Rotary has been part of the Easterseals story since its beginning. In 1919, Ohio Rotarian Edgar Allen founded the National Society for Crippled Children and enlisted his Rotary club to help build a network of programs that eventually became Easterseals.
In Kentucky, the Conference of Kentucky Rotarians formed the Crippled Children’s Society in 1923. The organization later became the Kentucky Easter Seals Society. The Rotary Club of Lexington helped bring that vision to life. In 1949, three Lexington Rotarians helped make the construction of Cardinal Hill Convalescent Home possible. The facility opened in 1950 during the polio epidemic.
Rotarian Dr. David Stevens, Cardinal Hill’s medical director and chairman of the Kentucky Commission for Handicapped Children, continued that legacy by helping expand Cardinal Hill’s services for children and adults with disabilities.
Today, Easterseals Bluegrass carries on that legacy in Lexington. Following the 2023 renovation of its 170,000-square-foot facility, Easterseals expanded its services and its partnership with UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital to better serve children with complex medical and developmental needs.
Next Thursday, September 17, from noon–1 p.m., we’ll be “Doing Rotary Differently” with a brief presentation and tour of Easterseals Bluegrass, located at 1900 Richmond Road in Lexington.
If you’d like to order a boxed lunch, enter https://Jan29.givesmart.com into your browser. We hope to see you there!
— Peggy Trafton