Author: Aditya Kumar

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, whose LFS Colorado Spirit Wellness Program is supporting individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains (LFSRM) provides a wide array of programs, including adoption, foster care, older adult and caregiver support, prevention services, and refugee services. LFSRM has offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Las Cruces, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque, and works to address unmet needs impacting vulnerable populations in those communities. Having served the region since 1948, LFSRM believes that all people, from the newborn to the most elderly, are valued members of the community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created immense uncertainty, and we are still figuring out how our families and communities will be impacted long-term. The unknown can be overwhelming and stressful, and LFSRM believes it is essential that we care for our emotional health and well-being. LFSRM is partnering with the Colorado Spirit Crisis Counseling Program to connect people impacted by the pandemic with quality services to support them through the recovery process. The LFS Colorado Spirit Wellness Program assists communities as they address the challenging effects of the pandemic through community-based outreach, and offers emotional support, connections to helpful resources, and approaches to manage stress healthfully. The program is anonymous, and provides tailored care at no cost to the participants. To prevent the spread of the virus, the LFS Colorado Spirit Wellness Program’s offerings are provided by phone or virtual platform.

Thank you to Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains for providing holistic care to your community through the pandemic!

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, which is supporting children and families in creative ways!

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) began serving Illinois in 1867 and touched nearly 50,000 lives across the state in 2019. LSSI’s mission is to bring healing, justice, and wholeness to people and communities, and provides foster care, mental health services, reintegration programs for the formerly incarcerated, as well as many other programs to holistically support the community.

LSSI holds an annual backpack drive to resource children in need before they go back to school, including children in foster care and served by other LSSI programs. This year, the pandemic created some challenges with the school supply drive, but local congregations came through. Several local churches donated hundreds of bags, school supplies, and funding to purchase supplies. Thank you to the Illinois congregations, and to LSSI for ensuring children are resourced as they return to school!

The Storybook Project is another way LSSI supports families, and this project helps children stay connected to their incarcerated parents. Parents select a donated book, and volunteers record them reading the book to their children. The recording ends with a message of love and support to the children, and the book and CD are sent to the children to read along. For many children, the CD is the only connection to their parents, so they treasure it.

Thank you to LSSI for your continued support of children and families through the challenges of the pandemic!

 By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Services Florida, which is teaching children about celebrating diversity in its Head Start program.

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) provides services throughout the state, and works to provide life-changing human services to people regardless of age, background, or belief. Its programs serve children and families, youth, adults and elderly, refugees, immigrants, survivors of natural disasters.

In its programming for children and families, LSF has five Head Start locations in Florida, and is committed to early childhood education. The goal of Head Start is to enhance the development of very young children during the critical development period from birth and five years old, and to promote healthy family functioning.

LFS Head Start serves 1,403 children, and is intentional about encouraging and celebrating diversity in the classroom. Director of LSF Duval Head Start LaTanya Wynn-Hall spoke about LSF’s work to teach children about respecting and valuing diversity from a young age on a recent segment on News 4 Jax’s Morning Show. LaTanya said the Head Start program creates a safe space for all children and celebrates the differences they bring to the classroom, teaching them that all genders, races, abilities, and cultures are valued. For children who are not returning to the Head Start program in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LaTanya encourages parents to model behavior that celebrates diversity by showing interest in different cultures and demonstrating respect and empathy.

Thank you to LSF for your work to support young children and celebrate their differences!

 By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Concordia Place, which is helping young people find purpose and direction.

Concordia Place believes that all people deserve to reach their full potential, and provides growth and opportunity to 800 children, teens, and adults each year. Located in Chicago, Concordia’s programs for teens aim to help build confident, civic-minded teens, and 100% of teens served graduate from high school and go on to college or post-secondary education.

The programs offered by Concordia make a big difference in the lives of teens, and the staff was not willing to close down programming when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Community Programs Manager Gwyn Moss quickly and effectively executed a plan to move the Emerging Leaders summer program online. The teens were able to engage with the program virtually, and safely complete activities like community engagement, arts and crafts, and nutritional cooking.

Concordia Place is proud of the teens who go on to do great things, and publicly congratulated Valery Trigsted, who was selected as a Thrive Teen Advisory Board member. Valery began participating in Concordia’s programs when she was 13, and has continued engaging with its many offerings for the last five years. Valery shared that the programs gave her confidence in her own abilities, and reshaped her life so that she now feels like she is part of something bigger. The friendships and skills Valery gained through Concordia programs have been formative.

Thank you to Concordia Place for your ongoing commitment to teens’ development!

 By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Advocate Aurora Health, which is partnering with the ELCA Outreach Center in Kenosha, WI to provide support to the community.

Advocate Aurora Health is one of the ten largest non-profit health systems in the United States, and a leading employer in the Midwest. It includes more than 500 sites and serves more than three million patients annually. With an aim to help people live well, Advocate Aurora Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience, and value-based care.

There has been considerable trauma in the community of Kenosha, WI over the past weeks with the shooting of Jacob Blake by police on August 23 and the protests that ensued. Many people in Kenosha are feeling afraid and uncertain. With the support of United Way of Kenosha County, Advocate Aurora Health is responding to the need for additional support to address that trauma in the community. Advocate Aurora Health is providing Community Support Sessions at the ELCA Outreach Center in Uptown Kenosha, and offering emotional, psychological, and spiritual care. The Community Support Sessions are helping community members cope with difficult experiences and their negative feelings by providing strategies and techniques for how to care for themselves and others during trying times.

Thank you to Advocate Aurora Health for providing additional resources to the Kenosha community following the trauma it experienced.

Today’s Front Line Hero is Genacross Lutheran Services, which is forming partnerships to achieve better outcomes for seniors.

Genacross Lutheran Services provides care for seniors, youth, and families in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Though Genacross has a rich history with more than 150 years of service, the organization is quick to adapt. Genacross is committed to embracing change and innovation so its ministry can continue to evolve to meet current needs, and serve seniors and families as effectively as possible.

In the spirit of innovation, Genacross partnered with a comprehensive medication management solutions company called Cosana and Simply Connect, a cutting edge technology platform. Genacross entered into the pilot project with the aim of improving resident outcomes and saving on prescription costs through medication assessments, and saw great success.

The pilot included one-on-one work with individuals at Genacross senior residential facilities to gain a more complete, holistic view of the patients’ health and protocols. The average age of the pilot participants was 75 years old. At the beginning of the project, participants took an average of 11 medications. The project successfully reduced the patients’ daily medication intake by nearly three prescriptions on average, and improved outcomes by reducing the risk of complications and side-effects from the medications. The project also cut healthcare costs for the residents and for Genacross, saving an average of more than $3,000 per patient per encounter.

Thank you to Genacross Lutheran Services for your ongoing commitment to innovation and improved outcomes for those you serve!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, which is encouraging its community to register and vote in the November 2020 election.

Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) has faithfully served the community in Northeast Ohio since the 1960s. Its programs focus on housing and shelter, workforce development, and health and wellness services, and LMM aims to empower people and enable them to be self-sufficient. LMM is also an effective advocate for system change and serves as a catalyst for meaningful conversation about issues of justice.

Today is National Voter Registration Day and LMM is reminding community members to make their voices heard in the upcoming election. Over the past couple of months, LMM has provided non-partisan reminders and resources about registering to vote in Ohio.

The COVID-19 pandemic creates barriers to holding in-person voter registration events, but LMM is making the extra effort to get the word out virtually and ensure its community has the resources and opportunity to register. LMM is providing reminders like that it only takes six minutes to register to vote, and celebrated National Black Voter Day on September 18. LMM also encourages its community to get into “good trouble” through civic engagement, and held a Facebook live event called the “Your Vote Your Voice forum,” which highlighted the importance of holding elected officials accountable after the ballot.

Thank you to Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry for encouraging your community members to make their voices heard, and resourcing them in doing so!

Happy National Voter Registration Day! You can register to vote and double check your voter registration status at your current address at vote.org.

 By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Carroll Lutheran Village, which is supporting local students at Carroll Community College.

Carroll Lutheran Village is a continuing care retirement community in Westminster, MD dedicated to person-centered care. The campus includes a wide array of options and services, including private suites for assisted living, rehabilitation, long-term care, and memory support. The staff at Carroll Lutheran Village are committed to serving older adults and providing them the best possible life, and partner with various community and educational organizations that share their passion for older adults.

One of Carroll Lutheran Village’s community partners is the Carroll Community College. The community college relies on an annual gala fundraiser to finance scholarships and other campus initiatives, and this year, Carroll Lutheran Village is one of the gala’s main sponsors. The Starry Night Gala will take place virtually to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but is shaping up to be an exciting event nevertheless! Attendees of the December 4 gala will have the chance to participate in a silent auction, and receive a box delivered to their homes with ingredients for the signature 2020 cocktail as well as a selection of hors d’oeuvres from a local restaurant. Carroll Lutheran Village is proudly supporting local education, and serves as the Starry Night Gala’s “Galaxy Sponsor.” Carroll Lutheran Villages encourages its community to join in supporting the community college by attending the virtual gala.

Thank you to Carroll Lutheran Village for finding virtual ways to support local education through the pandemic!

By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach 

Today’s Front Line Hero is Ebenezer Society, which is finding creative ways to engage seniors and the community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ebenezer was founded in 1917 by Lutherans in Minneapolis with the purpose of providing care for older adults experiencing homelessness, as well as others in need in their community. Today, Ebenezer is one of the largest senior living providers in Minnesota, and offers assisted living, independent living, adult day programs, as well as many other services for seniors.

Ebenezer intentionally provides its community members with numerous social activities, and hopes that they feel truly a part of the Ebenezer family. From Veteran’s coffee clubs to Oktoberfest to traveling apple orchards, there is always something going on at Ebenezer’s campus, and the staff have found ways to continue these offerings safely through the pandemic.

The Ebenezer Society Foundation recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted senior living communities especially hard, and that seniors are relying on activities and programs more than ever to ease feelings of loneliness. To help sustain existing programs for seniors and add new opportunities, the Ebenezer Society Foundation is selling humorous COVID-19 specific shirts with messages like, “COVID Hair – don’t care,” and “I’m smiling – behind my mask.” A portion of the proceeds supports programming for seniors through the pandemic. Get your shirt here by entering the store code, “Ebenezer.”

Thank you to Ebenezer for your work to keep seniors engaged and cheerful through the COVID-19 pandemic!