Episcopal Community Services

The roots of Jim Bryson’s commitment to philanthropy go back to his childhood.  He recalls his father picking up a hitchhiking serviceman who out of money and still a long way from home.

“My father reached into his wallet and gave the man a $20 bill, which was a lot of money back then. It wasn’t like we were that well-off ourselves, and I remember wondering how he was going to explain it to my mother.”

Still, it took his years as a member of St. Peters Church, Glenside to really engage Bryson in making charity a part of his day-to-day life.

“I was challenged by the idea of tithing.  Over time I became comfortable with the idea that not only was tithing good, it made me feel good. We had an elder in the church who would tell us not to ‘give until it hurts but to give until it feels good’. That was great advice,” Bryson said.

About 15 years ago, Bryson realized he could be doing even more with his resources. To him, wealth isn’t just a privilege, it’s a responsibility. After “coming out of the closet” in the early 80’s, Bryson became involved in gay-rights issues. He says the stigma he experienced during that difficult time helped him identify more with the needs of others. Those two interests came together in ECS, which was one of the first social service organizations in Philadelphia to respond to the AIDS epidemic. Although those programs were eventually discontinued due to changing needs and the emergence of organizations wholly focused on the issue, the agency remains important to Bryson, both because of its mission and its management.

“It feels good to be making some contribution to ECS, which is helping to fill the gaps in social services,” Bryson said. “With ECS, you get a lot of bang for the buck in terms of your gift going directly to programming and overhead being so low. I feel the arts and culture are somewhat over-supported. I can have a greater impact giving to organizations that serve diverse community needs and promote social justice.”

Dixie Wigton recently retired from volunteer service to Episcopal Community Services for at least the third time. Now in her 80s, she insists that her most recent term on the development committee is her last formal assignment.

She served on her first ECS committee in the late 1970s and then spent a full 10-year term on the board. Most recently, she served on the development committee where she organized ECS presentations in local retirement communities. While the agency will surely miss her hard work and expertise, she has no doubt earned her rest.

“You need younger people now to do the work. They should find out how the organization works, how it does what it does and why they should support it,” Wigton said. “Things that engaged people 20 years ago just leave them cold today. The younger generation has new ideas and new ways of doing things. That will keep it going.”

Wigton was introduced to charitable work through her mother-in-law, who was active with Inglis House, a home for the physically disabled. After serving on the board at Inglis House, Wigton became involved with ECS through church.

“I’ve always loved ECS. They do a really good job of not doing Band Aids but really pulling people up and out of their cycle of poverty,” Wigton said. “In my era, you didn’t necessarily have a career, so you tried to do something useful in the world. It gives you a purpose in life. You can’t just float through life doing happy things, you have to contribute something. And, as they always say, you get more than you give.”

Over the years, Ray Welsh has taken on leadership roles on the boards and fundraising committees of many well-known organizations, including the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania and The Salvation Army.  He has been  involved with ECS at many levels since the early 90’s, when he helped solicit funding during a campaign to pay for interior renovations of the ECS headquarters, Old Saint Paul’s Church in Society Hill.

In the 1994-1995 fiscal year, Welsh took the reins as board president during the agency’s 125th anniversary celebration, which included a $1.25 million endowment campaign. Later, he co-chaired the 21st Century Initiatives campaign, which raised another $4.4 million to sustain vital ECS programs. In the years since, Welsh has continued to serve on both the ECS Board of Trustees and the Development Committee, where he works to open doors for the agency’s fundraising efforts while providing both his expertise and his time.

For the past several years, Ray and Joanne Welsh have chaired the ECS Bishop’s Circle committee, soliciting members who give $10,000 or more to support the ECS mission. Over the past three years under Welsh’s leadership, the Bishop’s Circle has nearly doubled.

The “Episcopal” in Episcopal Community Services is a big reason why ECS can always count on him, no matter how many other projects he takes on. During his years as board president, he often penned special prayers to open meetings and special events. One such prayer, written during Easter, asks that those assembled be guided by Christ’s “love for the oppressed, and His challenge to us to follow Him.”

When many people hear the words “planned giving” they think of ivy-covered walls bearing the name of a wealthy family. The truth, however, is that most of us can leave a legacy that makes a real difference in the lives of others.

Just ask Nora Adelmann, a parishioner at St. Alban’s, Newtown Square who began working with ECS in the early 80’s as a parish representative and has now become a member of the ECS City Mission Legacy Society by including ECS in her will and as a beneficiary in her IRA.

“The thing I find most compelling about ECS is that, thanks to the endowment, every dollar I give to the annual fund goes directly into services,” said Adelmann.

The ECS endowment is bolstered by legacies large and small, and its growth is essential to helping ECS weather economic cycles that often find donations drying up at precisely the same time that the needs of the disadvantaged are growing. Withdrawals from the ECS endowment currently make up over a quarter of the ECS operating budget, covering all administrative overhead and maintaining vital programs.

Adelmann knows that her legacy will help ECS continue to respond to new challenges just as it has for 140 years.

“ECS is always looking at what can be done. It’s forward thinking, looking at needs that are emerging and always changing its programming mix to better serve others,” said Adelmann.

It’s true – ECS was at the forefront of caring for people with AIDS when the epidemic began, but with the advent of effective treatments and organizations focused on the cause, the agency has moved on to other projects, such as ECS St. Barnabas Mission, one of the first homeless shelters in the city to keep mothers and their children together. Adelmann is particularly interested in services ECS is currently developing to help parishes in their outreach planning.

Adelmann is still years from retirement, but she knew now was the time to make an estate plan that included ECS. She says the residents at the senior community where she works were great role models, understanding that estates large and small can make a real difference.

“It’s not that hard to sit down and think about what matters to you,” said Adelmann. “What’s your legacy?”

I was first drawn to Episcopal Community Services through my parish, St. David's, Radnor where I have been a member my entire life and where my wife, Deborah, and I were married. I also learned about ECS through a friend who was serving as a member of the Board of Trustees. We have supported other charities off and on over the years, but decided in recent years to focus our giving to our parish and to ECS.

I prefer to give locally, in the greater Philadelphia region. ECS has always impressed me as a very high-quality social services organization that does tremendous work in the Philadelphia community. The employees are excellent at what they do and very committed and I have always felt proud to be a part of their work.

I joined the Board of Trustees and the finance committee in 1998 and have also served on the Executive Committee and sub-committees to the Board. Working for ECS is a great way to give back to our community and to do something in line with our Christian faith.

- Earl Forte

Fred and Barbara Sutherland have supported ECS since 2004. Their journey with ECS started in church. Their parish, St. David’s, Radnor, observed ECS Sunday, inviting ECS trustee and fellow parishioner Earl Forte to the pulpit to preach about the work of the agency.

“I distinctly remember Earl speaking on ECS Sunday. Barbara and I were both impressed by the accomplishments and the focus of ECS,” Fred said.

Soon after, Barbara attended an open house at ECS St. Barnabas Mission with a group from St. David’s. She had a chance to witness ECS’s services to homeless women and their children.

“That really struck me – meeting the people there, seeing what’s been done there and seeing the opportunities they provide to the residents. You realize what an impact you can make by contributing to ECS. Just understanding the lives that are touched – we feel it’s a good way to give back,” Barbara said.

In addition to their support of ECS, Fred and Barbara both devote a great deal of time and leadership expertise to other local organizations. Fred is on the board of the public radio and television station, WHYY, and is a 25-year member and current president of the board of People’s Light and Theatre. Barbara has served as board president at Daemion Counseling Center in Berwyn and the Wayne Arts Center. Over the last few years, she has become increasingly involved at St. David’s, serving on the vestry, as Rector’s Warden, and participating in the parish’s outreach and pastoral care programs. Fred and Barbara both serve the alumni association of their alma mater, Duke University.

Fred is also the chief financial officer at Aramark, where he has worked for nearly 30 years. One of Philadelphia’s largest corporations, Aramark maintains $12 billion in annual sales with over 250,000 employees in 22 countries.

“Working in Philadelphia all these years, I recognize the challenges the city faces with poverty and lack of education, which I think are the twin drivers of a lot of problems. ECS really focuses on individuals in Philadelphia that are most vulnerable and in many ways can most benefit from a helping hand,” Fred said. “I believe in helping people who help themselves, and the push of ECS is to try to inject a level of stability in people’s lives. The services are delivered in a way to help people get back on their feet and become self-sustaining.”