Community Service Socials
How the socials work: Chat with 3 or 4 youth while helping them with a project that helps others. We have two main objectives for these service project socials:
- Allow youth to practice empathy – the youth to learn about others-in-need and then are able to do something to support and encourage them
- AND for the youth to spend some quality chatting time with good adult role models.
We always make sure that the youth get to see follow-up photos of the smiles that they have put on the faces of those whom they make gifts and cards for.
Please share your ideas for a service project – something the youth could make, that another group would appreciate. MORE HERE
2023 Schedule
All Socials 6 to 8:30 PM
Jan 26 | Hygiene kits for un-sheltered individuals served by UGM Search & Rescue Thank you to Essentials First for providing the kit contents & Trail Youth for the Bambas socks.
March 16 | Polymer necklaces to men and women in the residential recovery program at Dream Center.
July 20 | Staff Appreciation -decorate travel mugs, bookmarks, and cards of gratitude!
Aug 7-9 | Golf Clinics Mon-Wed 6 – 8 PM
Sept 21 | Sock puppets to kids in Camalu, Mexico served by Open Arms Childcare
Oct 19 | Paint t-shirts for orphaned children in Colombia
Nov 30 | Four cottages (living quarters for up to 18 youth) make microwavable pillows for 3 local Tent Cities
Dec 7 | Four remaining cottages make microwavable pillows for 3 local Tent Cities
Psychologists say, ‘focus within and become depressed, focus on others and we are lifted as we lift them’. This has been very true for the kids at Echo Glen. Many have never had the opportunity to help others and to be able to do so has been life transforming. After an outreach, one 14 year old Echo Glen youth said, “I used to think the world revolved around me. But after … and seeing the smile I put on the face of that Bolivian orphan, I realized I am happiest when I am helping others.”
During one social, a staff member commented, “I have never seen many of these boys behaving in such a sensitive way. Some of the really hard-to-reach kids are writing things like “We love you” and “God Bless you” on their shirts and cards”.
Brief video of Gifts Being Received by Orphans in Uganda
From the recipients of another social:
Touching words of gratitude from those who received the resident’s encouragement
A beautiful poem written for the residents & their supporting community
Thank you
A special thank you to Pine Lake Covenant Church, and Cascade Covenant Church for funding these socials since 2009, to the youth in the community who do ALL the needed prep work, to all the volunteers who invest their time helping the youth at echo with the projects, and to the following organizations who have partnered with us:
- Sister Schools
- Passage Point
- Veterans Rites
- Open Arms Child Care
- Birthday Dreams
- Tent City residents in Seattle & the eastside
- Inca Link
- Youth Care
- Tree House 4 Kids
- Operation Gratitude
- Kids Without Borders
- Hope Place
- Union Gospel Mission
- Women of Vision, Eastside
- Children’s Hospital
- Eastside Baby Corner
- Issaquah Youth Advisory Board
- Children of the Nations, Int’l
- Shepherd of the Hills Safe House