ECHO's Partnerships expand impact
When children are in safe and stable homes, they’re able to go from surviving moments of uncertainty to building momentum in successful life experiences. That’s why we’re expanding our partnerships with the Florida Department of Children and Families and NWF Health Network, the region’s leading child welfare organization.
With their help, we can ensure that parents have the tangible tools they need to create safe homes, like food and clothing, while teaching them the skills that will let them build on that foundation for their kids.
These lucky parents are in the kind and loving hands of Fundra Hart, Yolanda Triplett, and the two newest additions to our team staff of in-home specialists, Tameka Footman and Shanta Wilson, so we are really looking forward to sharing their progress with you.
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ECHO’s Furniture Bank
Nearly 700 pieces of donated furniture were delivered from the Furniture Bank of Tallahassee to our neighbors moving out of homelessness. Yes! Over 170 Leon County residents are feeling thankful for people like you, who have helped them to make a house a home. Thank you, and keep them coming!
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Getting Ahead in the Workplace
Mother Teresa once said, “It’s not about doing big things, it’s about doing small things with great love.” Six years ago at ECHO, a few people motivated by great love began sharing Getting Ahead in the Workplace, a small-group program with a big impact.
Over 16 weeks, 10 to 15 participants work together through a facilitated curriculum to investigate:
• How conditions at home, work, and community impact stability in life,
• The hidden rules and special language of getting ahead in the workplace,
• How to build resources and relationships that open doors and help keep them open,
• Practical skills for dealing with change and circumstances in the moment, and
• The power of intentionally creating and following a pathway to a new future.
And, it works! 71% of participants have successfully completed the class and have since earned job promotions, larger paychecks, better health, stronger faiths, and restored relationships.
We just graduated our seventh cohort, and two more groups are on track to graduate in January 2025. And yes, you’re invited! Watch for an invitation with all of the details coming soon.
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Rent Assistance
In our community, 88% of our neighbors who face financial instability are renters, and a single unexpected car repair or high utility bill can lead to a crisis or hardship. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, ECHO has been able to distribute over a half-million dollars in rent and utility assistance to over 500 local residents facing eviction or homelessness. This quick-acting economic relief becomes a bridge between lost jobs or reduced hours, fills income gaps in the midst of unexpected expenses, and gives us the opportunity to help our valued clients plan for future setbacks.
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Client Successes
Throughout Tallahassee, the echoes of ECHO can be found in the most everyday places. You may find yourself face-to-face with one of our success stories when checking out at a store, holding a door for a stranger, or even pumping gas.
In May of last year, one of those stories walked through the doors at ECHO, determination on her face despite having recently split from her partner and living in a transitional living program at the Good Samaritan Network’s Chelsea House with her two children. She knew she could build a firm foundation, but she needed guidance and support to overcome financial barriers that had made it difficult to pay rent. As late fees grew and her work hours were reduced, her stress began to cloud her outlook on life.
Luckily for her, this is where ECHO shines. Together, we developed a plan to address her immediate needs and set her on a path toward stability and self-sufficiency. ECHO assisted her with rental support and connected her to Early Learning Coalition (ELC) resources, which provided essential support for her household and childcare, allowing her to focus on finding a full-time job while knowing her children were cared for and safe.
Soon, she was hired as a cook at a gas station. Within two months, her hard work and dedication were recognized, and she was promoted to assistant manager, which was the boost she needed to be able to support her family independently. Not long after, she moved out of Chelsea House and into a home of her own.
Today, she is the manager at that gas station, a position in which she takes great pride, and she continues to support herself and her children successfully. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, hard work, and community support to help people achieve lasting self-sufficiency. ECHO is honored to have been a part of her journey and we are inspired by the future she is building for her family.
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Board Member Spotlight
When Faye Gibson arrives at a meeting of the ECHO Board of Directors, she brings with her an astute understanding of the types of challenges our community faces. While many know her as the founder of a successful graphic design and brand consulting firm, she could very well have been a client of ECHO at another time of her life. “In my 30s, I found myself in a perfect storm of circumstances – suddenly divorced with a young child and an unexpected job loss.” For the first time in her life, she experienced situational poverty. ”I’m thankful for the lessons learned: that I was not abandoned by God, that we are tougher than we ever imagined, that one can live on far less than you would ever expect – and for the compassion that the experience brought.”
Fortunately, a series of well-planned career moves post-graduation had built a stable foundation that, with the help of God and her former employer, enabled Faye to launch a design and brand consulting business. After two years, she was able to get her family of two above the poverty line. “They were hard years, but also joyful as God proved himself faithful over and over,” Faye says with fondness.
She can sometimes see herself in the eyes of ECHO clients, and knows they can do it, too. “My mom raised me with the mantra, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ And my dad was a Marine, “Often tested, always faithful.”
Faye joined the ECHO board of directors in 2021 and became chair a year and a half later. She has put her professional expertise to work, striving to diversify the board, make improvements to the campus, and clarify the vision and mission of the organization to better position ECHO to transform lives by empowering people to become stable and self-sufficient. She is a hands-on board chair. When ECHO prepares for an open house, you are likely to find her scrubbing stains from the white board or hanging photos in the hallway. “My goal for ECHO is to spread the word of how we empower people to transition from poverty,” she says. “By raising awareness, we can broaden our impact.”
Fun Facts about Faye
• Favorite Tallahassee Thing: A remarkable diversity of kind, thinking, and caring people.
• Book Recommendation: I recently enjoyed Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy.
• Go-to Karaoke Song: I have never done karaoke, but I wish I could sing like Mahalia Jackson!
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Can I help?
Absolutely! To quote the wisdom of Dr. Seuss, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. nothing is going to get better.”
ECHO provides emergency help for the person in need who walks through our door. Strengthen fragile households by providing emergency care knit together with faith-based life coaching for long-term success.
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Here are some ideas:
$10 3-day bag of food
$25 30-day bus pass
$50 1 month of case management
$250 4-month Getting Ahead program
$500 1 year of case management
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