Rick Tollakson, President & CEO of Hubbell Realty Company, was awarded the McAninch Family Philanthropy Award from Easterseals Iowa earlier this month.
This award honors philanthropic supporters of Easterseals through the pillars of integrity, generosity and grace. The award, named after long-time supporters Doug and Donna McAninch, advocates for Easterseals mission and drives innovation throughout the campus.
"Rick has pushed us to think bigger, ask bigger, and never back down from our goals," said Sherri Nielsen, CEO of Easterseals Iowa. "Rick’s vision and drive to support all of the individuals we serve is inspiring and we are a better organization with Rick as our champion."
Tollakson and Hubbell dedicated a Hubbell Extreme Build to the Easterseals campus in 2013. The built two brand new, 7,000 square foot lodges to replace the old, outdated cabins. In the 10 years since, Easterseals has increased their capacity to serve more individuals and, thanks to the increased accessibility of the lodges, we are able to say yes to individuals with more complex needs. The lodges provided a transformational shift to our camp programs.
Fast forward to 2021, Easterseals was busting at the seams at our Child Development Center and needed more space to serve more children and families. In 2021, the Hubbell Team and their partners once again beat all odds and built us a brand new Child Development Center in less than 7 days! This new center doubled the capacity to serve more children, from 60 to 120, is far better set up to serve children with and without disabilities and, most importantly, it has once again made it possible say yes to the families who need Easterseals services.
