April 30, 2025
I apologize in the last newsletter if I did not say that the free concerts will be at Burke Lake Park. That is the only one the Springfield District talks about.
A few people asked about the Community Yard Sale. I got a lot of feedback last year that having it around Memorial Day Weekend was bad for people going out of town. It might make sense to have it the last Saturday of May or the first Saturday of June so it will not conflict with school ending and people going on vacation. For those new to the community, the Annual Community Yard Sale is where participating residents have a yard sale in their yard on the same day. It is not a gathering of neighbors in one location to sell their items.
1 – ECHO News
2 – Annual May Meeting – the 8th at 7:30PM, West Village Pool
3 – Upcoming Job Fairs
4 – Ideas for Community Events
5 – Community Directory
6 – Road Work Safety
7 – Calendar
1 – From the latest ECHO newsletter:
Letter Carriers Food Drive Will Help Fill Urgent Need
The annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is critical to ECHO’s effort to stave off hunger in our community. Recent disruptions of the federal work force seem to be having an impact on requests for food. Also, a number of people who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had their EBT cards hacked in April, so they lost access to food stamps. Instead of having this vital assistance restored, they were told to rely on local food banks until the new cards come out in May. This has put enormous pressure on groups such as ECHO.
The Stamp Out Hunger drive is a major boost for ECHO’s food pantry. All members of our community can help on Saturday, May 10, by leaving a bag with any amount of non-perishable food by their mailboxes before their letter carrier delivers mail. Food received from the West Springfield, Burke, Central Springfield, and North Springfield post offices will be given to ECHO.
Alas, We Have No Magicians Here
We have fabulous volunteers, but none of them can magically make broken equipment whole again or create cables or parts for donated items that are missing them. We don’t have elves who can get permanent stains out of clothing, or replace broken zippers, or repair rips in clothing or household goods. If your donation isn't something you would give or loan to a friend, it isn’t something we’d give to our clients either. They are our- and your- neighbors! Broken, stained, or torn donations create a further burden for ECHO. Our organization must pay for commercial trash hauling, so it costs money and volunteer time to manage unusable goods. Please help by assessing your donations carefully. Under the “Donate Goods” tab on our homepage at www.echo-inc.org, find guidelines for what we can and can't accept.
What and Who ECHO Needs Now
ECHO has some volunteer openings that require special skills. We are looking for someone who has the interest and ability to use photo and/or video equipment to capture special events for our Communications Team. We are also looking for a few people to join the Grant Writing Team that searches for funding sources and completes applications. Work on the Grant Writing Team can be done remotely on the volunteer’s schedule. ECHO is looking for a person to become a Client Engagement Chair to work with our counseling volunteers in determining client eligibility. There are also volunteer openings for people who want to manage donations or work with clients on a regular weekly schedule. Those interested in finding out more should email volunteercoordinator@echo-inc.org.
Our Clothing Department needs baby clothes in sizes 0-18 months, sneakers in child and adult sizes, spring jackets for children and adults, and new athletic socks in all sizes. Our Housewares Department would like to have gently used shower curtains, shower curtain rings, and hand towels. Please bring donations to our Donation Door at 7205 Old Keene Mill Road on weekdays between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm, or between 7:00 and 9:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings. Receipts are happily provided.
Upcoming Dates to Note
May 3 - Saturday Opening
May 7 - Exec Comm meeting
May 10 - Letter Carriers’ Food Drive
May 19 - Board of Directors meeting
May 21 - Final session of Teen Volunteer Program
May 26 - Closed for Memorial Day
June 7 - Saturday Opening
June 19 - Closed for Juneteenth Holiday
Congregational and Other Food Drives
May - Grace Christian Reformed
June - St. Mark’s Lutheran and Westwood Baptist
For more information about ECHO on the following topics, please click the links to our website:
Tips on Holding a Donation Drive
2 – The Annual May Meeting is 5/8/2025 at 7:30pm in the pavilion area of the West Village Pool. Some drinks (non-alcoholic) and snacks will be provided. If there are any new neighbors near you, please tell them about it and give them my email address, president@westspringfieldvillage.org, if they have any questions or want to be added to the mailing list.
3 – From the Springfield and Braddock District newsletters:
George Mason University Job Fair (May 19)
George Mason University’s Career Services will be hosting the 2025 Just In Time Job Fair on Monday, May 19 for current George Mason students and alumni. Employers will have access to well-qualified applicants. George Mason students and alumni are equipped with the latest industry knowledge and in-demand technical and transferable skills. Employers are required to register for the event. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/yu5dz5xc.
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4 – At every Annual Meeting, there is mention of having more events. I propose having a Social Committee formed, bring it up in following newsletter, and then do not hear anything for six months during the next Annual Meeting. I figured I would head it off at the pass and bring it up now. If there are events you want to see, events you want to host, or are able to help coordinate an event, please let me know.
5 – I will finalize the Directory information this weekend and send it out for review/editing. Unfortunately, this slips my mind a lot. If anyone wants to help remind me, please do so.
We also need submissions for photos for the cover. Please send one that Board and Committee leaders will vote on.
6 – With the road work we will experience for a while, I wanted to share a recent VDOT newsletter talking about the recent National Work Zone Awareness Week that happened last week:
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7 – Calendar
5/8 – Annual May Meeting
5/10 – ECHO Letter Carriers’ Food Drive
5/11 – Mother’s Day
5/17 – Armed Forces Day
5/26 – Memorial Day