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2018 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 654
Commending Ecumenical Community Helping Others.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, May 30, 2018

 

WHEREAS, for 50 years, Ecumenical Community Helping Others has strengthened the Fairfax County community by providing financial assistance, food, clothing, and other household items, and referral services to low-income individuals and families in Springfield and Burke; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO) was founded on May 22, 1968, by representatives from nine Springfield churches seeking to identify ways their congregations could meet the social needs of the wider community; and

WHEREAS, ECHO was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization on May 2, 1969, and has touched the lives of thousands of people in Fairfax County; as of 2018, ECHO is supported by 24 local faith groups that provide financial support, hold donation drives, promote the organization’s needs to members, and select the Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, ECHO counselors provided aid to more than 15,800 individuals in a variety of ways, providing more than $220,000 in short-term financial assistance to pay rent and utility bills; distributing more than 215,000 pounds of food along with more than 730 fresh food certificates worth more than $19,700 in fresh produce or milk; and helping families receive more than 4,500 bags of household items, 1,200 backpacks of school supplies, Christmas presents for more than 600 children, and refurbished computers; and

WHEREAS, ECHO’s work is carried out with no paid staff by a dedicated team of more than 340 volunteers who contributed more than 44,000 hours of their time in 2017; the organization has also fulfilled its mission with the leadership of its Board of Directors and the generous support of community partners and donors; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of its work to offer a vital safety net for individuals and families in the Burke and Springfield communities, ECHO received a 2018 Volunteer Service Award from Volunteer Fairfax; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Ecumenical Community Helping Others hereby be commended on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Ecumenical Community Helping Others as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for the organization’s noble work to help low-income families and individuals.