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El Camino Homeless Organization
EL CAMINO HOMELESS ORGANIZATION
ECHO
SPRING EDITION
2014
NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 13 ISSUE 2
Two Mayors Team Up Overnight
On April 11th Mayor Tom
O’Malley of Atascadero and
Mayor Duane Picanco of Paso
Robles served as overnight
chaperons at ECHO. Aware
that there were many children
at the shelter, these two
grandfathers came prepared
to read and play with the 18
youngsters.
“It was a lively group and
they seemed to enjoy one
of the books I brought, “The
Emperor’s New Clothes” Tom O’Malley said proudly. He of course substituted the word “Mayor” for Emperor and the children
could picture the big parade going right through the heart of Atascadero.
“I was surprised that the majority of the overnight guests were children,” said Mayor Picanco. I know the statistics, but
when you actually come face-to-face with these families it touches your heart.
Both mayors were as happy as the parents when lights were out at 8:30 and the shelter settled into a quiet peace.
During the night one man was awake at all times, and after only a few hours of sleep they helped to see that breakfast
was served and all the chores were done.
ECHO appreciates the effort of Mayor O’Malley and Mayor Picanco and the message their service sends to residents
of the entire north county…….”This is a shelter for both cities.”
Rotary Moves the Beds
A team of twelve local Rotarians spent Saturday, May 3rd assembling 20 new beds and moving them into three of the
new family rooms. With this addition, ECHO can now house
up to 50 people nightly.
Left to Right: John Hollenbeck, Drew Lewis, Ryun McCrory,
Charles Bourbeau, Ken Johnston, Brack Linscott and John
Donovan. In the back row are some of the new mattresses.
(Also helping that day were Rotarians Dutch Nichols, Croy
Black, Tom Zirk, Loretta Butts and John Neil.)
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Our New Wall
Next time you visit the shelter, take time to admire the
new 8 foot cement block wall which graces the back of
our property. Providing privacy for ECHO and our neighbors,
the wall runs 180 feet.
Annual
BBQ in the
Park
Summer is here and
again, ECHO is proud
to sponsor one of the
Tuesday night BBQs in the Park.
Each Tuesday the delicious chicken and steak dinner
is cooked by the Local Elks Club and a different non-profit
does the ticket-selling and serving.
Please mark your calendar for July 1st this year. Come
an enjoy the dinner which (in addition to the meat) includes
beans, salad, garlic bread, and a soft drink of your choice.
Home-made desserts are available for an additional $1.
Tickets are being sold by ECHO board members and cost
$12 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+) and $6 for children
(11 and under).
After the meal, plan to stay for the free concert
presented by the Atascadero Community Band. This will be
the patriotic evening with the Fourth of July band marches
honoring members of the military.
Notice the enclosure with your newsletter….please order
your tickets in advance. This is THE ONLY NIGHT OF THE YEAR
when no meal is served at the homeless shelter. Instead we
take all our guests to enjoy the BBQ with all our community
members. So if you cannot attend, you may wish buy a
ticket which we will give to a client.
ECHO Newsletter
$4 a Month?
Many of our supporters who
read this newsletter may feel
that they cannot afford to send
a big contribution no matter how
worthy the homeless cause……
It is especially to those folks we
send this invitation:
For the cost of a Starbucks
coffee a month, you could
join the $50 for five movement. It’s easy…you make the
intention to send us a check for $50 each year for the
next five years. We hope that several thousand people in
the community will make this commitment and we can
be assured that ECHO’s expenses will be paid in future
years. Of course many people find they can be more
generous and we commend them for their help…(It has
made possible the purchase of our own building and many
improvements)……..
But we feel EVERYONE can be part of the $50 for five.
We are enclosing a form in your newsletter packet you
can use when you join.
The Next Generation Steps Up….
Some overnight volunteers have been helping at ECHO
for many years. In fact, Marc Dart and Bernard Olsen’s
oldest daughters were ten years old when their father’s first
became chaperons. Now 18, both women joined their
dads during their spring break from college to form family
overnight teams. Clarisse and Marc Dart helped one night
in March and Katelyn and Bernard Olsen served in April.
Clarisse and Marc Dart
Katelyn and Bernard Olsen
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El Camino Homeless Organization
Echo Throws a Party
Please mark your calendar for Saturday August 23,
and plan to attend the 3rd annual
LONG WALK HOME
Beginning at 8:30 in the morning you may sign in, tour
the newly renovated facilities, enjoy coffee and donuts and
then walk through the downtown area of Atascadero. This
is a non-competitive event. We will stroll along Atascadero
Mall, cross under the tunnel, walk through the Sunken
Gardens, across the Lewis Bridge, through the Galaxy
complex and back through the tunnel to ECHO
The walkers will be returning to enjoy a free hot dog
lunch and live music provided by a local band.
During lunch raffle prizes will be awarded.
To be part of the fun, you need to register at
www.echoshelter.net, pay you entrance fee of $30 and
let us know if you are a solo walker or a team member.
Teams consist of up to 7 people. The individual who raises
the most money will receive an iPad and the team which
brings in the most money will be treated to dinner at the
Guest House Grill.
This is the time to talk to you neighbors, friends and
relatives and bring them to see what our community is doing
to help the needy in our midst. Did we mention that dogs
on leash are welcome to walk?
By noon you will be free to pursue your Saturday family
plans.
It is hoped that we will fill the streets of Atascadero with
such a huge group that everyone will wonder how they
can also become involved in helping the poor in the north
county.
See you on Saturday, August 23rd!
Par ty..Par ty..Par ty..Par ty..Par ty
REMEMBER:
THE SHELTER CAN’T OPERATE WITHOUT
CHAPERONES
To Volunteer as an Overnight Chaperone
Call: Patty - 805-461-8539
Sue Warren,
Executive Director
of North County
Connections spoke
recently at an ECHO
volunteer meeting
explaining the role
her organization
plays in helping
people to achieve
sobriety at their
facility at 8600
Atascadero Avenue.
Contribution
Chole and Claire Morrell raised money by making
and selling Rainbow
Loom bracelets in
honor of their cousin,
Kyle Sheffield who
passed away
recently.
Executive
Director Bill Watt
and Board President
till Moen were on
hand to accept
their generous
donation….One
huge sack full of
coins.
Who Has Been Helped
Meals
Beds
ServedProvided
Jan
1,902
927
Feb
1,530
768
March
1,418
601
Since ECHO began, 191,190 hot meals have been
served and 107,851 beds provided.
(Sometimes in motels)
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ECHO Newsletter
President’s Message
Our first ECHO neighborhood/community meeting was
held at our facility on Saturday April 12, from 10:00 AM until
noon. The purpose of this meeting was both to inform the
community about ECHO and to address any questions and/
or concerns about shelter operations.
Six neighbors attended and met with three staff
members and five board members.
The meeting was fruitful. All neighbors were supportive
of our mission where our clients are provided food, shelter
and case management (guidance and assistance). They
were also impressed with the progress we have made on
improving the housing element where we have established
a south wing with separate rooms for families and a north
wing dormitory for adults.
Two neighbors expressed concern that people coming
to ECHO for just the evening meal might be adding to the
litter in the neighborhood and loitering in the area. ECHO
is also concerned about people loitering near our facility.
Although we do not have jurisdiction over public areas, we
can influence people who eat and/or stay ECHO. Many
people who eat at ECHO have homes or apartments, but
find the free meal a way to stretch their slim budgets. The
Atascadero Police Department has been helpful in helping
us reduce loitering. You may also notice volunteers in green
vests present in our parking lot between 4 and 6 p.m. when
the meal is being served. It is important to see that no food
or paper products are taken off the property.
A Plan was discussed to involve the Atascadero High
School students “Greyhounds” to assist in the effort to clean
up the creek. ECHO has contacted the school to understand
how that plan may move forward.
We thank all those neighbors who came to our first
meeting and provided ECHO with the initiative to improve
and become a better neighbor. Our next neighborhood/
community meeting will be in October.
Till Moen
ECHO President
Volunteer…..
Help prepare and serve meals, be an overnight
chaperone, assist during the evening meal, shelter
housekeeping, clerical duties, fund-raisers.
There are so many ways to help at the shelter. Share if
you have a special skill.
Contact our volunteer coordinator for more information.
Meredith Diaz
[email protected]
Dave Carroll and his son Zack spent most of two weeks
painting the ECHO Shelter. They are no strangers to heights.
Visit our Website: www.ECHOshelter.net
To Volunteer as an Overnight Chaperone
Call: Patty - 805-461-8539
NEWSLETTER EDITOR, CHARLOTTE BYRNE
Mailing Address:
El Camino Homeless Organization
P.O. Box 2077, Atascadero, CA 93423
462-FOOD (3663)
NEWSLETTER DESIGN BY RUSS STEWART - WILKINS’ ACTION GRAPHICS