COVID-19 affected Will County nonprofits in unique ways. Here’s how Easter Seals Joliet Region addressed it.

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of an eight-part series.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted nonprofits, especially those that provide health and human services, in very unique ways.

For instance, the need for those services increased – up to 300% in some cases – while the nonprofits’ ability to raise funds to meet the need decreased.

Capacity restrictions and mitigations to keep staff and clients safe while providing the much-needed services added to the challenges.

In a December 2020 Herald-News story, United Way of Will County spokesperson Sarah Oprzedek said 30% of people in Will County were just over the poverty line, which meant they made too much to receive assistance and not enough to pay for necessities.

But although society has opened back up, that doesn’t mean families and nonprofits have recovered from the stress of last year.

So the Herald-News recently asked eight Will County nonprofits the following questions: What was your biggest need pre-COVID? How did COVID affect your ability to serve your clients, as well as your ability to fundraise? What strategies did you implement? What is the biggest challenge for your organization in 2021?

Here is how Easter Seals Joliet Region answered those questions.

The main challenge for Easter Seals Joliet Region, before and after the pandemic, was staffing, not funding.

Deb Condotti, president and chief executive officer, said staffing was a huge need in health and human services before the onset of COVID-19. Many of those types of positions don’t pay well, and COVID-19 gave people reasons to rethink their career choices because of the health risk, she said.

Still, people typically don’t go into the field for the money.

“Certainly, it’s not glamorous,” Condotti said of working in the health and human services field. “But it’s incredibly rewarding in many ways. To do it is sort of a calling.”

Services at Easteer Seals Joliet Region include early intervention, inclusive child care, an autism and medical diagnostic clinic, pediatric therapy, special home placement (foster care), residential programs and a “jump-start” program.

Despite this array of services, Easter Seals didn’t “miss a beat” during COVID-19, Condotti said. The organization quickly accumulated personal protective equipment, switched to telehealth for many services and learned how to do virtual home visits, she said.

Staff also provided clients with tips, resources, tools, books and “many other creative options,” Condotti said. Last summer, Easter Seals even offered a few in-person activities in outdoor settings.

“You just can’t abandon your clients,” Condotti said. “We had to stick to what we believe our mission is. It would have been easy along the way to just say, ‘Oh, well, I’ll just sit back until this problem is resolved.’ ”

Still, child care was temporarily rescinded with the state’s stay-at-home order, but that restarted a few months ago, Condotti said. Clients can also return to in-person therapy at the Easter Seals facility on Barney Drive, she said.

“It’s hard to do physical therapy over a telehealth visit,” Condotti said. “It becomes instructional rather than hands-on.”

Unfortunately, the 25th anniversary of Easter Seals’ “Celebration of Giving” telethon became a segment of interviews and testimonies that people could view for a time online, Condotti said.

The annual golf outing did take place, along with some virtual golfing, and the 2021 event will be Aug. 4 at Old Oak Country Club in Homer Glen.

And despite the pandemic, people were generous in giving, she said. That’s not to say the year was without bumps.

“Some residents [in our group homes] did contract COVID, but they had minimal symptoms and, thankfully, did well,” Condotti said.

Although restrictions have loosened, Easter Seals still requires face masks and social distancing and maintains a high level of infection control, Condotti said. And as a sign of some return to normalcy, Easter Seals enrolled 170 children for its summer intensive therapy, she said.

Condotti said the biggest challenge for 2021 is looking at wages and ways to build a career ladder for support staff. Despite the challenges, Easter Seals is thankful for the opportunity to serve, she said.

“We work with an industry that’s very challenging,” Condotti. “So it’s our nature to want to figure things out.”

For information about Easter Seals, visit easterseals.com/joliet.