Of all the questions posed during this new century, perhaps this one has the most haunting, persistent echo.  Is indifference a cry of resignation? Or is it a  personal challenge? In resignation, it fathers the moral lethargy whose legacy was Hitler.  But, taken as a challenge, it forges Nelson Mandelas,  Mother Theresas,  Solzhenitsyns. Indifference is the cancer of our age, the fount of our evils. Because, as a wise man once said, all evil  needs to succeed is for  good men to do nothing. The Echo Foundation  is doing something.

On March 12, 1997, as the culmination of a community-wide, year-long educational Elie Wiesel Project, internationally revered humanitarian and Nobel Laureate for Peace Elie Wiesel spoke "Against Indifference" to more than 23,000 students and adults.  So inspired was he by this visit to Charlotte that, as he left, he challenged the community to act on its convictions in the critical areas of human dignity, justice and moral courage. Then, in an extraordinary act of faith in action, he offered seed money and his own assistance in obtaining speakers and developing programs to address these critical issues.  And so, rather than allow his visit to pass like a benevolent breeze, we decided to harness it, using it to create The Echo Foundation and our mission: ...to sponsor and facilitate those voices that speak of human dignity, justice and moral courage in a way that leads to positive action for humankind.

OUR GOALS. § Educating for compassion, justice and ethical decision-making § Teaching understanding through fostering relationships founded on respect § Facilitating opportunities to act against indifference in accordance with these ideals.