WINTER
RESPONSE 2000 ISSUE
SPECIAL people and their stories
"Surely the Lord is
in this place"
Dear Friend of LSS,
If only the walls of our Minneapolis service center could talk-the
stories they could tell. Some have referred to this, our largest service location, as a
holy place-a place of transformation. One of our banners in this building says it all:
Surely the Lord is in this place. For almost a century, we have been at work in
Minneapolis at various locations.
Today, our service center at 2414 Park
Avenue-which once served as our state headquarters-continues to lay out a welcome mat to
people in need from across the metropolitan area:
A homeless family finds assistance and hope
from the housing team
A married couple finds help from our
counseling group to resolve conflicts, and sees promise for their family
Children in therapy learn how to cope with
family problems
Newly-arrived refugees register for green-card
work permits
Families on public assistance gain the life
skills to become self-supporting
Every day, LSS welcomes people such as these.
You will be introduced to some of them in this issue of Response. And you will see LSS at
work, lifting spirits and changing lives. We are able to do this because you care. That's
why you are a friend of LSS. You have demonstrated that you care about people who cannot
make it by themselves. We all need someone to "be there" in our time of need.
For all those we have served as a result of your support, we offer their thanks. And from
all of us at LSS, we wish you a blessed, and holy, Christmas season.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Peterson
President/CEO
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Pilgrimage
of the heart
"There is room in the inn"
Combine the love and patience of expectant parents, the generosity of an LSS donor,
and an adoption worker's commitment to children on the other side of the world. The
result: An extraordinary new family.
Jim and Julie Boyce, Rothsay, Minn.,
contemplated adoption for 15 years before contacting Lutheran Social Service in 1997. With
a grown daughter, their wish for a larger family seemed about to be granted when two young
Russian children were referred for their consideration.
The two were the youngest of four siblings. It
took only one night for Jim and Julie to decide they would take in all four. In 1998 they
made the arduous journey to Russia to adopt the three boys and a girl, and discovered
another brother in a separate orphanage. This March they returned to Russia to reunite the
oldest child with the family.
Five international adoptions pose a considerable
financial challenge, and Jim and Julie were helped by the consolidation of some agency
charges, orphanage fee reductions and the kindness of a stranger who gave $5,000 to LSS'
Adoption Service. The donor's involvement with youth activities guided his donation
decision that "adoption was the perfect place to have an impact."
Julie delights in the daily hubbub of her five
active children. "Although I don't know the donor," she said, "one day I
would like to thank the man who helped us with our dream. I am in awe of the wonderful
gift we've been given." The Boyce family's pilgrimage has just begun.
In 1957, the LSS
Minneapolis service center opened on Park Avenue in historic Phillips, a neighborhood once
characterized by grandeur. Hard times and poverty now touch many families in Phillips. But
the neighborhood is making a huge comeback with many new housing developments and business
expansion, and LSS is a big part of the renewal.
Today, the LSS
Minneapolis office is the largest social service center of its kind statewide-home to 21
innovative services that give people throughout the metropolitan area the tools,
encouragement and renewed strength to change their lives.Emergency housing and counseling,
employment services, parenting education, adoption, refugee immigration, and outreach to
seniors are just some of our services. And they go beyond our Minneapolis office, into
schools and churches, workplaces and day-care centers.
On any given-day, 110
employees are working on the front lines. With your help, it is our mission to serve, and
in doing so, express the love of Christ to all.
Quick Facts:
In a tight housing market, LSS Housing
Resource Center offers in-person guidance to
2,000 people in a housing crisis each year
LSS Senior Companions help 550 seniors stay in
their homes, and LSS Foster
Grandparents help 475 needy children improve self-esteem, grades and school
attendance
Nearly 200 homeless mothers and children will
graduate to permanent housing and
independence this year
Some 135 Twin Cities employers work actively
with LSS to put people to work
Counseling in nine metro locations-plus school
settings-supported personal, work
and family well-being for 4,533 people last year
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2414: Intersection
of miracles
Love one another and
remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained
angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13: 1-2
"You know, when you are struggling, the
world looks so dark, and you just don't see much light. You need the Lutheran Social
Services to work with you to inspire you to move on."
Brian Herron, Minneapolis City Council Member.
Karen, just 23, already knows what it is like to
hit rock bottom. Before coming to LSS, she had been kicked out of her apartment. She took
refuge in a frightening downtown Minneapolis shelter with her new baby and kindergartner.
Hoping for a miracle, she got one. While at the shelter, she learned that there was an
opening at LSS in its Minneapolis Family Program.
Karen and her children are now one of 22
families getting their lives back together at LSS-right across the street from the
Minneapolis office. There, these families receive the gift of a safe place, parenting
classes, counseling support and people around them who go extra lengths to make sure they
succeed."When people come to us, they have already heard others tell them how bad
they are, or how bad their situation is," explains Bill Vanderwall, director-LSS
Housing Services. "We start with the positives that they've got going for them and
build from there. Somewhere along the way, you've got to hear, 'I've got some good things
in my life.' That's what seems to make the difference in people's lives."
A Circle of Care
Karen is just one of the many faces of LSS. After the doors of the LSS Minneapolis service
center opens at 8 a.m., more than 150 people drop in each day with hopes that someone can
help them get through a personal crisis or time of difficulty in their lives.
Familiar visitors are young mothers with children, immigrants in colorful ethnic clothing,
teens arriving for group therapy, grandparents raising their grandchildren and families
hoping to build a family through adoption. "We serve people who need a fresh start, a
new beginning-and a place to heal," said Betty Hayes, director-LSS Refugee &
Employment Services. "That's what makes our work so rewarding. People do get better
and begin to see a ray of hope in their lives again."
Unlike other organizations, LSS offers a circle
of care for people of all ages and stages in life. "We have so many assets here that
can help people," Vanderwall added, "whether they are a small child, a pregnant
teen, a refugee, a suburban family or a frail senior. If someone needs the absolute
basics, like housing, we can help. But we can also send that person down the hall to
counseling or parenting classes, too."
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City
Outreach
Each year, thousands of lives are touched at the LSS Minneapolis office alone. But
many of this office's 110 employees are also out serving in churches, day-cares centers,
various workplaces and schools:
LSS youth counselors work with kids in school
settings to teach abstinence, personal
responsibility, and good decision-making skills
Employers throughout the Twin Cities connect
with LSS employment services to find
workers
Senior caregivers visit isolated elderly in
their homes, and offer a caring presence in
day-cares centers and other settings that serve neglected children
Licensed, professional therapists offer
support groups and counseling in area
churches
At the airport, new immigrants are embraced by
their first American friend, a
representative from LSS!
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"I've come full circle"
Minneapolis City Council member Brian Herron is on top of the world most days. But
life hasn't always been so rosy. In the 1970s, he married young and had a family. They
lived paycheck to paycheck. When he hurt his back on the job at a local steel mill, his
disability check was not large enough to cover the bills.
"I couldn't pay the rent, and I got
behind," Herron said, as tears welled up in his eyes. "The more I tried, the
more I fell into debt. We got evicted. People came to take our furniture and put it into
storage. I was devastated.
"Somebody told me to go to LSS. The people
there really had compassion for my family and me. They got on the phone and called other
agencies, put up some of their own money and put together enough for me to get our things
out of storage and pay our first month's rent."
That was 20 years ago. He has since worked in business and school settings, and gained
many life-enriching experiences, including working as a counselor at LSS where he used his
special talents to help troubled kids.
In 1992, Brian Herron could hardly believe his
good fortune when he ran for Minneapolis City Council and won! He now works with business
and community leaders to make life better for citizens in some of the poorest
neighborhoods. One such project he gives leadership to is the Phillips Park Initiative,
begun by LSS, that creates affordable home ownership opportunities.
"I've really come full circle. You know,
when you are struggling, the world looks so dark, and you just don't see much light. You
need the Lutheran Social Services to work with you to inspire you to move on."
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A
life changed …
When an adult child turns to drugs, the whole family is affected-often for a lifetime.
Linda Brozek knows. She is raising her grandchild, Davetta, now age 10, and getting
support from the LSS Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program in Minneapolis.
In her lifetime, she has known many
hardships-raising three children alone and having trouble paying the bills along the way.
At times, she turned to welfare assistance to get her through the most difficult times.
"It seemed like I'd get a job, but then
lose medical benefits for our family. Pretty soon the car would break down. Then, I'd get
a call from the school telling me to pick up my son who had gotten into trouble. It was
hard."
Through it all, LSS was there helping her
overcome obstacles, one by one. With counseling, help with career direction and child
care, she is now completely self-supporting-working part-time and beginning her work in
urban ministry with a paid internship through the Inner City Church of Minneapolis.
About LSS, she says, "They have gone to the
nth degree for me! I really felt loved there. In ministry, our mission is to love God and
love others. That is what I have seen at work through my encounters with people at
LSS."
More than 100 grandparents raising
grandchildren are helped by LSS.
Last year, 1,050 people received jobs and
guidance counseling to move off welfare and support their families.
The top three reasons why people seek
counseling at LSS are depression/anxiety, family/relationship concerns and recovery from
domestic abuse.
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Donor
Profile: Bonnie and Gary Van Erp
Never doubt that a small
group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever
has.
Margaret Mead
Gary Van Erp likes his life. From the office
building he owns on the Cannon River in Northfield, he wishes the same for the family he
and wife Bonnie support through the LSS Phoenix Transitional Housing program. "My
hope for the family," he said, "is that they have a great life."
Last year the Van Erps met with LSS
representatives and their pastor, Craig Ellingboe of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in
Northfield, then an LSS board member. The upshot: The Van Erps decided to support a family
in transition. The family they help lives in an LSS residence in Minneapolis. With her LSS
case manager, the single mother of two children developed a two-year "goal
plan." She attends the University of Minnesota, where she also works part-time. The
Van Erps agree that it's very rewarding to give a boost to specific people
and programs. "You get a real sense of fulfillment from seeing the individual's
progress,"
Bonnie said. "I like the idea of helping on a one-to-one basis."
"The family is the core of our
society," Gary added. "We know this one is getting off
welfare. The kids are living in a safe place, and they have health care. I think most
people want to be self-sufficient. My hope is that this family will become independent and
someday have the chance to reciprocate by helping another family."
Gary defines himself as a conservative person
who believes welfare makes people dependent on the system. "Not on my tax dollar,
you're not!" he said. He grew up poor. As a boy he was asked, "What are you
going to be when you grow up?" "Not poor" was his answer.
"Nobody specifically helped us," Gary said. "But my parents taught us what
a dollar is worth. And even though I didn't recognize it at the time, I had mentors."
When he was 17, Gary began working for NAPA Auto
Parts. In 1973 he and Bonnie moved to Northfield, and he acquired nine NAPA stores in
southern Minnesota. In 1993 he began selling them. Three days before he sold his last
store, he bought the building from which he now runs a commercial property business.
Bonnie, a University of Minnesota graduate, recently retired from teaching first grade in
Northfield. Gary's two daughters have completed college. They've both taken vacations with
him recently.
"Life is good," Gary said, "but
as you get older, you think, 'There has to be more.' LSS has a great track record. Through
our church and LSS, we've been given the opportunity to contribute in a direct way."
"Most people play it close to the
chest," he said. "But I really believe the more you give, the more you get back.
When the Lord has given you a lot and you really don't need it all, why not share
it?"
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What
really matters!
Donors support LSS because they believe in the mission. They also want to ensure
that this ministry will continue for years to come.
As the year-end approaches, you may be thinking
about how you can add more meaning to your own life or the lives of others by reaching out
to someone.
The availability of the income tax deduction
helps a charitable person to be even more charitable.
As you consider a gift to support the work of
LSS, you may wish to look first to your stock portfolio. Stocks that have grown in value,
and that you have held for more than one year, can become a substantial gift to LSS, but
at a low net cost to you. As you consider the sale of your assets, consider giving your
gain to LSS. By doing so, you can bypass the capital gains tax that would otherwise be due
on this sale.
With your tax advisor, we can help you plan and
implement a year-end charitable gift that takes advantage of tax benefits and reflects
your generous spirit. To realize the benefits of contributing appreciated stock, be sure
to complete your gift to LSS by December 31st. For more information, call (800) 987-0034,
or e-mail Jeanne Baumann, Director of Development, at jbaumann@lssmn.org
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200
for the Year 2000
Kids who need leaders like you!
It's time to turn in. But not every teen in Minnesota has a warm bed waiting.
For the almost 1,000 homeless teenagers who live on metro area streets, only 43 beds
are available.
On Tuesday, December 7, these kids will have a
voice. A reception to celebrate
donors who pledge to the 200 for 2000 campaign-benefiting the LSS SafeHouse network of
shelter and support programs in the metro area and outstate-will be held at the Governor's
Residence, 1006 Summit Ave. in St. Paul, from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
"We're looking for leaders," said
Rebecca Jorgenson Miller, LSS development associate. She's counting on 20 donors of
$20,000 and 200 donors of $2,000 to step up. Gifts may be made through pledges, gifts of
stock or by simply writing out a check.
As a premier sponsor, Lutheran Brotherhood is
leading the charge. CEO Bruce Nicholson participated in the launch of 200 for 2000 at the
August 9 SafeHouse Open golf tournament.
"SafeHouse is a tie-in with our corporate values," he said. "We place an
emphasis on addressing needs in the community-and that includes creating
healthy youth."
"This is a cause with which donors can
readily identify," said Bob Engelke, president of the LSS Foundation. "Parents
and grandparents are sensitive to the needs of vulnerable kids. The program is designed to
get them into a safe place and teach them independent living skills so that they can lead
productive lives.
"The tragedy is that there are so many kids
on the street year round who are running away from abusive situations. They need to be
rescued from elements on the street that will continue to do them harm.
"These kids need our leadership. They have
names. They have faces. They have dreams."
St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman and Terrell Battle of the Minnesota Timberwolves will be on
hand to honor individuals and corporations that have pledged their support. Stepping up to
the podium will be Pastor Marvin Grunke, who founded the Street Program 10 years ago,
along with a graduate of the SafeHouse program. Call us to be part of this exciting
outreach to kids: 651/969-2279.
SafeHouse dollars support homeless teens
through:
shelter and transitional housing renovations
and furnishings
24-hour emergency services
security deposits for affordable rental
housing
on-the-street youth counselors and mentors
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Holiday
Wishes
Gain more meaning in your life…
So often, we give gifts during the holidays that our family members or friends
don't really need or even want. Yet there are others who have only a few personal
belongings to their name. Are you looking for a way to make this holiday season more
meaningful? Consider reaching out to someone who needs his or her spirits brightened. Here
are just a few gift ideas that could make a big difference in someone's life:
Year 2000 Calendar:
Award-winning photographs by Doug Ohman of historic Minnesota Lutheran churches are
featured in this turn-of-the-century keepsake. Proceeds will benefit rural families
suffering hardships from an uncertain agricultural economy.
Christmas Camperships:
Do you have a heart for children with "special needs" who may have a hearing
impairment, developmental delay or terminal illness? Help send a child to LSS Camp Knutson
next summer! $90 sponsors a child for one day, and $500 pays for an entire week!
Sponsor A Family: If
you live in the Twin Cities, brighten a family's life through this special Christmas
program (see back page.)
Bus Passes: Getting
around the city to jobs is difficult when you've fallen on hard times and have no money to
pay for transportation. Help someone work toward independence by helping them buy bus
passes. One bus pass good for one month costs $57 on average, depending on the needs of
the rider.
Grocery Gifts: With
day care, insurance costs, grocery bills, school supplies and rent, some low-income
families have difficulty stretching their dollars each month. A grocery gift certificate
goes a long way!
Please call us at 1-800-987-0034 or make a contribution now through our secured web page.
These people have been memorialized by loving
friends and relatives. Gifts in their memory help LSS' caring work.
Clifford Fox
Maria Knutson
Rev. Donald Lehti
Roger Moen
Dr. Detlof Olson
Evelyn Palm
Florence Petersen
Lucy Schroeder
Anne Shermock
Gerald Woodrich
These memorial gifts are for the period August 1
through October 15, 1999.
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Sponsors light up Christmas for families
Five years ago the Lucas family signed up for Sponsor A Family, a project of the
LSS Metro Auxiliary that helps needy families at Christmas. A match was made. Karin Lucas
read the child's wish list to her son J.P., 5. He asked for underwear, socks and pajamas.
"At that moment, J.P. realized that some
kids don't even have basic clothing items that we use every day, " said Karin.
A special Christmas shopping trip-for toys as
well as essentials-became a holiday tradition for J.P, now 10, Nick, 6, and parents, Karin
and Paul. On Thanksgiving, KARE-11 TV will begin a special focus on
Sponsor A Family during the 10 p.m. news. Throughout the season, they'll provide the
information that viewers need to bring Christmas to less-fortunate families.
Sponsor A Family matches
individual, church and corporate donors with LSS client families and others. Last year it
brightened Christmas for 450 families. The givers gain, too.
"Many people want to add meaning to their
holiday experience," said Linda McEwen, director of LSS Congregational Services.
"We talk about what it would be like if we
weren't so blessed," Karin Lucas said. "This could be us. Part of our job is to
help others. Sponsoring is a way for us to give at Christmas."
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