly or through our noses, or be unable to make sounds.
Fluency—Also called stuttering, is how well speech flows. Someone who stutters may repeat sounds, use “um” or “uh,” or pause a lot when talking. Many young children will go through a time when they stutter, but most outgrow it.
Feeding and Swallowing—How well we suck, chew and swallow food and liquid. A swallowing disorder may lead to poor nutrition, weight loss and other health problems. This is also called dysphagia.
To learn more about speech therapy at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Our behavior therapy team collaborates with caregivers, teachers and parents to make learning fun and engaging, while also promoting growth and positive development. Interventions are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and are aimed at increasing the individual’s language, learning, and independence. We also help them overcome challenging behaviors by teaching alternatives and increasing flexibility, which leads to better results and happier people!
Goals often seen in plans include:
To learn more about behavioral therapies at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive treatment that encourages the brain to develop healthier patterns of activity. As a part of their initiative, the Brain Wave Center provides neurofeedback training to the students who attend Lily Preschool. The majority of the children who are positively impacted by neurofeedback meet the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The primary goal of partnering with The Brain Wave Center is to help as many children with disabilities as possible using neurofeedback. The Brain Wave Center is also developing a research project to further prove the effectiveness of neurofeedback with children, as part of a comprehensive treatment program.
To learn more about neurofeedback at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
We provide daily transportation for students of Easterseals Academy and those who participate in our Adult Enrichment program. We also help with transportation to field trips, employment programs, community-based instruction, job training, volunteer services, and recreational activities.
To learn more about transportation services with Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
Easterseals Academy provides exceptional services for students with disabilities and their families across a lifetime by empowering individuals to live their lives to the fullest.
Easterseals Academy specializes in serving Manatee and Sarasota County students, through age 22, who are challenged by developmental, physical, learning and mild behavioral disabilities, as well as autism.
Your child’s education experience will be enriched with art, music, performing arts, Spanish, yoga, organic agriculture, nutrition and movement. Our students’ wellbeing is balanced with PT-OT-speech-equine therapies including behavioral and neurofeedback as well as family support. More than special, your child is exceptional and our individualized education plans help to ensure that their progress shines brightly.
To learn more call 941.355.7637
Easterseals Happiness House Employment Services is committed to helping people with disabilities find meaningful careers. In conjunction with the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, we provide career exploration, job coaching, and supported employment services to high school students attending Easterseals Academy, adults attending Life Skills Development, and community members with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
To learn more about employment services at Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
The goal of Operation1Stride is to provide a safe environment for all participants to learn basic horsemanship skills and to promote a general well-being. The program incorporates a classroom and controlled, direct interactions with horses to develop and broaden participants’ horsemanship skills and knowledge.
Participants will experience a variety of emotional benefits:
Program curriculum covers equine behavior, observation skills, grooming, handling and leading horses.
To learn more about Operation1Stride, call 941.355.7637.
Studies have shown that interacting with horses can positively affect a participant’s:
The Victory Garden is an organically operated garden of raised vegetable beds, pollinator beds, and various fruit trees. The goal of the garden is to provide a peaceful natural environment while promoting self-reliance, sustainability skills development and social connections that foster overall healing and wellness. This is a place where people of all ages and skill levels can learn to grow and care for plants.
As an instructional garden, Easterseals Victory Garden is a place to learn new skills like how to amend the soil and add nutrients to the beds, how to plant seedlings and direct sowing beds, plant spacing, watering and companion planting. It also focuses on keeping the garden going, addressing pruning, fertilizing, pest management, staggered planting/seeding and harvesting.
Along with learning new skills, the Victory Garden provides a range of health benefits:
Along with learning new skills, the Victory Garden provides a range of health benefits:
To learn more about the Victory Garden at Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
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To learn more call 941.355.7637
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt. Cras ultricies ligula sed magna dictum porta. Quisque velit nisi, pretium ut lacinia in, elementum id enim. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Proin eget tortor risus. Vivamus magna justo, lacinia eget consectetur sed, convallis at tellus. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit.
To learn more call 941.355.7637
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt. Cras ultricies ligula sed magna dictum porta. Quisque velit nisi, pretium ut lacinia in, elementum id enim. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Proin eget tortor risus. Vivamus magna justo, lacinia eget consectetur sed, convallis at tellus. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit.
To learn more call 941.355.7637
Virtual Reality is an immersive and interactive training therapy modality that Easterseals clients use to improve work skills, social and communication skills, hand-eye coordination and on task behavior. Other uses include calming and refocusing environments that when utilized, help our clients to reduce anxiety and focus on their other therapies and training.
Virtual Reality is available to our Adult Enrichment Program participants and Easterseals Upper Academy students. The technology is used as a tool to help our neurodiverse clients safely experience new environments and practice new skills that will then allow them to enter a job or new experience with much less anxiety and much better prepared to succeed.
To learn more about virtual reality with Easterseals Happiness House, call 941.355.7637.
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To learn more call 941.355.7637
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec rutrum congue leo eget malesuada. Nulla porttitor accumsan tincidunt. Cras ultricies ligula sed magna dictum porta. Quisque velit nisi, pretium ut lacinia in, elementum id enim. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit. Proin eget tortor risus. Vivamus magna justo, lacinia eget consectetur sed, convallis at tellus. Curabitur aliquet quam id dui posuere blandit.
To learn more call 941.355.7637
The Lily School for Child Development is a licensed, inclusive early childhood and education program recognized for children 6 weeks to 5 years old. The Lily School utilizes the Creative Curriculum as the foundation of a developmentally appropriate, interactive learning environment that promotes the success of each child by:
To learn more call 941.355.7637
The Diagnostic Clinic at Easterseals Happiness House provides comprehensive diagnostic evaluations (CDE) to clients aged two through adulthood. We have two licensed clinical psychologists on staff who are qualified to diagnose autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, and any disorder listed in the DSM-5. These evaluations equip parents, teachers, and caregivers with the necessary tools to address the varied needs of the clients we serve.
To learn more about our ASD services, call 941.355.7637.
