Author: Aditya Kumar

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Services in Iowa, which is elevating the efforts of its front line workers through the Compassion in Crisis Campaign.

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) provides a wide array of services, and is committed to providing compassionate care and strengthening families with offerings that support holistic well-being. LSI began the Compassion in Crisis Campaign to recognize front line workers and share stories of their commitment to LSI’s mission of providing hope and healing.

One story that LSI shared is about Care Coordinator Samantha. LSI increased services to families at risk of substance use, domestic violence, and child abuse, as the stressors related to COVID-19 make those resources all the more necessary. Before the pandemic, Samantha checked in with families once per week, but now does virtual check-ins multiple times per week to provide resources to parents and monitor child safety. When clients are at higher risk of abuse, Samantha and her team put on personal protective equipment so they can safely enter homes. Though Samantha worries about bringing the virus home to her own family, she says, “Child abuse does not stop, even when the world does.” LSI has posted other inspiring stories of front line workers who provide clinical services to teens in juvenile detention, work with children in residential treatment, support foster families, and work with individuals with developmental disabilities.

Thank you to LSI for your commitment to children and families throughout the pandemic, and for recognizing the hard work of your front line staff!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Church Charities, whose K-9 Comfort Dogs are offering much needed joy and comfort throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lutheran Church Charities is headquartered in Northbrook, IL, and its mission is to “Share the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need.” Lutheran Church Charities provides support to those who have suffered loss or serious illness of a loved one through the Hearts of Mercy and Compassion program, disaster and crisis response in the wake of natural disasters, and the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Lutheran Church Charities has continued offering the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry visits virtually, recognizing that the support these visits provide are particularly important when stress is high. The K-9 Comfort Dogs also recently visited the inmates at DuPage County Jail, providing comfort, unconditional love, and good ears. Alongside the Comfort Dogs, the inmates read books to their children, and the stories were recorded on tape to be sent to their children. The books were donated by SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education), so the children could have a copy of the book read by their parent. The Comfort Dogs are often present at community gatherings, showing their love at events to commemorate the victims of gun violence, and making visits to senior living communities.

Thank you to Lutheran Church Charities for supporting your community through the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry throughout the pandemic!

Today’s Front Line Hero is NYU Langone, whose dedicated front line staff were recently recognized in the Crain’s New York Business Notable in Health Care 2020 list.

New York saw tragedy unfold this year as the novel coronavirus spread through the region. This year’s Notable in Health Care special report shines a light on the stories of the front line workers who helped bend the steep curve in New York, and continue working to address the toll the pandemic has taken. Three of the heroes identified in the report work at NYU Langone. The front line workers at NYU Langone worked tirelessly when COVID-19 hit New York, and continue to fight to address health disparities that were accentuated by the pandemic.

Dr. Katherine Hochman, associate chair for quality of care and director of hospitalist program at NYU Langone is honored on the Notable in Health Care list. Dr. Hochman helped lead the COVID-19 response, even while quarantined. She redeployed more than 850 doctors, front line staff, and medical students to provide support where needed, kept personnel updated daily, and made great efforts to keep spirits high. Dr. Hochman also implemented the Family Connect program to enhance communications when family members were in isolation. Also honored in the Notable in Health Care list are Dr. Mark Mulligan, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology and of the Vaccine Center, and assistant professor Dr. Andrew Wallach.

Thank you to NYU Langone for your dedicated work throughout the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Social Services of New York, whose staff are working to ensure their community has safe access to needed food and toiletries.

Lutheran Social Services of New York’s (LSSNY) New LIFE Center of Long Island serves low-income residents, most of whom are mothers with children. The Center partners with more than 40 churches to accomplish its work of feeding individuals and families who are food insecure.

The Center has kept its doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve families in need, and Program Coordinator Hylkije Halili and her colleagues worked quickly to instate new health and safety measures to protect themselves and their clients from the virus. The Center has been preparing prepackaged boxes which are distributed outside the Center so clients do not need to come inside to access food. The packages are filled with protein, canned food, fresh produce, and toiletries, and each box is tailored to clients’ dietary restrictions and family size. So far, the Center has supplied food to 1,154 individuals who are food insecure during the pandemic.

When asked if she is concerned about being on the front lines during the pandemic, Ms. Halili replied that helping the community is important, and that all clients are abiding by the safety protocols. She said she enjoys working with LSSNY because the organization offers resources to people in need and truly helps the community.

Thank you to LSSNY, and to Hylkije Halili in particular, for helping feed your community through the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is KenCrest, which is providing virtual vacations to the KenCrest family.

KenCrest supports “community development by exploring possibilities, mobilizing resources, and empowering dreams.” Its offerings include educational services for children and families, as well as community-based programs for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities of all ages and their families. KenCrest is headquartered in Blue Bell, PA, but serves more than 12,500 individuals annually across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Many of the individuals who are served by KenCrest had to cancel their vacations when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They are disappointed that their plans have been disrupted, so KenCrest is getting creative. The Enabling Technology department at KenCrest is working on a project that will simulate vacations through virtual reality. Generous donations enabled KenCrest to purchase four Oculus devices, which will help bring virtual experiences to life. The virtual reality headsets will make it feel like participants are walking along a beach, hiking through the woods, or enjoying a concert. KenCrest is even working to bring the details together to make the virtual vacations immersive, like sand, scented oils, and headphones.

Thank you to KenCrest for getting creative, and bringing much needed vacations to the KenCrest family!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is National Lutheran Communities & Services, which is leading the way in making a plan for the post-COVID-19 era.

National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) is a non-profit that inspires and supports choice and opportunity in partnership with older adults. NLCS is headquartered in Rockville, MD, and provides services across the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, and Virginia.

COVID-19 has forced senior service providers to make huge adjustments to their daily work to keep seniors safe. In May of this year, thought leaders in the senior services industry came together on the International Council on Active Aging Task Force to lead senior living transformation after COVID-19, and discuss how senior services should adjust after the pandemic. Cyndi Walters, COO at NLCS, joined that task force, which includes representatives from for-profit, non-profit, and affordable housing organizations that provide services to seniors. Cyndi recognizes that going forward, senior living will not return to its previous way of operating, and senior living communities need to be proactive and ready to adapt.

The industry leaders are working together on how to safely continue providing care to seniors while keeping communities safe, and the task force is generating ideas, tactics, strategies, and messaging for organizations to consider as they plan for serving seniors in a post-COVID-19 era.

Thank you to NLCS for your ongoing commitment to seniors, and for serving as leaders in the industry as we consider life after the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Cassia, which created a pen pal program to keep its residents connected to the community.

Cassia is headquartered in Edina MN, and provides independent senior living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care, short-term transitional rehabilitation, adult day programs, and a variety of community-based services for older adults across five states. It is guided by the Christian faith, but committed to serving all people, and aims to help seniors live well.

When COVID-19 required senior living facilities to limit visitors, Cassia’s Augustana Care Minneapolis started a pen pal program to help connect seniors to the community and prevent feelings of loneliness. The program matched more than two dozen residents, and an unlikely friendship has formed between 7-year-old Addie and 73-year-old Augustana Care Minneapolis resident Gary. Addie has missed seeing her friends since schools closed in March and Gary has missed having visitors, but the pair is keeping each other company through regular letters and bringing each other joy.

Addie’s mom has been surprised by how much the two have in common. Addie and Gary write to each other about favorite trips they have taken, music they enjoy, and their artwork. They even have each other’s drawings framed and displayed in their rooms. Someday when it is safe, Addie plans to invite Gary for dinner with her family, and Gary will invite Addie to his birthday party.

Thank you to Cassia for your work to keep seniors connected to the community through the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, which is offering a wide array of virtual programming to support its community during the pandemic.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network provides a complete continuum of care for adults and children with physical and cognitive challenges, and has served communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than a century. Good Shepherd is committed to compassionate care and innovation in its services, and is the world’s leading clinical user of the Ekso Bionics exoskeleton for treating patients with spinal cord injuries.

Throughout the pandemic, Good Shepherd has continued to offer care in creative ways that prevent the virus from spreading in the community. One offering is the regularly scheduled Spinal Cord Injury Virtual Support Group. This meeting provides space for people with spinal cord injuries to connect and talk, and the gathering also includes presentation on new products available to support them. Additionally, Good Shepherd Pediatrics offers therapy for cyber school students with both safe in-person and telehealth services for children, including physical, speech and occupational therapy. Good Shepherd frequently posts resources that address specific needs associated with the pandemic, such as how to manage concussion symptoms during online learning and teleworking.

Thank you to Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network for the many safe virtual offerings you are providing to the community to ensure people are safe and cared for through the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is SpiriTrust Lutheran, which is building community and sharing joy in many ways through the pandemic.

SpiriTrust Lutheran’s name reflects its Lutheran heritage, its spirit of service, and its commitment to building trust among those it serves. It offers a wide array of services for seniors including residential living, assisted living, memory support, and nursing and rehabilitation services, as well as hospice care, domestic abuse solutions, and counseling services. SpiriTrust serves more than 23,000 people in 16 counties in Pennsylvania and three in northern Maryland.

Throughout the pandemic, SpiriTrust has looked for ways to build community and faithfully serve its residents. For example, residents at The Village at Luther Ridge have been spreading kindness by painting fun pictures and words of inspiration onto rocks, which are then placed strategically on the campus. The rocks provide encouragement and have been eliciting smiles from those who see them, with messages like, “Stay Strong,” and “He is my rock and my salvation.” Resident Kathryn has also been spreading kindness by donating flowers from her garden to beautify the community.

SpiriTrust continues to work to keep the community safe in many ways, including reminding people to wear masks, and educating seniors on what to expect from calls from contact tracers, to ensure that scam calls do not take advantage of seniors and steal their information.

Thank you to SpiriTrust for your many efforts to keep seniors safe, happy, and healthy through the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, which is constantly working to ensure that all children and families are treated equally in the child welfare system.

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) works across the state of Illinois to nurture and strengthen children and families in need. LCFS provides preventative services to families, counseling services, adoption, and foster care.

LCFS has long been committed to being an antiracist organization, with a core commitment of being color cognizant, “believing in the importance of racial and ethnic differences because of their profound impacton individuals, groups, communities and society, as well as acknowledging the accompanying widespread racism and discrimination in our broader society.” Not only does LCFS engage consistently in explicit, productive conversations about the role of race in its work, it also actively advocates for addressing injustices and dismantling systemic racism.

After Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, WI, LCFS publicly reaffirmed its vision for a world where all children and families are treated equally in child welfare, regardless of skin color, and children of color do not experience additional trauma due to implicit bias and institutional racism.

Today, we recognize the trauma that Jacob Blake’s children experienced when they watched their father being shot. We recognize the trauma that far too many families of color undergo because of an unjust system. And we thank LCFS for its ongoing work to bring justice to child welfare.