ECHOtape Helps Community Rebuild Together
What can 2,500 volunteers do with a day to work, a little tape, some paint, and a whole lot of love?
We can change lives, one house at a time.
On October 25, ECHOtape was part of the 11th annual Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun’s Rock & Roll Paint-a-Thon. The goal of the event was to get civic minded volunteers out into the local community to help the low-income sector. Over 300 applications were received to paint 140 homes in the cities of Phoenix, Kingman, Yuma, and Nogales. From those applications, 125 homes were painted by 2,500 amazing volunteers, with an additional 17 more homes in the works. ECHOtape donated 900 rolls of contractor approved masking tape to aid in the event.
“The Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun’s annual Rock & Roll Paint-a-Thon has a great deal of meaning to us at ECHOtape,” said Risa Edelstein, director of marketing for ECHOtape. “Our company is a family of its own; the fact that we can help other families resonates with who we are and the values we have.”
Painting teams came from local businesses, church groups, civic organizations, and ad hoc work teams who were excited to join in. On average, each team was comprised of 15-20 people, and each home took approximately 1-2 hours for preparation and 4-6 hours to complete the painting. The average age of the homeowner we helped that day is 74.2 years, live on an average annual income of $16,121, and have lived in their respective homes for an average of 14 years. In fact, the oldest home owner we met is 101 years old!
Major thanks to Wells Fargo, who was the presenting sponsor that provided the funding and support for the paint and supplies. Doubletree Inn and Reliance Management provided support through in-kind donations of storage and spaces to meet. Lastly, Crescent Crown Distributing and American Express provided grant funding as well.
In all, the Rock & Roll Paint-a-Thon was a remarkable unification of businesses and local communities to complete a grand event. The work completed will enhance peoples’ lives for a long time.
