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Team Target Paints Up a Storm

If you’ve noticed the bright, freshly painted walls at  ECHO’s administrative building on Lawson Road, thank the United Way Day of Caring and a team of volunteers from Target. Megan Johnson, executive team leader of human resources at Target, was looking around last summer for a way to “reach out to our community, to make a difference.” She called United Way who put her in touch with CEO Bill Haney, and the rest is history. Haney and the ECHO staff met Megan and eight volunteers at the front door Aug. 23 with rollers, brushes and paint and work started. In half a day, the Target team painted the main hallway, two lunch rooms, two bathrooms and an office. We anticipated every need so no time was wasted,” Haney said. “We had drop cloths, ladders, paint, tape and rollers.” The day started with a “get to know” meeting, Haney said, so ECHO could use its volunteers’ skills in the best way. Don’t like ladders or walls?

No problem – the parking lot needs striping. Haney said he will happily give a similar opportunity to other groups. “And if a group wants to help ECHO but doesn’t take to painting, I can match them with some other project. I can always find a suitable project.” Every year, Johnson said, Target designates a month to ask its employees and staff for donations to their community. This was their first trip to ECHO and it “was a great experience, very rewarding,” Johnson said. Sterling resident Debbie Romanovitz, produce team leader, said she had been looking for an opportunity to volunteer, but out of the store. “It was fun, doing things together,” she said. By Shannon Sollinger for ECHO