Easterseals Northeast Indiana Aligns Regional Branding
Unified Name Ties Together Locations, Resources
FORT WAYNE, Ind., (Jan. 28, 2025) – The region’s largest provider of disability programs and services announced today that all Easterseals locations in Fort Wayne, Angola and Columbia City will begin operating under one name: Easterseals Northeast Indiana.
Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana, based in Fort Wayne, merged with two other disability service providers in regional communities over the past several years—RISE Inc. in Angola in 2020 and Passages in Columbia City in 2021. After the mergers, the names of the locations were updated to Easterseals RISE and Easterseals Passages. With this name update, all locations will operate as Easterseals Northeast Indiana.
“Since the mergers, we’ve been working toward truly integrating all organizations under one umbrella. While all our locations have shared common resources such as administrative services since the mergers, we’ve allowed ourselves time and space to come together as a team while serving our community throughout the transition,” said Donna K. Elbrecht, CEO of Easterseals Northeast Indiana.
“We are now at a point where it makes sense to move forward together under the name Easterseals Northeast Indiana. This name conveys our unity and accurately represents the size and scale of our organization, our resources, our team and the services we provide,” she continued.
Moving forward, the name Easterseals Northeast Indiana will be used to identify all locations and services provided by any Easterseals location in Northeast Indiana. Each location will maintain the flexibility to tailor services to the needs of local community members. The organization will remain an affiliated chapter of The Arc.
Elbrecht added, “Collaboration among the three locations creates more opportunities for the individuals we serve to build relationships with each other and enjoy new experiences throughout the region. As one unified organization—Easterseals Northeast Indiana—we will continue to lead the way to 100% equity, inclusion and access for people with disabilities, families and communities.”
For more information, visit www.eastersealsnei.org.
About Easterseals Northeast Indiana
Easterseals Northeast Indiana serves individuals throughout the region with a wide range of disability programs and services based in Fort Wayne, Columbia City and Angola. The organization is focused on leading the way to 100% equity, inclusion and access for people with disabilities, families and communities. Easterseals Northeast Indiana delivers programs and services that enrich education, enhance health, expand employment and elevate the community.
