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ECHHO

(Ecumenical Christian Helping Hands Organization)

Volunteers helping Jefferson County residents
live independently

News - July 2013

ECHHO NEWSLETTER
July 2013

Join ECHHO at the Jefferson County Fair!

County Fair 2013 Logo

As part of our campaign to increase public awareness, ECHHO will again have a booth set up at this year's Jefferson County Fair. The fair is open Friday and Saturday, August 9 & 10 from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

We are looking forward to seeing you there! If you have friends and neighbors who are not familiar with ECHHO, please encourage them to visit our booth and learn more about what ECHHO does, meet some of the volunteers at the booth, and learn about volunteering opportunities with ECHHO.


Fair Booth Volunteers Needed!

ECHHO needs volunteers for our fair booth. They would be working along with another volunteer, so no one would be working alone and, by taking turns, there would be plenty of time to enjoy the fair.  The booth volunteers will hand out brochures and answer general questions from people who are interested in what ECHHO does and would possibly like to volunteer. A free ticket will be provided to the booth volunteer! If you would like to help out and enjoy the fair, please call us at 379-3246 or email us at info@echhojc.org. The following time slots still need to be filled:

Friday 8/9
12:45-3:30, 3:30-6:15, 6:15-9:00

Saturday 8/10
10:00-12:45, 12:45-3:30, 3:30-6:15, 6:15-9:00

Sunday 8/11
3:30-6:00


ECHHO Orientation and Open House Draws Volunteers Together

On Tuesday, July 16, ECHHO held an open house and orientation. This gave volunteers an opportunity to meet the office staff and see the type of medical equipment we offer for loan. Training was offered for new volunteers and this was a great opportunity to meet other volunteers and learn more about how ECHHO operates and the services it performs. We wish to extend a warm thank you to the Port Townsend Rotary Club for their gift of a visual presentation system which helped us give more effective instruction. We plan to offer these presentations several times a year. If you missed this one, please consider attending one in the future. We look forward to seeing you!


ECHHO helps make an important difference
in the life of a young child and her mother!

ECHHO received a request from the Early Childhood Coordinator of Chimacum School District #49 to transport a young mother and her 2 year old son who suffers from Cerebral Palsy to Jefferson General for the child's speech and physical therapy. We would like to share the thank you card we received from the child's case worker:

Thank you note


ECHHO MOVING AND HAULING, Inc.

Moving and Hauling Image

In the past several months ECHHO has had several requests for assistance in moving. While it is not something we ordinarily take on, there are occasions when our mission to help people live independently involves helping them get closer to family who can support them or helping them finally transition to assisted living. We had one of each in June and July. In both moves we had support from the Gray Wolf Ranch who sent over some young volunteers to help with the heavy lifting.

We try to understand how much effort will be involved and do as much pre-planning as we can. Both of the moves involved long term care receivers we knew pretty well. One ECHHO volunteer had worked with a care receiver for a long time and took charge of organizing the move. She made sure everything was boxed and ready to go at the appointed time and even worked on the other end of the move to help unpack and stayed overnight with the care receiver to help her transition to her new situation. Not that things always go so smoothly. In our other move, we discovered the truck that had been rented was a little too small for everything that needed to go. It was a scramble, but between our volunteers and a little help from ECHHO staff, we got the job finished and the care receiver off to her family on the other side of the state.

Big thanks to ECHHO volunteers Ashley White, Phil Shipman, Hank Hazen, Anton Mattioli and Linda Pearson for all their help with the moves. And thanks to the Gray Wolf Ranch organization for helping out. Gray Wolf, like ECHHO, is also an important asset to the community and we are looking forward working in conjunction with them in the years ahead!


ECHHO is getting an upgrade!

Thanks to a generous gift, ECHHO is getting an upgrade to its telephone system. We have been working for years with several different single line and two line phones that meant people were sometimes running around the office looking for a phone with the right line. When the new system is in place in a few weeks we will be able to answer any line from any ECHHO desk, record calls, do conference calling and leave voice messages for individuals, among other features. We are looking forward to the change!

Phone Update Image

JUNE 2013 SERVICE STATISTICS
PEOPLE SERVED
VOLUNTEER HOURS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT LOANED
TOTAL
Rides to Medical Appointments Other Volunteer Services Volunteers Participating Miles Driven
138 362.5 208 154.5 45 4,655 149

To make a monetary donation, mail your check to
ECHHO, 1110 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
If you would like to donate medical equipment or volunteer, please call us
at (360) 379-3246 or email us: info@echhojc.org.
Thank you for your support!
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