Easter Seals closing

The closing of the Easter Seals facility in Franklin is indeed a tragedy. About three years ago, during a state budget crisis, I was invited to our state senator's office to discuss the impact upon the borough of Franklin, Sussex County, and the family, clients, and of Easter Seals upon a then pending closing.

There indeed was a sizable monetary loss expected for the county and town in lost revenues, but the real loss was to be visited upon the clients, doing some sophisticated packing and assembly work, and the parents, in many cases aging, who were frightened about the loss, and what to do with their adult family members-now they will not be working locally.

The officials from Easter Seals know that no staff member from Franklin can possibly relocate to Millville, which is below Philadelphia, and thus that notion is meaningless for great staff members that care, show compassion, and work hard to transition people out of Easter Seals, like my friend, Kathy, who has been there for years — helping, teaching, and doing wonders.

It is sad that the Franklin facility has been hanging on a limb for years. It is like a base closing or an arsenal; always the place closed that hurts the most. Franklin participants in the program live in a county with the least amount of jobs and the longest commute. Do we think these clients will be transitioned in six weeks? I pray so!

I have visited toy factories in New Jersey like Ideal, Mattel, and others that now use labor in China, Vietnam or some other low-wage place. I have, in my time, carried federal dollars to Coach Letter, those toy companies, Custom Shirt, and others that simply closed in the night that could have utilized workers like these. Sadly, I contacted Easter Seals with the possibility of doing some light manufacturing on a Sussex resident's four patents! Oh, well!

Let us see what the State and Easter Sea's comes up for the parents, transitioning workers, and the staff.

Bill Weightman
Hardyston