Vol. XXII | Issue 4
January 26, 2023
January 26, 2023
January 20, 2023
January 24, 2023
LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. — Lutheran Services in America honored its members Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems, We Raise Foundation in Illinois and Ted Goins of Lutheran Services Carolinas for exceptional work and leadership today during its 2023 Leadership Awards ceremony. The three award winners were each presented with an award crystal at CEO Summit 2023, an annual gathering of Lutheran social ministry leaders that cultivates the sharing of innovative ideas and solutions to the biggest issues facing the health and human services sector, near Phoenix.
This year marks the third annual ceremony to honor distinguished organizations that reflect the Lutheran Services in America network’s core values of seeking innovative solutions to transform the lives of people and lifting up the diversity of people, communities and ideas.
“Our 2023 award recipients set the standard for what it means to advance innovation and address society’s greatest challenges to transform lives — our very mission as Lutheran social ministry organizations,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. “Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems, We Raise Foundation and Ted Goins demonstrate the incredible work that occurs every day in our network to empower people, communities and Lutheran social ministry leaders, and we’re thrilled to recognize them for their achievements.”
Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems received the Innovator Award, which recognizes organizations that pioneer new solutions and practices to solve complex issues that extend beyond their own mission to strengthen the Lutheran social ministry network. Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems expanded an enhanced Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CPRS) training program that addresses the region’s shortage of paraprofessionals with the skills and competencies to work with people at risk for behavioral health disorders — the first of its kind in Florida that has trained more than 300 people.
“It has always been our priority to promote a culture of innovation at Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems and across Florida to achieve a substantial impact across our state,” said Dr. Christine Cauffield, president and CEO of Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems. “We appreciate being recognized for our work by Lutheran Services in America and our social ministry peers and are truly humbled and honored to receive this award.”
Lutheran Services in America awarded We Raise Foundation with the Micah Award, which recognizes organizations that exhibit outstanding leadership in addressing justice, mercy and equity and exemplifies the spirit of Micah 6:8, “Act justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” We Raise Foundation used its resources to guide Lutheran Services in America member organizations on how to apply diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives through the newly created Reimagining Diversity Collaborative, which brings members together to explore race and inclusion in a safe setting.
“At We Raise, we live by the concept that ‘generosity multiplied’ can have a sizeable impact in our communities,” said Paul Miles, president and CEO of We Raise Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Lutheran Services in America to expand this concept with our fellow social sector leaders to build stronger communities free from inequity and injustice.”
Ted Goins, president and CEO of Lutheran Services Carolinas, received the Paragon Award: the Ken Daly Award for Excellence in Mentorship, which recognizes a leader with an exceptional gift for spotting potential in people and who generously provides guidance, coaching and experience to lift up the next group of leaders. Goins listened, offered advice and connected with Lutheran social ministry leaders who were experiencing similar challenges. Through his generosity of time and mentorship and willingness to connect CEOs with other leaders, Goins helped his peers to see that they are not alone in navigating these challenges and has provided motivation and encouragement to pursue their goals.
“I am humbled and honored to receive an award that bears the name of a man who I greatly admire for his unique ability to draw out the best abilities in leaders,” said Goins. “I had the good fortune to start my career in a Lutheran social ministry organization and spend most of my career there. At every step strong mentors internally and from across Lutheran Services in America have lifted me up. It seems our unspoken creed has been ‘when one succeeds, we all succeed.’ I can only hope to help lift others as I have been lifted.”
Nearly a dozen other Lutheran Services in America members were nominated for 2023 Leadership Awards. The other nominees for the awards are:
About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.
To learn more, visit lutheranservices.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
January 19, 2023
January 18, 2023
January 18, 2023
WASHINGTON — The ELCA awarded Lutheran Services in America a $1 million grant over two years to deepen and extend the impact of its Results Innovation Lab, a national program dedicated to achieving equitable outcomes for 20,000 children, youth and families by 2024. This new investment will enable Lutheran Services in America, a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year, to scale and replicate innovations from the Lab to reach more children and families across the country beyond 2024.
The ELCA’s partnership and support through the Lutheran Services Children’s Endowment to the Lutheran Services in America Results Innovation Lab was a catalyst for the early results achieved under the Lab, which are effectively empowering families experiencing poverty and addressing racial inequities in the child welfare system.
“The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, racism, and other socioeconomic challenges disproportionately impact the lives of Black, Brown and Indigenous children and their families,” said the Rev. Dr. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for service and justice at the ELCA. “As Lutherans, we are called to do God’s work in a complex world. Lutheran Services in America calls on a large national network of Lutheran social ministry organizations and other friends and partners who share our goal to address systemic barriers in our communities for children and youth of color, which lead to their overrepresentation in the child welfare system. The ELCA values the innovative work that Lutheran social ministry organizations are doing through the Results Innovation Lab and we hope this grant empowers ministry leaders to accelerate towards a future where all children and families in the U.S. have an equitable outcome.”
Youth of color are over-represented in the child welfare system. Black, Brown and Indigenous youth are removed from their families, placed in foster care and experience poorer outcomes at higher rates compared to White children. With the ELCA’s support of the Results Innovation Lab, Lutheran Services in America will be able to engage additional Lutheran social ministry leaders and provide new tools and approaches to transform policy and practice in child welfare and support families in crisis so that all children in the United States can grow up in safe, nurturing and stable families.
“Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA share a goal to lift up Lutheran social ministry in its work to transform lives and communities and care for people in need wherever they are. We gratefully acknowledge the ELCA’s commitment to our ministries and look forward to strengthening our collaboration with the ELCA and its ministries of diverse cultures and communities to address systematic barriers for children and youth of color who experience inequitable outcomes in the child welfare system,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America.
The partnership is a reflection of the church in the world. It taps into the hallmark of the Lutheran tradition of service to our neighbor by bringing people and resources together to solve problems so that all people can thrive.
About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.
To learn more, visit lutheranservices.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
January 12, 2023
January 12, 2023
January 5, 2023
January 5, 2023
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