On April 22, 1919, the Ohio Society for Crippled Children was founded. This later grew to become Easterseals, the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, which serves more than 1.5 million people every year. The organization was born out of tragedy. In 1907, its founder, Ohio-businessman Edgar Allen lost his son in a streetcar accident. Allen was disappointed in the lack of proper medical care to save his son. So, he sold his business and began raising funds to build a hospital in his town of Elyria, Ohio. After the hospital opened, he discovered that children with disabilities were usually kept out of public view. He was bothered by this and wanted to help them. So on April 22, 1919, he founded the Ohio Society for Crippled Children. It was the first organization of its kind.