What could be more spooktacular than a visit to ECA? October 2023 News

October 2023

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

-Notes from Susan
-Halloween at ECA
-Grant Application Deadline

-A New Way to Help - Financial Donations
-Made By You: Tea Party Style
-Partner Spotlight: Raven Rock

Notes from Susan

A boom year for ECA

ECA’s Store Manager, Susan Smith, checks in. Email her at ecathriftshop@gmail.com

This year at ECA has been an explosion of donations. Thank you everyone who donates to us. The quality of what we receive is great! When we do get unusable items, most of them either go in our free bins in front of the shop or are picked up by another charity, ARC. So very little actually has to be thrown out.

Recently, we were very lucky to receive over 300 pieces of mostly sterling silver and gold jewelry. Let me tell you, it has been FLYING out the door at prices up to $500 for some items.

Christmas items will start going out the first week of October. The bulk of it will go out on November 1st, after Halloween is over. We have so many Christmas items in storage that it usually takes 2-3 weeks to get it all priced and on the floor.

Even though we are open 13 hours less per week than pre-COVID, our sales are higher and that is thanks to our donors and shoppers! Sales generate more grant monies for our nonprofit partners so lots of people in need get help. In vouchers alone, we surpassed $10,000 in valued items that we have given to partner nonprofit clients—about 1500 items have been given away and over 140 people served.

Halloween is October 31. ECA has a costume for you!

Grant Cycle DEADLINE - October 31

ECA is accepting grant applications through October 31 from 501C3 organizations who advance our mission to address housing, hunger, and mental health for Eastside residents. More details here.

Made By You

Tea party style at minimal cost to your wallet and the environment

We love to learn what our shoppers do with their ECA treasures. Whether it’s a crafty project, adorable play room, festive holiday setting, or stylish outfit, we want to see what you make. Please share your photos and tips at info@ecathriftshop.org

ECA volunteers love a shopper who asks for help putting together a special outfit.

Regular shopper Suzanne came in to find a new look for her annual mother/daughter tea party and the Monday crewed styled her entirely in ECA treasures. An elegant, timeless look at minimal cost and low environmental footprint—something we can all feel good about!

A New Way to Help More Organizations

ECA has added a new financial giving category to include more Eastside nonprofit partners

At the September 2023 Board meeting, ECA members voted to add an entirely new giving category—financial donations. Effectively immediatley, we will review requests for financial donations no greater than $2500 for Eastside 501C3 organizations who serve local residents. Unlike our larger grant awards, financial donations can be awarded to nonprofits whose mission falls outside of our focus areas of housing, hunger, and mental health. We will accept requests for funds on a rolling basis throughout the year. Paperwork and followup tracking is minimal to make the process easy and quick for organizations with time-sensitive needs. For more information, visit here.

ECA Partner Spotlight - Raven Rock Ranch

Equine Facilitated Therapy for At-Risk Youth

Founded in 2011, Raven Rock Ranch (RRR) has a mission to intercept and break the cycles of trauma, suicide and domestic violence. Our program serves Western Washington, focused on King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. Mental health support is provided for all people age 7 years and up who have experienced severe emotional, physical, or verbal trauma and/or abuse.

RRR uses scientifically proven mental health therapies that are very individualized – one client, one horse, and one Facilitator work together to develop skills such as cooperation, trust, healthy boundaries, and responsibility. All of our professional Facilitators are trained and certified in HEAL (Human Equine Alliances for Learning – www.humanequinealliance.com), which is internationally recognized as a premier model of Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning. Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy and Learning (EFPL), has been shown to successfully treat those suffering from the effects of trauma, depression, anxiety, and many other mental health stressors. Although many forms of animal therapy have been shown to be successful, equine therapy is unique in that it works directly with the feelings and body-sensations that hold the memories of trauma.

When a client comes to RRR they are carefully matched with a horse and Facilitator, with whom they will work one-on-one throughout their therapy. The bond that is developed between the horse, client, and Facilitator is the real beginning of mental and emotional healing. The horse is the bridge relationship that allows human-to-human relationships to form and flourish. The client can feel safe with a horse, because their past trauma is related to human relationships. Learn more here.

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