Episcopal Community Services

Blue skies and sky-high participation marked the annual Harvest Festival at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh. Several busses arrived full of ECS clients ready to enjoy activities on the parish's rolling green campus.
 
The annual event is one of several occasions each year when parish volunteers come together to host ECS families. The Harvest Festival, the Be an Angel holiday party and the summer camp for children all provide an opportunity for parishioners to live out their faith.
 
"Over the past few years, I have tried to really bring it alive for the parish and connect all the dots with our wonderful relationship with ECS," said Amy Roak, organizer of the event. "It involved everyone from our older parishioners to the next generation. Our confirmation curriculum talks a lot about service, but when you really do it, it lights a fire."
  
Roak estimates that the event draws over 100 volunteers. Most show up on the day of the event to serve food, man the craft tables and help out at the parish thrift store where guests are invited to fill their bags with clothes and toys free of charge. Others help out prior to the event with food donations and publicity.
 
"Families at St. Thomas are so fortunate to have the grounds, and these resources are meant to be shared," Roak said.
 
See pictures from the Harvest Festival on the ECS Facebook page (no account needed).

The ECS Bridge+Builders is a new initiative to deepen ECS' relationship with parishes throughout the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The initiative launched with a luncheon at the Episcopal Cathedral which drew more than 50 participants to learn about this exciting new program. (Visit our Facebook page to view photos from the event - you don't need an account.)

The Bridge+Builders initiative combines the former Good Friends and Parish Representative programs into one group. Members of Bridge+Builders will be actively engaged in the work and mission of ECS, and will serve as the primary voice and communicator of ECS in the parish. They will work closely with ECS Volunteer and Parish Relations Manager Sarah Laughlin to plan and execute meaningful projects and volunteer activities in their parish communities that raise awareness and support for ECS. 

"We're very excited about this new connection to our parish communities. We believe it will truly help individuals as well as entire parishes put their faith into action right here in Philadelphia," said Kim Shiley, ECS' Director of Development and Communications. "Bridge+Builders are our ambassadors in their parish communities."

To get involved, contact Sarah Laughlin at 215.351.1478.

Wendy Elease Brown recently received the 13th annual Beverly Gail Barnes-Kelch Award for Exemplary Citizenship. James Kelch, a member of the ECS Board of Trustees, established the annual award for ECS employees in memory of his wife. Brown's co-workers describe her as someone who truly exemplifies the ECS Mission through her hard work, dedication and commitment to bettering the lives of children.

Brown is a group leader at the ECS Out of School Time Program. Recruited directly from the staff at the Feltonville school where the program is located, she was one of the first employees hired for the program when it began as the ECS Beacon in 2002.  As a teacher with more than 30 years of experience, Brown has been an asset to the department's education staff on many levels.  Her dedication to the children and the community are obvious by the level of commitment she shows in her roles as teacher, group leader and mentor.

In addition to serving as group leader, she held the position of coordinator of the After school Strategies Initiative (ASI) from November 2007 through June 2008. Her willingness to remain flexible and cooperative during the many changes in the program model helped ensure continuity of services over the years.

Institutional support, including grants from charitable foundations, is an important part of the funding formula for many Episcopal Community Services programs. ECS is pleased to announce several recent grants.

The PNC Foundation granted $7,500 to support ECS FAST Housing, which provides permanent homes and case management to families with disabilities and a history of homelessness. This is the PNC Foundation’s third grant to ECS FAST.

The Fund for Children of The Philadelphia Foundation awarded $50,000 in continuing support for ECS’ innovative Teens Takin’ Over program. The program helps at-risk teens successfully navigate the path to adulthood and is entirely funded by private dollars.

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust provided $25,000 for the food service program at ECS St. Barnabas Mission.  The funds will help ECS provide healthy meals to children and mothers in the West Philadelphia shelter and emergency food assistance for neighbors in need.

Because public funding covers only 60% of shelter operations, private gifts are essential to maintain high-quality services and life-changing case management at ECS St. Barnabas. The Lincoln Financial Foundation provided $10,000 for the Mission’s emergency shelter and services for homeless families.  This is the eighth year that the Foundation has supported St. Barnabas.

The Christopher Ludwick Foundation awarded $15,000 for unmet educational needs of children in our programs.  The Ludwick Foundation has supported ECS for more than 15 years, providing funds for school uniforms, books, tutoring and other items to help students attend and succeed in school. 

ECS thanks these and all our institutional funders for their support.

The annual Fill the Bus initiative at ECS works with parishes and organizations to collect new backpacks and school supplies so that ECS students can start school prepared.
 
This year, Fill the Bus exceeded all expectations, bringing in over 650 backpacks filled with all the age-appropriate supplies a student could need. 
 
The program started as a small collection by Trinity Church, Gulph Mills back in 2005, which provided about 40 backpacks to ECS. Over the years, Trinity has more than doubled their collection while 24 other parishes and one volunteer's entire workplace have joined in.
 
This year, nearly every group exceeded its goal, which actually left ECS with more backpacks than children! ECS worked with St. James School, a new middle school founded by St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, to distribute the extra 85 backpacks to students at the school and children in the surrounding community, amplifying the impact of Fill the Bus even more.
 
ECS thanks everyone who helped Fill the Bus this year: All Hallows, Wyncote Christ Church, Ithan; Christ Church, Media; Crucifixion; Good Shepherd, Germantown; Good Shepherd, Hilltown; Incarnation/Holy Sacrament Church Messiah, Gwynedd; Philadelphia Cathedral; Redeemer, Bryn Mawr Redeemer, Springfield; Redemption, Southampton; St. Andrew's, West Vincent; St. George's, Ardmore; St. John's, Concord; St. John's, Lower Merion; St. Jude and the Nativity; St. Martin-in-the-Fields; St. Matthew, Maple Glen; St. Peter's Great Valley; St. Peter's, Philadelphia; St. Simon and the Cyrenian; Towers Watson; St. Dunstan's Blue Bell; and Trinity, Gulph Mills.

ECS is pleased to introduce Sarah Laughlin as the new volunteer and parish relations manager. The multifaceted position is key to the agency's goal of introducing more people to ECS through volunteer opportunities and partnerships with local faith communities, particularly within the Episcopal church.
 
"As a licensed social worker, I understand and believe in the work ECS does." Laughlin said. "I have done lots of volunteer work over the years too, so I really look forward to all that experience together to develop opportunities that meet the needs of both volunteers and the people we serve."
 
In her new role, Laughlin will have her hands full managing annual gift drives like the Fill the Bus program that provides a backpack and school supplies to every child in an ECS program and the Christmas program that collects gifts for ECS children and seniors. Developing more service opportunities for individual volunteers and groups is also a big priority.
 
"We are excited Sarah has joined our team," said Kim A. Shiley, director of development and communications. "Her work will be invaluable in building connections between ECS programs and our parish and volunteer community" 
 
Laughlin will work to deepen longstanding partnerships and introduce new faith communities, organizations and individuals to the work of ECS. Laughlin is an active member of St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, where her husband, Ledlie Laughlin, serves as rector. 
 
Sarah Laughlin can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 215.351.1478.