Community Corner

Award-Winning ECHO Recognizes Volunteers, Outstanding Commitment

The annual luncheon was sponsored by the Bank of Tampa and The Bridges in Riverview, an assisted living community. The Emergency Care Help Organization, a food bank and clothes closet, assisted 11,089 individuals in 2010.

Between the handshakes, hugs and her tears, Billie Tucker came up with two reasons why she gives her time to the Emergency Care Help Organization of Brandon.

“It makes me feel good, like I’m helping people, and I just have fun,” said Tucker at the conclusion of the Jan. 18 luncheon at in Riverview, where Tucker received ECHO’s top volunteer of the year award. “I enjoy it. 

With 623.5 hours under his belt, volunteer Gene Edwards was recognized for registering the most hours served in 2010. In third place was Terry Moore, with 531.5 hours, and in between was Barbara Powell, with 607.5 hours.

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Lori Libheart, vice president of ECHO's board, was named board member of the year.

But the day’s toast overall was for the men and women who give of their time, talents and other resources to help an organization that in the past year saw accolades of its own. ECHO last year received both the Non-Profit of the Year Award from the Community Roundtable and a from the Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Council.

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“I’m grateful that there are people willing to volunteer and they hold that as a priority in their lives,” said Circuit Judge Ashley B. Moody, the guest speaker, in an interview after the luncheon.

Both Edwards and Moore seemed to downplay the attention they received as the volunteers with the most hours worked. (Powell was not in attendance.)

“I’m retired and I have to stay busy, for one, and I wanted to put my time into helping others,” said Edwards, a Greater Brandon resident of Seffner, about his activism with ECHO. “I worked for the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) and one of the things they taught us was to put back forth into the community and my heart was to join ECHO.”

The Emergency Care Help Organization is a food pantry and clothes closet that helps people in emergency situations up to four times in any one person’s lifetime.

According to Stacey Efaw, the organization’s executive director, ECHO last year served 11,089 individuals. Since July, ECHO organizers have raised more than $10,000 at its monthly yard sales and last year alone volunteers posted 14,773 hours of donated time.

“If we had to pay people to work those hours there is no way we could do what we do,” Efaw said. “You guys are the backbone of ECHO. I see what you do every day.”

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Edwards said. “Just the organization itself, helping people and being able to give back to the community, and being able to socialize with the group.”

Moore, a Brandon resident, agreed.

“I think it does more for me than it does for the people I help,” Moore said about his ECHO volunteerism. “Doing a good thing, you get a good feeling.”

The luncheon food and space was donated by The Bridges; the Bank of Tampa provided volunteers with T-shirts and other recognition gifts.


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