East Cooper Community Outreach

“The Form 990 is reviewed by management and the finance committee. Once approved, it is released to the full board for a comment period. Once any questions are addressed, the Form 990 is filed.”

“The board requires annual certification of conflicts of interest and encourages updates throughout the year for changes. In the event that a potential conflict arises during the year, the interested board member shall recuse himself/herself from all discussions and votes.”

“Compensation for the Executive Director includes compiling an annual report listing the compensation packages offered by other local nonprofits as noted on their 990s. The list of organizations includes groups with similar operating budgets and staff structure operating in the Lowcountry. This report is reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Board, who makes a recommendation regarding additional compensation to the full board for approval as a part of the budgeting process.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are made available to the public for inspection upon request.”

“ECCO was founded in the wake of Hurricane Hugo on the principle of neighbors helping neighbors. What began as an emergency relief effort has grown into a permanent resource in the community for families facing financial distress. Since 1989, compassion has been at the heart of everything we do. At ECCO we believe in the dignity and worth of every individual. While our programs and services may pivot to meet the changing needs of the community, the bedrock values of our organization which include Compassion, Collaboration, Respect and Integrity remain strong. We are proud of the community's commitment to living out ECCO's motto of "Neighbors Helping Neighbors." The community's generous support is what makes it possible for ECCO to provide essential services to assist local neighbors in their time of need. We recognize clients' situations are often complex and may not stay resolved, which is why Client Navigators keep communications open. Ongoing circumstances often test clients' resiliency, and the ECCO staff and volunteers ensure clients do not lose hope in their time of need. Our mission statement reads: "We provide assistance, guidance, and resources to help our neighbors navigate through life's challenges." ECCO's vision statement is, "A community where all people can discover a path to opportunity." The mission and vision statements align and materialize through compassionate staff and volunteers who offer ASSISTANCE in the form of essential services to local neighbors facing financial hardship. Services include food, financial assistance, dental and medical care, prescription assistance, access to SNAP and Medicaid enrollment, seasonal initiatives, emergency response, and a Clothing Closet. We offer GUIDANCE through the direction and system of support provided by staff and volunteers as we walk with clients along their path to opportunity. Services include becoming an ECCO client and receiving client navigation support, access to workshops and programs, and the Asset Development Program (ADP). ADP is a savings match program to help low wealth families develop assets including post secondary education, a first-time home purchase or to start a small business. Additionally, ECCO connects clients to a network of community partners who maximize support on their journey towards achieving personal financial goals. These RESOURCES include education and career readiness, financial assistance referrals and benefits, specialty healthcare and wellness, and home repair. When a person experiencing crisis becomes an ECCO client, they receive the skills, knowledge, ear, and action from a team of staff and volunteers who pull together resources on their behalf and provide the reassurance the client needs to move forward. ECCO is uniquely positioned in the area as one of only a few agencies in the greater Charleston region which provides comprehensive wrap-around support services and programs to households experiencing financial distress. All of ECCO's essential services are available to those who live or work East of the Cooper River and meet ECCO's income eligibility guidelines that are based on 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. ECCO's demographics show that 38% of ECCO clients make no more than the Federal Poverty Level and 22% have zero income. The average annual income of ECCO's clients in FYE25 was $17,128 ($703 less than the average annual income in FYE24). Clients are primarily women (74%), Black (62%), and over the age of 50 (62%). Ninety-two percent are single (includes divorced, separated, never married and widowed). There are currently 351 ECCO-assisted households with at least 1 child and only 10% of these households have both parents in the home. 29% are grandparents caring for their grandchildren, and 61% are single parents (primarily single mothers). ECCO services are for adults but because there are 738 children under the age of 18 living in the households ECCO serves, we know that our work impacts multiple generatio”

“- Saved 35 unduplicated neighbors $8,058 by filling 119 emergency medications and assisting with long-term prescription enrollment plans. - 445 patient appointments took place in the Partners in Healthcare Clinic for free medical care and health coaching for 131 uninsured neighbors, keeping people out of Emergency Rooms when they really need primary care. - Provided free dental services to 201 unduplicated patients through 452 dental appointments - services included cleanings, exams, fillings, and extractions. - Distributed 91,466 clothing and household linens valued at over $457,725 to 586 unduplicated households through over 4,000 visits to the Clothing Closet. - 626 neighbors had a Thanksgiving dinner, with turkey and all the sides. - 476 children from 186 families received holiday gifts through the Annual Adopt-a-Family program. - Two graduating high school seniors each received a $2,500 scholarship to support their college aspirations through the new "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" Scholarship Program. - Triple-matched the saving accounts of three Asset Development Program participants for their investment in higher education, a business, or a first-time home purchase. - Over 300+ weekly volunteers, 415 monthly volunteers, and 1,121 total volunteers generated 34,207 hours of volunteer time to ECCO - a monetary value of $1,266,185. Highlights of programmatic enhancements for the 2025 Fiscal Year include the following: - Successfully navigated a 13-month construction project while serving the needs of the community without any significant interruption to client services. - Thanks to Home Depot, ECCO continued to provide the monthly Fresh & Free Famers Market in a safe location away from the construction. - ECCO's renovation project was completed on-time. The project came in under-budget and is completely paid for. Thankfully there were no safety concerns. - Planned and executed the Beyond Our Walls Campaign Unveiling of Names Spaces, a Major Campaign Donors Reception, a "Better Together" Volunteer Celebration, and the Grand Reopening & Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony in June 2025. - Reopened the renovated facility with an additional 2,727 square feet, with all services back under one roof, 18 additional parking spaces, and a covered drive through for ECCO's Wellness Pantry food pick-ups and monthly Fresh & Free Farmer's Market. - Charity Navigator Rating: ECCO received a Four-Star Rating for the 9th consecutive year. - ECCO was voted "Best Nonprofit" by the readers of Mount Pleasant Magazine. - Established seven pilot partnerships for outreach sites in Awendaw and McClellanville. - Filled 1,007 food orders in the month of November 2024 which was a new record. - Added four new Grocery Bag Sunday partners: Kings Cross, Deepwater, St. Thomas Anglican Church, and Hoy Rock Community Church. - Established three new retail partnerships for clothing donations with Whole Foods, J Crew and Wild Birds Unlimited. - ECCO was a second-time recipient for The Post & Courier's Good Cheer Fund; provided holiday assistance to 30 senior clients with a $62,000 fund. - Successfully managed the Adopt-A-Family/Santa's Closet seasonal initiative, serving 205 families with 450 children receiving assistance. - Created the second annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors Senior Scholarship, awarding two $2,500 scholarships to graduating seniors in the homes of ECCO clients for post-secondary education. One scholarship was for a student attending South Carolina State University and the other was going to welding school. - Established Open Dental texting appointment reminders for dental patients. - Launched a new volunteer software called Get Connected to improve scheduling and communication with ECCO's team of volunteers. - Hosted the Do Good Jubilee to celebrate ECCO's 35th Anniversary, bringing 124 donors together and raising over $72,000. - Hosted an Art for Good fundraising event that raised over $41,000 to support ECCO's mission. - Planned The Big Dill Pickleball”

“ECCO's Health Services programs, including dental and medical services, as well as ECCO's prescription assistance program, continued to respond to the needs of our clients while adapting to the challenges of construction in FYE25. Both the dental and medical clinic serve as the dental and medical homes for ECCO's uninsured clients as well as other uninsured adults who live in the Tricounty area (Berkley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties) and meet ECCO's income guidelines. ECCO's Partners in Healthcare (PiH) Clinic focuses on helping to diagnose and treat chronic health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and lipedema. Through an established partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina's College of Nursing, Nurse Practitioners are able to see clients regularly, track and analyze patient data, provide health-coaching, and coordinate patient care. The Partners in Healthcare Clinic is also supported by Roper St. Francis Healthcare for free lab work and imaging and the MUSC College of Pharmacy for consultation on medication reconciliation. Over the past twelve years, the clinic has served over 750 uninsured, unduplicated neighbors, 80% of which were diagnosed with a chronic illness. A primary goal of the PIH Clinic is to keep people out of the Emergency Rooms when what they really need is primary care. ECCO's partnership with the Best Chance Network (BCN), South Carolina's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, was put on hold this year due to the medical clinic being relocated in October 2024. The ECCO Dental Clinic provides restorative dentistry two days a week based on the availability of the contracted and/or volunteer dentists and the dental hygienist, as well as emergency extraction clinic one night per week. This is possible because of ECCO's established partnership with MUSC's James B. Edwards Dental School and the Trident Technical College. Fourth-year dental students from MUSC and second-year hygiene students from TTC join part-time contracted dentists, one part-time hygienist, and several volunteer dentists to provide high-quality dental care and oral health education at no cost to our clients. ECCO is quite proud of the interprofessional collaboration demonstrated between the medical and dental clinics where the patient is at the center of care and referrals between clinics is highly encouraged. In anticipation of the opening of the unified Health Services wing in October 2024, a mission statement was created for the collaborative work being done to improve patient's health, it reads: "We strive to deliver accessible, compassionate, and high-quality medical and dental care by providing resources to enhance and empower the health and well-being of our community. ECCO's renovation project required the Dental Clinic to be closed for two months so that work could be done in this space to enclose the panoramic x-ray machine, remove windows from several of the operatories, update cabinetry and fixtures, and build-out an office for the Dental Clinic Director. This work was done in July and August 2024. The Medical Clinic closed for a week in October to relocate to the new unified Health Services Wing. On October 21, 2024 the new combined Medical and Dental Clinics with a shared reception area, triage space, and lobby opened to rave reviews from the community. One patient commented that she would never miss another appointment in this beautiful space. Impact Numbers for Health Services programs in FYE25 include: - 201 individuals were served in the ECCO Dental Clinic; 151 of these individuals were new, first-time patients. - 452 Dental Clinic appointments were conducted during which 1,516 dental procedures were provided to the community at no cost to the patient including both preventative and restorative care. 281 extractions were done to help get people out of pain. The retail value of the dental services was $243,630. - The Partners in Healthcare Clinic welcomed 59 new patients to”