Guest Blogger: Kelly Parsons Kwiatek, Immediate Past Board Chair

My little one and I after I went Over the Edge at ONE DAYTONA. What a rush!

My name is Kelly Parsons Kwiatek, and I’m the Immediate Past Board Chair for Easterseals Northeast Central Florida and Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Halifax Health.
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At Halifax Health I am responsible for “all things legal” within the Halifax’s healthcare system. In my board position with Easterseals, I participate in the oversight and strategic direction of the organization. (I also see myself as a sounding board for our President/CEO Bev Johnson when needed.)

If my calculations are correct, I began my role on Easterseals’ board of directors 15 years ago, and I never looked back.

Like many volunteer leaders at Easterseals, my relationship with the organization has a personal beginning. When I was a little girl, my mom was the fundraising chair for our local Easterseals. Among other accomplishments, she helped start the Harley Davidson Bike Raffle (with the help of then-staff member Mary Harowski). That annual raffle raised thousands for local Easterseals families during its glory days.

If you’ve been in Daytona Beach for many years you may remember the Harley raffle. I have memories of my mom going nightly to Main Street in Daytona Beach during Bike Week to volunteer, all dressed in her (conservative) leathers. She’d take donations for raffle tickets for Easterseals, getting bikers excited about the chance to win that pristine machine. Every year she’d take me with her for a daytime shift so I could help. That’s how my involvement with Easterseals began…via my mom!

Another reason for my passion for Easterseals is the experience that my family has had with my aunt. She was born with cerebral palsy. She went through several surgeries as a child, but she didn’t have the benefits of Easterseals programs. I feel they would have changed her life for the better. I was very close with her and had always wished for her an improved quality of life in several respects, which is what I feel Easterseals does for clients and their families. Our services are irreplaceable.

Looking ahead, I’m excited for all the events on the horizon at Easterseals; I hope you can become involved in them too! Over the Edge at ONE DAYTONA on November 1-2 and Walk With Me in April…those are the kinds of events that are important to our Easterseals community. During those times, we share moments as a group of people within our “family” who assemble – be it for a few minutes or a few hours – to support each other and the cause. It’s meaningful.

Easterseals Northeast Central Florida gives people in our community -- real people who we know who are going through a difficult or transitioning time – something vitally important: hope. It gives them hope through community and guidance and services. Is there anything more powerful?

I invite you to learn more about Easterseals Northeast Central Florida and consider giving your time and resources to help us continue to make a difference as we take on disabilities together.

I’m proud to serve as your Immediate Past Board Chair and thank you for all you do to help Easterseals make an impact every day. What a wonderful mission to be a part of.

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