Friends of Echo Glen

Our Mission: Rewriting the Future

Friends of Echo Glen (a DBA of Smile Power) is a 100% volunteer-community dedicated to a single, life-changing purpose: helping the youth at Echo Glen Juvenile Rehabilitation Center rewrite the scripts of their lives. We believe that every teen, regardless of their past, possesses immense untapped potential. By providing the essential building blocks for healthy development, we help these young people build the self-esteem necessary to break the cycle of neglect and abuse and step into a brighter future.

The Need: Breaking the Cycle

Echo Glen serves approximately 120 young men and women, ages 10 to 25, from across Washington State. The reality these youth face is sobering:

• 90% have survived significant childhood trauma, including homelessness and abuse.

• Inter-generational trauma often keeps families stuck in a continuous cycle of incarceration.

• Nearly all of these young people suffer from dangerously low self-esteem and lack positive adult role models.

2026 Goal: Skills for a New Life

This year, your GiveBIG donations will fund a transformative "Life Skills Suite" designed to give every youth at Echo Glen the practical tools they need to succeed in the modern world. Your support will bring these three pillars to life:

• 🌱 Growth & Healing through Gardening: We are expanding our gardening program so every youth can experience the therapy of growing their own food and the pride of nurturing life from the soil.

• 🍳 Culinary Arts & Nutrition: Food can be a language of care. We are funding culinary training to teach youth how to cook for themselves and potentially pursue a career in the hospitality industry.

• 💻 Digital Literacy for the Future: To bridge the "digital divide," we are providing the resources needed to teach essential tech skills, ensuring these students aren't left behind when they go back to their community school or enter the workforce 

Your Impact

When you give to Friends of Echo Glen, you aren't just funding a program; you are investing in a young person's belief that they are capable of change. Help us give them a new story to tell.

"These youth have been told who they are by their past. We are here to show them who they can become."