Today’s Front Line Hero is Lutheran Family Services of Virginia (LFSVA), which is dedicated to ensuring children in their community have the resources they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lutheran Family Services of Virginia has been providing support and services to children, families, and adults for 130 years. Their services include helping children in foster care find temporary or permanent families, adoption counseling, services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and supporting children with behavioral challenges. Though COVID-19 has changed the way LFSVA delivers services, they have been committed to continuing to support their community with services through telehealth.
One of the ways LFSVA supports children with behavioral challenges is through their six Minnick Schools across the commonwealth, which help students age 5 to 22 find success in the classroom. The Minnick Schools offer highly trained educators and treatment specialists to meet unique needs of many children the public educational system cannot address. In addition to teaching the state’s educational curriculum, the Minnick Schools help students learn about behavior choices, how to make positive decisions, and how to respond to stress and challenging situations.
Though the Minnick Schools are closed in accordance with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s order, the teachers are still committed to serving the students. Many families are struggling with food security during the COVID-19 pandemic, so Minnick School teachers have been delivering food to their students. The teachers are wearing masks and keeping safe distances from the students while they work to ensure children in their community have the resources they need.
Thank you to LFSVA for your commitment to ensuring your community is resourced by offering telehealth services and food delivery!
