ECHHO

ECHHO NEWSLETTER
July 2015

In order to raise 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 14 & 15 from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please let us know if you would like to help staff the booth for a couple of hours on one of those days - we still have some time slots available. If you have friends and neighbors who are not familiar with ECHHO, please encourage them to visit our booth to learn more about what ECHHO does, meet some of the volunteers at the booth, and learn how they may volunteer as well. So come on over, say aloha, and enjoy the fair!

How are ECHHO volunteers making a difference
to those with limited transportation options?

Volunteers engage in preventive health care. Getting out can mean the difference between isolation and social interaction, between wellness and illness, between independent living and costly institutional care, between community engagement and social isolation, between expensive town, county, and state supported services and individual self-help.

Volunteer drivers not only directly benefit the riders, but they assist families who are trying to juggle the demands of all their loved ones. The reduced stress of knowing individuals can get to appointments and be out in the community has a huge impact on everyone involved.

Aside from meeting the medical needs of riders, volunteer drivers play a critical role in improving the quality of life for all community members by assuring diversity is not hidden away. The visibility and participation in our communities of people who are older, frail and/or have disabilities is an important factor in building communities that care for one another.

Volunteers themselves benefit from their relationships with their passengers and the services they provide to them. This is community service that provides a high level of satisfaction and personal rewards. If you know of someone who may enjoy being an ECHHO volunteer, please have them contact us at (360) 379-3246.

It's Summer - Need a Water bottle?

Every couple of years we order some ECHHO pens from a company called 4-imprint. They are handy for staff and drivers, cost less than most pens from office supply stores and people always remember where they got them.

The company has started a small grant program and they gave us an opportunity to apply for a small grant to purchase items of value (from them). We thought it would be nice to get something for volunteers - an auto first aid kit or other transportation related item. We did not win a grant this year - we'll try again next year.

They did ask if we wanted a few pre-printed items they had in stock. Since they make things like custom coffee cups and other promotional items, we said OK, but that was assuming we would get one or two items.

What arrived a few weeks later was 4 boxes of Roger Williams University sports bottles - 120 of them! So.

If you went to Roger Williams U. or if you know who Roger Williams was, or if you are from Rhode Island, know anyone from Rhode Island or can spell Island, we have a prize for you. Stop by the ECHHO office and pick one up ... please!

By the way, Roger Williams was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, now Rhode Island, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. If 4-imprint was going to send a pre-printed item, at least they chose a fitting symbol for ECHHO.

Another Touching Thank You from a Grateful Client . . .