Around the
State
Duluth: Rosemary
Thomas, coordinator for AIDS Information Duluth, a program of LSS, is
among three HIV prevention educators nationwide to receive the prestigious
Price Fellowship for HIV Prevention at the Disease Control and Prevention
Foundation in Atlanta, Ga. As a Price Fellow, Thomas will spend August
4-29 at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, developing prevention
education around issues of HIV, Hepatitis, and sexually-transmitted
disease for rural women and migrant farm workers, and learning more about
HIV prevention at the national level.
Duluth: Thirteen
members of the LSS Leadership Circle, a group comprised of individuals who
contributed $5,000 or more to LSS last year, attended the second annual
Leadership Circle Event on June 12 and 13 in Duluth. Attendees met with
LSS Youth program staff and clients at LSS Renaissance (Transitional
Housing), where each resident shared his or her story with the donors.
Renaissance and Street Outreach staff also spoke to the group. Members of
the Leadership Circle remarked on how valuable it was to have the
opportunity to meet with program staff and hear from the people whose
lives are changed by the work of LSS. The Development office hopes that
this successful event can serve as a model for other cooperative events
around the state.
Buffalo Lake: Lutheran
Social Service of Minnesota/Lutheran Disaster Response (LSS/LDR) is
helping the community of Buffalo Lake, Minnesota coordinate volunteers to
help with the cleanup efforts after a tornado damaged the town on Tuesday,
June 24. The efforts of those who have volunteered in Buffalo Lake are
greatly appreciated. Monetary donations for Buffalo Lake may be sent to
the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod Disaster Response Fund, P.O. Box
499, Redwood Falls, MN 56283. Donors may wish to designate their gift for
(a) "where needed the most," (b) for Zion Lutheran Church of Buffalo Lake
or (c) unmet needs of homeowners in the Buffalo Lake community. Gifts
designated for the latter purpose will help out homeowners who are
uninsured or under-insured. Make checks payable to: SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA
SYNOD, with the specific designation indicated in the "memo" line.
Metro Area: LSS is
running a radio campaign in the metro area during June, July, August, and
September. Listeners are asked to make donations online through the radio
station web sites. The ads on KDWB 101.3 FM, KQQL 107.9 FM, and KTCZ 97.1
FM aim to raise money from new donors, particularly women, to help expand
Development efforts.
St. Cloud: The Baxter
International Foundation awarded a $21,000 matching challenge grant to the
LSS Crisis Nursery in St. Cloud. Crisis nurseries around the state are
facing the possibility of closing since State grants are no longer
available, because of State budget cuts. The LSS Crisis Nursery in St.
Cloud served 205 families in 2002 with crisis nursery child care,
counseling, resources, referrals and incidental support. Baxter
International Inc. is a global medical products and services company
headquartered in Deerfield, IL, whose subsidiary, BioLife Plasma
Resources, is in the St. Cloud area.
Statewide: The
Information Technology department staff will visit some 160 sites this
summer to upgrade approximately 200 computers. This work will be performed
through September 1. Many of these computers need upgrades for the
upcoming implementation of new software. Project objectives include
upgrading hardware and software, as appropriate, creating consistency in
each workstation setup/configuration, verifying the backup processes,
optimizing connectivity, and learning more about the needs at each site.
