'Neighbors Helping Neighbors.' The ECCO phrase that says so much--the ECCO outreach, ministry, brand, mini-message, description, etc.--is based on the messages of the New Testament, "it is more blessed to give than to receive' and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
One of the many pleasures of what I do is to see how many wonderful people not only believe that phrase because it is a part of the Bible, but also because they understand the double message that says both the giver and the receiver are blessed.
Well, Neighbor, I want to provide you with an opportunity to receive a blessing this summer. We have a need and there are "blessings" waiting. Summer is vacation time for so many, especially families with children who are out of school, which allows them time to travel to friends, relatives, historical sites, reunions, etc. During this time, we lose a number of dedicated volunteers who return to their northern homes during our warm days of summer. So this leads me into sharing with you a need as we are now well into summer.
On the other hand, many of our neighbors won't be taking a vacation this summer and will need access to the services ECCO offers year round. We are thankful that ECCO can provide food, clothing, counseling, medical care and dental care 12 months a year; and of course we have staff that will be here. However, much of the outreach that ECCO is able to do is made possible because of the approximately 255 volunteers that are a vital part of ECCO's outreach. We are glad they can have time for themselves and their families this summer and we know they will be back in the fall, filled with enthusiasm and love for their neighbors that depend on ECCO.
So, dear reader, we want to ask your assistance in finding individuals who would be interested in sharing the blessing of giving to others by donating some time to ECCO and its summer outreach efforts. Because, many of our Neighbors will be in need this summer and many of our regular volunteers will be having much-deserved vacations.
In short, this column this month is an invitation, a call, a request to you to consider committing some time this summer to reach out to a Neighbor that is in need.
I want to share with you some of the things that we are doing this summer and ask you to consider becoming a Neighbor helping a Neighbor by:
" We need Neighbors who would serve as an interviewer three hours a week to look holistically at a recipient's needs.
" We need Neighbors who would work in our clothing area three hours a week.
" We need Neighbors who would stock shelves and fill bags with nutritious food three hours a week.
" We also need Neighbors who would serve as a mentor for our summer 'Getting Ahead Workshop.'
This volunteer position needs further explanation. Mentors are needed to coach our 'Getting Ahead' graduates. The 'Getting Ahead Workshop' is the cornerstone of ECCO's Getting Ahead Family Partnership. It is a program designed to help low-income families stabilize their lives and empower them to build the skills and resources necessary to become an economically viable and productive member of the community. It provides a foundation for self-awareness and critical thinking skills.
The mentor's role is to be a sounding board and an advisor to support the graduates as they complete the second half of their course work. The role is to become an in-class advisor, to be sure that they have someone with whom to process their information and develop their future plans.
We invite you to think about this invitation to join in with us as we strengthen our community.
1. Give Joan Welch a call at 416-7139 or at
jwelch@eccocharleston.org.
2. Arrange a time to take a tour of the ECCO neighborhood and see first hand what is needed
3. Find some one (or ones) who would join you on the tour
4. Share this information with your neighbors, friends, church, etc.
Please check around our website for more details about our volunteer opportunities and how you can be a Neighbor to someone in need.
