Episcopal Community Services

As we begin the new year, all of us at ECS are looking back on a year that, while difficult, was full of many blessings. Throughout 2009 our loyal supporters came through again and again. While there is still much work to be done, your continued generosity has kept our fundraising goal for the fiscal year ending June 30 on track. On behalf of those we serve, we thank you.
During the holiday season, Santa's elves truly delivered. Thanks to the generosity of parish groups and individuals, every child and senior at ECS received a present. Volunteers at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh held the annual Be an Angel party for families in the ECS FAST Housing Program, St. Luke and the Epiphany sponsored a holiday party for ECS foster/kinship care family (with additional support from Karen Buchkovich-Sass of Washington Memorial Chapel). Several groups in the community hosted parties at ECS St. Barnabas Mission for homeless women and children.

Full list:

ECS is committed to communication with our donors, volunteers, clients and stakeholders in the most effective ways possible. To that end, we continue to expand our online offerings.

For those social networkers out there, ECS is now on Facebook. We will be posting news and other information to our growing fan base. Become a fan!

ECS has also completed a new profile with Guidestar.org, an online database of non-profit organizations that makes it easy to search for, compare and support charities. View the report here.
Last but not least, ECS' own web site has a brand-new Programs section, which provides in-depth, up-to-date information about our services. The new pages include client success stories from many programs so readers can see how they help ECS change a life.

Have you ever wondered how you can provide spiritual comfort to those who need it? Pastoral Care training from ECS can prepare you for work in hospitals, senior centers, and around your community. The Rev. Carl Metzger leads these 6-week courses several times a year. Classes are free of charge.

The next six-week series of Pastoral Care Training will begin Tuesday, Jan 26th. The classes will be held at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church from 7 to 9 p.m. The church's address is 916 S. Swanson Street, Philadelphia, 19147.  Registration by noon on Jan. 25 is required. To register for this series, please contact Caroline Dunleavy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 215.351.1451.

We are learning more each day about the monstrous devastation and suffering in Haiti as a result of the earthquake. We are also learning that individuals and families with ECS connections have been tragically touched by the earthquake. We hold those touched by the earthquake in our thoughts and prayers. Although ECS is not affiliated with any international aid organizations, we suggest visiting Episcopal Relief and Development's Haiti response page.

Philadelphia's Department of Human Services (DHS) is developing report cards to evaluate foster and kinship care providers based on several quality measures. The first service report card ranks Episcopal Community Services first in foster care among 24 local agencies under DHS Performance-Based Contracting.

"Congratulations to ECS staff and resource parents for their high quality work, for really making a difference in the lives of the children and families served, and for bringing this positive recognition to ECS," said Cynthia Trago, director of Children and Family Services at ECS.

ECS also ranked eighth in kinship care, in which children are placed with relatives. The report card is based on several measurements, including on-site inspections and the rate at which agencies have achieved permanent outcomes for children through family reunification, adoption and other arrangements.

The ECS Foster/Kinship Care program fills a vital need for children who have been adjudicated into out-of-home placements due to abuse, neglect, or a parent's temporary inability to care for them. ECS is also one of a handful of agencies in the region to specialize in services for children with serious medical conditions and disabilities. In 2009 ECS provided safe, caring homes to 131 children.

Each year ECS Home Care helps over 150 seniors continue living safely at home. During the recent transit strike in Philadelphia, ECS was able to continue providing services to 75% of home care clients, despite the fact that over 90% of home health aides rely on public transportation. The entire ECS Home Care staff worked together to ferry staff to clients' homes, ensuring that homebound seniors like Richard received the services they need.  

Richard's house is full of furniture he built with his own hands. His walls are filled with photographs of his late wife, Cecilia, their three sons and lots of grandchildren and great grandchildren. It's no wonder he wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Richard has lived alone since Cecilia passed away in 2003. They were married for 41 years and bought their row house in the Ogontz section of Philadelphia in the 1980s after Richard hung up his tool belt and took a job as a janitor.

At 78 he has a variety of medical conditions that require the twice-daily visits from ECS home health aides. Years mowing lawns and climbing ladders for his own landscaping and handyman business did a number on his knees. These days he is mostly confined to the first floor of his house, where his electric scooter takes him from the kitchen to the living room and back.

"I used to like to drive. The hardest thing for me was to give up my keys, but I just couldn't get in and out of my truck anymore," he said.

When he was still mobile, Richard would drive all over the country for fellowship weekends with his church, from upstate New York to the hills of Kentucky. Now he keeps busy with regular visits to his local senior center and urges other people his age to do the same.

"I fool around with the computer and watch the television, but they don't talk to me. I tell people, take part in your local senior center, even if it's just drinking coffee. You have to keep your mind and body active."

Richard is very grateful for the services that ECS Home Care provides. There are times when he calls to ask if an aide could come a little later so that he won't have to go to bed early. ECS provides him the later service. ECS also attempts to limit the number of different aides who provide his care, so that Richard can have more privacy and consistency. It all adds up to a continued quality of life in the home he loves.

"I'm more independent here. I can do what I want to do," Richard said. "If you're somewhere you don't want to be, you don't last long because your mind is not satisfied."