The History of Echo House Multi-Service Center
Echo House was founded in 1964 by Howard Offit. Mr. Offit owned R&S Construction Company and many rental properties in Baltimore Cty, Maryland. Many of his tenants were low income families. Seeking a way to improve the social and economic conditions of these families, Mr. Offit sought the help of several prominent individuals: Veri Lewis, former Dean of the University of Maryland School of Social Work; Stanley Mazer, former Assistant for Urban Renewal; and Daniel Thurz, Associate Direc- tor of VISTA. Together, they developed a plan to organize families in the Franklin Square neighbor- hood and recruit volunteers to work to improve the quality of life and sense of the community. In 1966, Echo House became a 501(c)3 tax exempt corporation. A few of the notable individuals who were members of the first Board of Directors included: the late Caswell Caplan, owner of Time Reality; the late Stuart Rome, Attorney; former Maryland Comptroller, Governor and Mayor of Baltimore William Donald Schaefer; Charles Tildon, Consultant; and Robert Embry, President of the Able Foundation.
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