Guests who attended Echoing Hills’ 50th anniversary celebration at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio found themselves enjoying an evening rich in Echoing Hills’ history, in fellowship with others from Northeast Ohio, and in both laughter and poignancy.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame was decked out for the event. From the beautiful gazing balls on each table to the Echoing Hills marquee on the sign out front, we worked to make sure guests felt welcomed and were reminded of the reason for this special night.
As a part of the event, the Hall of Fame was opened to our guests to explore, allowing them to browse the exhibits during the evening. For guests who were interested, one hallway was set up with a variety of silent auction items. From a beautiful metal OSU sign, to Apple products, to golf packages and weekend retreats, donors from all over the region offered items for bids. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet with Cordell and Jane Brown, who joined us for the evening, greeting old friends and new with warm smiles and handshakes, not to mention Cordell’s legendary sense of humor.
Our featured speaker for the evening was Jud Logan, four-time US Olympian and head coach at Ashland University. His story of overcoming adversity and achieving greatness was inspiring. Buddy Busch, President/CEO also spoke, showing several of the heartwarming vignettes featuring staff and individuals from Echoing Hills. However, the real highlight of the evening was someone we never expected, Lucy Rose.
Lucy is a student at our echoingU Northeast Ohio location. As we prepared for this event, she and her father Mark volunteered to do a skit during dinner. The hilarious story of a non-tech savvy man trying to understand a computer store clerk had the audience laughing, but it was the self-advocacy Lucy showed that really touched hearts. She talked about how society said she had a disability but that she didn’t see it. Later in the evening, in a moment we weren’t expecting, she stood up again, asked for the microphone and thanked everyone for what they’d done for her. She thanked Cordell for founding Echoing Hills, Ric Brown for helping her at echoingU, and the rest of the staff and guests for coming. When she finished, we were laughing again, though our eyes and hearts were full.
It’s Lucy and hundreds of others just like her that keeps us striving to Revolutionize Lives. It’s knowing that the things we do make a difference not only today but for years and decades into the future. And it’s people like you who make it possible. Thank you for supporting us and for ensuring that Lucy can continue to attend echoingU.
