WHEREAS, Every Citizen Has Opportunities, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Leesburg dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve their optimal level of personal, social, and economic success; and

WHEREAS, since 1975, Every Citizen Has Opportunities, Inc., (ECHO) has helped countless individuals with disabilities to become more active and involved members of their communities through a variety of vocational services, including day support, job placement assistance, group and individual supported employment, and transportation; and

WHEREAS, ECHO has traditionally partnered with local businesses and organizations to develop meaningful, on-site employment opportunities for those participating in its programs, an arrangement that has both enhanced the quality of life for ECHO's members and fostered a more compassionate and inclusive work environment at businesses and organizations across the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECHO saw nine of its 16 worksites close, leaving the majority of its program participants unemployed; in response, the organization adapted its business model and established the ECHO Barkery, the first business owned and operated exclusively by ECHO to provide employment opportunities to its participants; and

WHEREAS, at the ECHO Barkery, employees manufacture and distribute more than 50,000 high-quality, all-natural dog biscuits every month, serving a customer base that includes several mid-Atlantic Whole Foods grocery stores and dozens of specialty retailers; and

WHEREAS, SourceAmerica, an AbilityOne authorized enterprise that advances economic opportunities for individuals with disabilities, named ECHO Barkery a 2023 National Innovation Award Winner for its creative and effective response to the challenges it faced during the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, the success of the ECHO Barkery and the organization's other service programs is a testament to the passion and professionalism of the organization's leaders and staff, who work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of hundreds of individuals with disabilities, making the Commonwealth a more positive and welcoming place for all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That ECHO Barkery, a subsidiary of Every Citizen Has Opportunities, Inc., hereby be commended for being named a 2023 National Innovation Award Winner by SourceAmerica; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Paul Donohue, Jr., chief executive officer of Every Citizen Has Opportunities, Inc., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's contributions to the Commonwealth.