Changing
Lives and Changing Times - A message from our
President
John
Gardner, the late President of Common Cause, sounded an alarm in one of
his last speeches. He said, "I keep running into highly capable people all
over this country who, literally, never give a thought to the well-being
of their community. And I keep wondering who gave them permission to stand
aside! I'm asking you to issue a wake-up call to those people a bugle call
right in their ear. And I want you to tell them that this nation could die
of comfortable indifference to the problems that only citizens can solve.
Tell them that."
In 2003 Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota (LSS) blew its bugles. At over 100 Town Hall meetings
in every corner of the State. In the hallways and hearing rooms at the
Capitol. Over the airwaves. In the papers. We blared the bugles. We had a
story to tell. A story of changing lives - lives transformed through
loving service.
Some of the
bugle-blowing was effective. The Governor's original budget proposal would
have decimated community-based services for older persons. The State's
system of support for persons with disabilities would have been crippled.
In these situations the final outcomes in the State budget were far less
onerous. For homeless and other at-risk youth, the outcome in the State
budget was deeply disappointing. We now have a State budget that harms
vulnerable children. This budget assures that some vulnerable children
will not be served unless they run afoul of the law. Due to decreased
state funding, LSS was forced to close two youth shelters, one in the
Metro area, one in the Brainerd Lakes area. Other early intervention and
preventive services for children have been cut back or eliminated. Of the
85 people who lost their employment with LSS in 2003, half of them worked
with children. Most of the other staff worked with older persons, helping
them to remain in their communities. These have been grievous losses. I'm
delighted to report that early in 2004, with the support of Ramsey County
and some of our fine donors, we were able to re-open the Safe House in St.
Paul.
These service reductions
were made after we had slashed operating expenses. We began 2003 knowing
that the State of Minnesota had a serious financial challenge. We
developed what we thought was a conservative operating plan. Then, the
State's budget deficit grew by 50%. We reduced expenses further. We froze
salaries, changed our benefit programs, slashed some expenses, and trimmed
others. We reached out to our stakeholders, our donors, who responded with
generosity. They've helped us stay the course.
In the following pages,
you will see the results of our work in 2003. Despite the problems
associated with reduced government funding, we continue to be a passionate
people, a movement of hope. Lutheran Social Service is strong and healthy.
The maturity of the staff and management at every level is remarkable. The
Board of Directors is attentive to its oversight function, and it has its
eye on the future. Even in this time of government retrenchment, this is
LSS' time to move to the next level, to seek transformation, to become
better at helping others.
We did transform Camp
Knutson! The Camp's 50th birthday party was a festival of astonishment! We
re-dedicated the Camp to its mission of serving disadvantaged children and
their families. All the buildings have been re-built. We've added several
new ones. We have partners in service who help assure that the beautiful
grounds and gracious facilities will accommodate some of the most
vulnerable children in the United States. We sought to create a
world-class camp. And that has been accomplished.
We were also
re-accredited by the Council On Accreditation, attesting to the integrity
and professional character of our work throughout Minnesota. In 2004, we
are initiating an integrated review system that applies new rigor,
discipline, and focus to our current operations, as well as to our hopes
and dreams for the future. We plan to move LSS to the next level - to
transform this ministry of the church. LSS' transformation will result
from the labors and vision of all of us - all 2,400 employees, 6,000
volunteers, 7,000 donors, and the many others we engage in this mighty
work.
Collaborations with
other service organizations continued to expand in 2003, showing that
social service providers can work more cost effectively by drawing from
organizational strengths among the collaborators. For example, Faith in
the City, a collaboration of seven major Lutheran organizations in the
Metro area, continues to chart an approach to serving the community by
using the core organizational assets: people, expertise, financial
resources, community relationships. Another collaboration,
Partners in Community Service (PICS) resulted in a plan with LSS for
statewide expansion of its in-home support program to serve greater
numbers of families who are caring for family members who have
disabilities.
The LSS Volunteer
Program rose to a new level this year in attracting and managing a corps
of dedicated volunteers who serve in many communities. The organization
has established a more comprehensive and efficient infrastructure to
recruit, train and recognize LSS volunteers.
Significant upgrades to
our already strong information systems and technology infrastructure
helped us achieve new levels of efficiency in managing our services.
Several LSS service lines realized significant productivity gains, the
result of understanding, in greater detail, service activities and time
requirements. The means that we will be able to help more people without
incremental spending.
We decided, in late
2002, to change the LSS fiscal year end from December 31st to September
30th. As a result, LSS has a 9-month, short fiscal year for 2003 meaning,
this year's annual report covers the work of LSS from January 1 through
September 30, 2003 (FY 2003), as compared to 12 months of operations for
calendar year 2002. Thanks to the Board of Directors for their support and
total endorsement of this decision, we are assured this was the right
thing to do even now, in this year of economic disturbance and
uncertainty. We are better positioned for the future.
Our mission is secure.
Our vision and values guide us toward tomorrow. We are committed to the
belief that we can make things right. That we can make certain that all
frail older adults are cared for in their own communities. That no child
needs to find shelter under a bridge tonight. That we can welcome
strangers to our communities. That we can make sure individuals in need,
whether developmentally delayed, old or young, will be able to choose for
themselves the care they require.
We're such a distance
from this reality. All that means is that LSS has important work to
pursue. To continue generating hope. To continue changing lives. And, to
blow bugles into the ears of those who do not accept the common good as
part of their responsibility.
Thank you for the
important part you play in expressing the love of Christ for all people
through acts of service.
Mark A. Peterson
President/CEO
