Easter Seals began, as many similar organizations have, from the passion of one person in response to a personal tragedy. But it thrives, as all such organizations do, because of the passion of people who came along later and joined in the effort.
In North Texas, two of those people are Jim Fite and Jan Fite Miller, who now operate the real estate company their father founded in 1937, now known as Century 21 Judge Fite Co. The company is based in Dallas but has 20 offices covering 11,000 square miles on both sides of the Metroplex.
When the company joined Century 21, both Jim and Jan were already involved in charitable giving but helping different charities in what Jim describes as "little bitty ways." But Century 21 supports Easter Seals corporately, and the Fites found their single charity to back. Their first event was a golf tournament that raised $5,000. But that was just the start. "We've been raising money now for 17 or 18 years. We've raised over $2 million in that time for Easter Seals," Fite said.
"Century 21 Judge Fite's corporate giving philosophy is built upon working together as a family and operating as a business," said Donna Dempsey, president and CEO of Easter Seals North Texas. "They don't give back because it is the thing to do. They give back because they truly believe Easter Seals North Texas is helping make the cities they do business in become better communities for families and all who live in them."
The first Easter Seals campaign occurred in 1934 when people placed the seals on envelopes and letters to show their support for the National Society for Crippled Children, formed by Ohio businessman Edgar Allen after the accidental death of his son to provide better medical care in his hometown.
An Easter Seals formed in Dallas in 1939 and in Fort Worth in 1947. By 1967, the effort was so well recognized that the national organization formally adopted the name Easter Seals. In 2007, the Dallas and Fort Worth affiliates merged to form Easter Seals North Texas (easterseals.com/northtexas). The organization reports that 91 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to programs and services that help families living with disabilities in North Texas.
The Century 21 Judge Fite Co. raises money in a variety of ways, including encouraging its agents to donate part of their fees on closings and sponsoring lunches in the company's offices where people pay to attend, eat lunch and network with each other. The company also is the official real estate agency for the Dallas Cowboys, and through a program called Kicks for Kids donates $250 to Easter Seals every time kicker Dan Bailey makes a field goal. "Bailey is the all-time best field goal kicker in the league - ever," Fite said. During radio broadcasts, the announcers talk about that program, and it's good advertising for both the company and Easter Seals, Fite says.
But the company's largest fundraiser is its annual Boots and BBQ auction and dinner held at Eddie Deen's Ranch in Dallas and scheduled this year for Sept. 13. The event last year took in more than $160,000.
"It helps the morale of your people to give. If you give and you bring people together for common good, the result of that just goes on and on and on," he said.
"The first thing is, you are doing something good for other people whether you know them or not. You are investing in people. You can't get any better return than helping someone else. That's just my personal philosophy, and our company's philosophy," Fite said.
"I also believe that the more you give, the more you get. I've lived it. I believe it. It works. Not that you give to get, but there's this law out there of the universe that says if you are charitable, and you have something to give, it comes back to you," he said.
The 4,538 children and adults Easter Seals served in 2014 would certainly agree with that.
