Leadership Circle Retreat
rounds out Anniversary experience
LSS 140th Anniversary gala was
an event to remember, but it was not the only event that recently
celebrated LSS and its 140-year history. Members of the LSS Leadership
Circle (a group of supporters who give $5,000 or more each year to LSS)
participated in the annual Leadership Circle Retreat the following day at
the LSS offices in south Minneapolis.
The retreat is an excellent
way for LSS donors to see the range of LSS services, meet LSS staff, and
learn about the people who are facing challenges and improving their own
lives with the help of LSS. The event is held at a different LSS location
in Minnesota each year. It is a time of discovery, conversation and
education.
"Members of the Leadership
Circle look forward to meeting together each year to talk about their
personal support of social service work," said Mary Ella Pratte, senior
major gift officer at LSS. "These caring supporters really want to help
make their communities better places to live and work. Our goal is that
Retreat participants leave with a much broader understanding of the work
and effectiveness of LSS in helping communities and community members
become stronger."
The LSS service center at 2414
Park Avenue in Minneapolis is in the Phillips neighborhood, which has been
challenged by the problems of poverty and crime over the years, but is
making a comeback with the help of LSS and others. In the space of one
morning's time, Leadership Circle members were able to visit with staff
and clients representing a broad range of LSS services, including
Counseling and Family Resources, Housing Services, Adoption and Birth
Parent Services, Refugee and Employment Services, and two collaborative
programs designed for the physical and financial wellness of area
residents.
Supporters also met Jack
Boarman, of BKV Group, the architect for the new LSS Center for Changing
Lives, which will replace the current LSS service center in Minneapolis.
The project, which is scheduled to break ground in 2007, will house LSS
services, Messiah Lutheran Church, and 64 units of mixed-income family
housing. This new facility will allow LSS and its partners to better serve
the community.
After a lunch at the American
Swedish Institute two blocks away, Bill Vanderwall, LSS VP of Family
Services and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak gave a bus tour of the Phillips
neighborhood. Mayor Rybak grew up in the Phillips neighborhood, where his
father owned and operated a drug store. He showed Leadership Circle
members several redevelopment efforts happening in the neighborhood,
including the rebuilding of Lake Street, the multiple-use refurbishment of
the old Sears store on Lake Street, and the 28th Street Greenway, among
others.
Bill Vanderwall talked about
the role LSS is playing in that revitalization: a collaborative
redevelopment effort of four city blocks called the Phillips Park
Initiative. LSS, the Phillips Eye Institute, St. Mary's University, the
Phillips West Neighborhood Organization and Phillips residents have all
been integral to achieving the neighborhood housing and improvement goals
of the Phillips Park Initiative.
"It good for us to hear and
see the people that are affected by the money we give," Leadership Circle
member Sandi Thorson said of the Retreat. "Even though my husband and I
are very involved with LSS, I learned a lot."
"I enjoyed every minute of
it," said fellow Leadership Circle member Hilvie Ostrow. "It impressed me
so much that I'm increasing the amount I'm giving through my will. The
tour led by Mayor Rybak really stayed with me because we were able to see
the impact LSS is having on this neighborhood."
