Lutheran Services of Georgia

DISASTER RESPONSE: Assistance Needed for Reconstruction Projects

Posted on April 12, 2012 by acoffman

We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the severe storm outbreak that affected 27 counties in Georgia in April 27, 2011. A year later, more and more disaster victims are reporting unmet needs as FEMA funds prove to be insufficient in covering their recovery costs. LSG’s long-term recovery efforts will continue to help these communities and families recover and rebuild their lives. Your assistance and funding will help LSG reach out to those families and provide tangible assistance by sponsoring volunteer projects and helping cover the costs home reconstructions. A few key areas of need are as follows:

LSG needs support with two reconstruction projects in Spalding County to assist two families in building a new room in their homes. Both projects total $4,000 dollars.

In Dade County, LSG is working along with other volunteer organizations to raise funds to cover multiple recovery projects totaling $17,000 dollars.

In Meriwether County, LSG needs assistance from congregations to provide housing for 30-50 student volunteers who will be participating in reconstruction projects in June.

Any assistance is welcomed. We encourage you to get involved by volunteering if you have construction skills, by making financial contributions, or by working with your congregation to sponsor fundraising events for LSG’s long-term recovery efforts.

For more information on how you can help, contact disasterassistance@lsga.org or call 404.875.0201.

LSG is a tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your gift makes a difference in those families affected by the disaster. To make a tax deductible contribution today,donate online or contact Lorraine Dorough (678 686-9613).

You may mail contributions to:

LSG 2011 Georgia Tornado Recovery Fund
Lutheran Services of Georgia
1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30309-2943

Posted in Disaster Response | 2 Comments

FOSTER CARE: Epiphany Lutheran Donates Outfits and Goodies for Easter Morning!

Posted on April 9, 2012 by acoffman

Epiphany Lutheran Church in Conyers made Easter Sunday a little brighter for Lutheran Services of Georgia’s foster care children by generously providing them with outfits, shoes, stuffed animals, and candies for Easter Sunday. These gifts brought smiles to the faces of 30 of our foster care children, ranging from infants to teenagers, not to mention those of the foster care parents that got to share in their joy. Thank you, Epiphany, for this incredible Easter blessing!

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CEO and President Gary Danielsen: LSG is on the move!

Posted on April 2, 2012 by acoffman

Reducing overhead, to be as efficient as possible in order to provide maximum support to serving people, is always a challenge for non-profit service agencies, especially when economic times are difficult. Last month, LSG signed a 10-year lease with United Way in Atlanta, located at 100 Edgewood Ave., in the center of the city. We will occupy the entire 18^th floor – the top floor of the building. The expiration of our current lease at the Arthritis Foundation building in May afforded us the opportunity to identify an office location that not only provided easy access to MARTA and state offices, but did so at a considerable cost savings as well. Our parking capacity is increased, safety is enhanced, our interior space is more efficiently designed, and the lease comes with a year of free rent spread out of over the first two years. In the 10^th year of our lease, our cost per square foot will be less than we pay currently! Good stewardship of resources is an ongoing factor in determining how well we are able to serve those in need. Hopefully, this move will enable LSG’s next decade to be marked with continued growth in bringing hope, healing, and strength to people in need in Georgia.

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Join us for the Christian Community Leaders Luncheon on May 3!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by acoffman

The next eight years will see an unprecedented pace of change in the world of business. Changing demographics, technology, and boomer retirements will reshape the face of leadership that we see today. Will your business be prepared or will you be hit by a ‘Talent Tsunami?’

Join us for the Christian Community Leaders Luncheon, where keynote speaker Jeffery Tobias Halter will discuss how to keep your business afloat in stormy waters. Jeffery is the former of Director of Diversity Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company. He is currently a consultant, author, gender strategist and the President of YWomen, a strategic consulting company focused on helping men and women to understand and unleash the power of women in organizations. We look forward to seeing you at this engaging and education event!

Christian Community Leaders Luncheon
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Capital City Country Club
53 West Brookhaven Drive, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30319

Fellowship begins at 11 a.m., lunch will be served at noon, and the day will finish around 1:30 p.m. Cost of attendance is $25 per person, and can be paid online by clicking here. If paying online, please select “Other” under fund and type in CCLL in the comment box. Payment can also be made over the phone by calling 678-686-9601, or by mailing a check to Lutheran Services of Georgia at 1330 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309, with CCLL in the memo line.

Please RSVP by April 27 to Mary Kay Kates at mkates@lsga.org or 678-686-9601.

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UPDATE: April 2011 Storm Relief Efforts

Posted on March 22, 2012 by acoffman

Almost a year to the anniversary of the severe storm outbreak of April 2011, Lutheran Services of Georgia’s long-term recovery efforts continue. As families and communities continue the slow process of bringing their lives back to some sense of normalcy, LSG calls on congregations and individuals to support these communities and the rebuilding efforts in Georgia. LSG, a long-term disaster recovery assistance agency, works with partners in local communities, faith-based organizations, long-term recovery committees, and other Georgia voluntary organizations active in disaster relief to find resources to help communities affected by disaster. Victims are often confused or unaware of the assistance available to assist with the recovery. LSG’s goal is to assist communities with the long-term recovery. We encourage individuals affected by the 2011 tornado or the 2009 floods who need assistance to contact LSG at 678.852.8560.

Your assistance in disaster relief is critical. Cash assistance and skilled constructions volunteers are essential in supporting long-term recovery reconstruction efforts. LSG seeks volunteers with skilled construction experience for six large roofing projects in Spalding County. More cash assistance is needed for the reconstructions efforts in Dade County.

If you would like to provide skilled, voluntary, or financial assistance for our response efforts, contact LSG at 678.852.8560 or e-mail Alex Azuero at aazuero@lsga.org.

You may also mail contributions to:
LSG 2011 Georgia Tornado Recovery Fund
Lutheran Services of Georgia
1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30309

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Happy World Social Work Day and Social Worker Appreciation Month!

Posted on March 20, 2012 by acoffman

The month of March is National Social Work month, and this year’s theme is Social Work Matters. Some social work matters include but are not limited to: adolescent development, aging and family caregiving, poverty reduction, non-profit management, and community development.

Social Workers care for people in every stage of life, from childhood to late life, by helping families and individuals overcome life’s most difficult challenges. Some of the troubles that Social Workers work to alleviate include: poverty, stress, discrimination, addiction, abuse, depression, physical illness, unemployment, underemployment, divorce, disability, death, medical conditions, intellectual challenges, and mental illness. Social Workers help ensure the personal well-being of their clients; they prevent crises and counsel individuals and families, as well as make sure people get the help they need from the best resources available. For more than 100 years, Social Workers have been catering to the needs of lower-income families and individuals.

LSG is active in providing superior services in each of the areas listed above, and we would like to recognize all of our exceptional Social Workers at the agency. To celebrate the hard work of these Social Workers at LSG, Foster Care and Family Intervention Services recognizes National Social Work month and invites everyone to make a Social Worker at every level feel appreciated on March 20, 2012, World Social Work Day.

Posted in Adoption, FACES, Family Intervention Services, Foster Care | Leave a comment

REFUGEE SERVICES: LSG Refugee Services Yard Sale 3-17

Posted on March 5, 2012 by acoffman

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Yard Sale Hours: 7 AM to 1 PM
Donation Drop Off: 7 AM to 11 AM
Rock of Ages Lutheran Church
5135 Memorial Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Time for spring cleaning at your house? It is at LSG! We are cleaning out our storage facilities and having a yard sale of items we can’t use for refugee apartments and items from our refugee clothing closet that don’t fit our current refugee population. The morning of March 17 you can drop off donations of gently used furniture, household and kitchen items, pots and pans, bedding, and towels and then take a browse at items for sale. Please note that per the IRS, donations must be in good or better condition in order to be tax-deductible. Receipts will be provided at donation drop-off. We’ll fill up our storage with the items refugees need and sell the rest to raise funds for our refugee programs.

LSG will resettle up to 800 refugees in 2012 and we set up apartments for every refugee family or group of refugee singles. Sometimes a congregation or group will partner with LSG to resettle a family and collect all the furniture and household items needed for the apartment. But the more common scenario is that LSG sets up the apartment with furniture and household items donated by generous folks like you who might be cleaning out a basement or attic, moving or replacing things that are still in great shape. There is actually a list developed by the U.S. Department of State of furniture and household items that we must put in every refugee apartment. (Click here to see our Refugee Services Wish List) Any items on the list that we don’t have from donations must be purchased out of the refugee’s one-time resettlement grant – money that would otherwise go to pay for rent while the refugee is learning English and seeking employment.

So, donate any items you have from this year’s “spring cleaning” to the Refugee Services Yard Sale on March 17 or hang on to the Wish List and keep LSG in mind for future donations! You can help us fulfill our mission of …empowering refugees from arrival to self-reliance as they create a new home in America. Thank you!

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FACES: Introverted Client Blossoms in New Home

Posted on February 29, 2012 by acoffman

When Steve first came into the care of Lutheran Services of Georgia, the only home he had ever really known was the hospital where he had lived for the past 40 years – the one his family left him at when he was only 13 years old. Autistic and non-verbal, at first glance Steve appeared to be a lost soul. He had no close friends, few interests, and spent most of his time ambling aimlessly around the hospital grounds. As Steve’s case managers worked to match him with a home, they were unsure about how he would cope with leaving the place he had lived almost his entire life.

But on the day of the move, Steve walked out the door with a smile on his face and didn’t look back. Since moving in with his new family, Steve has blossomed. He has a new job where he earns his own money, enjoys playing basketball with the other guys in the house, and has developed a healthy appetite. Most importantly, for the first time in his life Steve has developed personal attachments with his new family. It seems after a lifetime of wandering, Steve has finally found a place where he belongs. One man, one new family, one agency fulfilling its mission to bring people home.

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REFUGEE SERVICES: School Success for Refugee Students

Posted on February 20, 2012 by acoffman

Burmese Student Masters Math

Paw Gaw is a Karen Burmese student who arrived in the United States just four short years ago at the age of 13 after living for 11 years in a Thai refugee camp with her family. In the camp, Paw Gaw attended school for six years, completing the U.S. equivalent of about 4th grade. It’s a huge adjustment for refugee students to find them shelves in American schools and Paw Gaw was no exception.

After arriving in Georgia, Paw Gaw spent a year in intensive study of English at the DeKalb School System’s International Student Center and then a year at Clarkston High School (CHS). Overwhelmed by the adjustment to school in America and still struggling to learn English, Paw Gaw had the opportunity to attend the Global Village School (GVS) for Refugee Girls for the 2010-2011 school year for continued studies in English and instruction geared towards helping her catch up in school to her American peers.

Paw Gaw, back at Clarkston High School this year with continuing support by her GVS Mentor and attending LSG’s ASAP After School Academic/Arts Program, is taking on the rigors of high school with great success. In her first semester back at CHS, Paw Gaw was one of 2 students in her math class to pass the Math I “End of Course Test”! But Paw Gaw has much more success ahead of her! She is a hard-working and self-motivated student who continues to improve her English skills and plans to graduate from high school and attend college to become a nurse.

Sibling Success

Welcome Divine and Innocent! Powerful names for two outstanding students from Africa who have been in Lutheran Services’s ASAP After School Academic/Arts Program at Indian Creek Elementary School in Clarkston since January 10, 2012. Neither sibling knew any English upon arrival to the states. Divine Uwineza and Innocent Mfitumukiza are now writing and spelling their names and recognize many of the alphabet letters and sounds.

Divine and Innocent have perfect attendance, exemplary citizenship, and a strong desire to learn. They are truly a joy to teach and tutor! They look forward to working in the Computer Lab. Websites such as starfall.com enables them to hear the sounds of the alphabet and listen to a variety of alliteration, which increases phonemic awareness. We are proud of how much progress these students have shown in such a short amount of time. Kudos to Divine and Innocent!

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FACES: LSG Client Headed to the Special Olympics!

Posted on February 6, 2012 by acoffman

LSG is thrilled to announce that Brenda Blalock of Loganville,GA, will be attending the 2012 Special Olympics U.S. National Unified Sports Bowling Invitational in Baton Rouge, LA, from Feb. 15-16, 2012. Brenda is a part of LSG’s FACES (Facilitating, Advocacy, Care, Education, and Shelter) program, which helps individuals with developmental disabilities find supportive host homes in which they can thrive.

Brenda has been an avid bowler for several years now and proudly displays her numerous bowling and softball trophies in her home. Brenda is a delight to have in the FACES program and we are proud of her success!

Good luck, Brenda!