Empowering Children with Hope and Opportunity - ECHO

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from ECHO

This season, we are grateful for our students, families, school partners, donors, and staff who make hope visible every day. Thank you for believing in children, strengthening families, and supporting healing and growth in our school communities.

Wishing you peace, joy, rest, and meaningful moments with those you love.

12/19/2025

Through our Giving Angels event, ECHO provided Christmas gifts to 65 families in partnership with Hannah’s Treasure Chest HTC. Despite school closures due to extreme cold, ECHO employees and volunteers showed remarkable dedication by braving the weather to pick up, sort, and distribute gifts. Their commitment ensured that families felt supported and cared for during the holiday season, reflecting the heart of ECHO’s mission and community partnerships. HTC Dayton

12/18/2025

The Chaminade Julienne Middle School Peacemakers carried on a St. Nicholas tradition from OLR by planning and packing classic St. Nicholas treats to share with the staff and teachers in the Founders Hall building.

12/04/2025

Holy Angels (Dayton) Peacemakers held a one day "Day of Giving" food drive for Miami Valley Meals and collected 680 donations for their Thanksgiving Turkey Takeaway event! They collected gravy packets, stuffing mix, green beans and boxes of instant potatoes. Miami Valley Meals

12/02/2025

Giving Tuesday: Support ECHO

Every gift, regardless of size, helps us continue the mission of Empowering Children with Hope and Opportunity (ECHO). Your generosity allows us to provide mental health support and resources to children and families from under-resourced neighborhoods and diverse cultures.

This Christmas season, ECHO adopts students and their families through Giving Angels, a partnership with Hannah’s Treasure Chest. With just $10, you can help make a student’s holiday a little brighter.

Join us in spreading hope and joy this Giving Tuesday by donating here: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/7956/donations/new?udac=EONLINEFORM&pdesignation=empoweringchildrenwithhopeandopportunityecho

Join me and make a gift to the University of Dayton!

12/01/2025

The University of Dayton ECHO Peacemakers kicked off their first retreat of the year on November 19 at Ascension Church. Centered on the theme of Servant Leadership, students reflected on what it truly means to lead through service.

Guest speaker Jeffrey Wall, a 2023 Chaminade Julienne graduate and founder of the nonprofit Golden Age Karate, inspired everyone with his story. His organization teaches martial arts to older adults and runs an “Adopt-a-Granny” program that brings Christmas joy to seniors.

Throughout the day, Peacemakers worked in teams with their partner schools to brainstorm service projects that embody servant leadership, including opportunities to support Golden Age Karate and St. Leonard’s Continuing Care Retirement Community—home to more than 20 retired Marianist Brothers and many others. .leonardliving

11/27/2025

11/24/2025

The St. Patrick Peacemakers filled the parking lot with Kindness Quotes to celebrate World Kindness Week.
Sharing their kindness and creativity with the school to encourage and promote what the world needs most.....kindness.

11/19/2025

On November 12th the ECHO and Catapult Learning teams hosted St. Benedict Mothers and other special ladies, along with their students, for Muffins with Moms! There were more than 70 attendees, and the team baked 300 blueberry and chocolate chip muffins. Guests were served muffins and juice by the St. Benedict Peacemakers and coffee by the counselor, Mr. Tim. They then participated in a group BINGO activity to get to know other special ladies. It was a great start to the day!

11/14/2025

Please consider nominating an amazing Catholic educator. Follow the link for the nomination form.
Https://forms.gle/vw7xto76fEVjREHWA

11/14/2025

🌟 ECHO Team Member Spotlight: Jennifer Baker, MSW, LISW-S 🌟

We’re excited to highlight one of our incredible team members, Jennifer Baker!

School(s) served: Holy Angels Dayton

Time with ECHO: 9 years (7 at St. Anthony and 2 at Holy Angels)

Favorite part of working with students: “Everything! I enjoy watching students grow into who they are meant to be. I love all the interactions that I get to experience in a school setting — from group sessions, individual sessions, and teaching classes to the daily, informal interactions in the hallways, lunch room, and at the front door.”

Inspiration to become a school-based therapist: “I’ve had a very long career providing therapeutic services in a variety of settings. However, when I began working in the school setting, I realized that I could make the biggest impact by offering more in-depth services for students and their families. I love that in the schools, we are given the opportunity to see the ‘whole child’ and offer a more thorough approach for our students, families, and school staff.”

Fun fact: Jennifer played the drums growing up, and it was an important part of her life for years. She loves bucket drumming with students in her expressive arts therapy group to show how therapy can be fun — and coping skills can be cool!

Outside of work: She enjoys spending time with her family and reading. She collects vintage children’s books and has a little free library outside her home, giving children (and adults!) in her community access to good stories she loves to keep stocked.

Favorite quote: “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” – Fred Rogers

We are so grateful for Jennifer’s warmth, kindness, and the many ways she uplifts her students and community! 💙