CONTACT:
Bill Fredell
LSS Communications
651-969-2288
bill.fredell@lssmn.org
Lutheran Social
Service Receives $1.2 Million Challenge Grant from The Kresge Foundation
for the Center for Changing Lives
Lutheran Social Service of
Minnesota has received a $1.2 million challenge grant from The Kresge
Foundation to assist in overall capital fundraising efforts for
construction of the new Center for Changing Lives in Minneapolis.
The new center is a unique,
$25 million service center and housing initiative that brings together the
strengths and expertise of several public and private community partners
to make a life-long impact on the well-being of individuals and families
in Minneapolis and beyond. Upon completion in 2008, the center will
include 48 units of affordable housing, social services, a worship center,
and conference spaces for events and training. Total square footage will
increase from the current building’s 41,000 to 108,000 in the new center.
Groundbreaking for the Center for Changing Lives was held on July 20,
2007.
Mark Peterson, President and
CEO of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, said that The Kresge
Foundation’s challenge grant will be instrumental in raising the remaining
25 percent of the $25 million needed for the project.
“To date, support for the
Center for Changing Lives has been astonishing,” Peterson said. “Many
partners and community leaders captured the vision of this project early
on and have been quick to respond with their support, including Hennepin
County, the City of Minneapolis, several foundations, Lutheran
congregations and many individual donors. With the added endorsement of
The Kresge Foundation’s challenge grant, we will be seeking additional
support from Minnesotans and are confident that they will come through on
this exciting new initiative that will strengthen the people of
Minneapolis and many in greater Minnesota as well.”
Lutheran Social Service’s
current facility at 2414 Park Avenue in Minneapolis will be razed to make
way for the Center for Changing Lives. The center will be home to the
Minneapolis office of Lutheran Social Service, Messiah Lutheran Church,
Faith in the City, Kaleidoscope and affordable housing.
Major partners include
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Messiah Lutheran Church, Hennepin
County and Faith in the City, representing seven Lutheran institutions,
such as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Fairview Health Systems.
The Kresge Foundation, based
in Troy, Mich., is a national foundation with $3 billion in assets.
Through its grant-making programs, The Kresge Foundation seeks to
strengthen nonprofit organizations by catalyzing their growth, connecting
them to their stakeholders, and challenging greater support through
grants.
Lutheran Social Service of
Minnesota (LSS) offers a wide variety of human support services relating
to the basics of life—food, shelter, safety, physical and emotional
well-being. The non-profit organization, headquartered in St. Paul, serves
over 100,000 Minnesotans yearly with operations in 300 Minnesota
communities, and employs over 2,200 people. LSS serves all people
regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual
orientation, disability or age. For comprehensive information about the
organization’s statewide services, visit
www.lssmn.org
