Foster Parents from Lutheran Social Services are Guests of First Lady for President Obama’s Jobs Speech
September 9, 2011 (Baltimore, MD) - ) Dannie and Sabrina Mangram are foster parents for Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area and are in the process of adopting three children in their care. On Thursday night, they were two of about two dozen special guests invited to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress.
President Obama used Thursday’s speech to unveil his job creation plan, and Dannie and Sabrina are prime examples of a family with a modest income, working hard to make ends meet and plan for the future. Dannie is a Maryland corrections officer and Sabrina is getting her teaching degree at Coppin State University. President Obama’s proposal to extend the payroll tax cut first enacted last year would benefit families like the Mangrams, who know that every little bit helps. The Mangrams, who live near Baltimore, Maryland, are always looking for ways to stretch their budget to help with household items and their kids’ education and recreational activities.
Lutheran Services in America (LSA), which lifted up Dannie and Sabrina‘s story in response to a White House request, has been encouraging the Obama Administration not only to aid families but also assist the nonprofit sector in his jobs plan. Specifically, LSA has called upon President Obama and his administration to make sure that provisions in his plan geared towards support for for-profit companies should also be made available to nonprofit employers.
“LSA organizations employ more than 200,000 people in thousands of communities throughout the United States,” said Jill Schumann, LSA’s President and CEO. “Nonprofits are often economic engines in their communities, walking with people and offering supports when needed to make sure all can participate in our society.”
Many LSA organizations receive public dollars through contracts for services provided, but recent budget pressures – combined with increased demand for services due to the recession – has meant that many LSA organizations are struggling to close the gap between what public dollars pay for and what the services actually cost.
LSA and other national nonprofits believe that local communities and the U.S. economy would benefit from having more people employed by and delivering services through nonprofit organizations. According to Independent Sector, the nonprofit sector employs 10 percent of the U.S. workforce. Nonprofits also respond to the growing demand for programs such as job retraining, services for veterans and their families, nutrition and food pantries.
Lutheran Services in America creates opportunities with people in thousands of communities throughout the United States and the Caribbean as an alliance over 300 Lutheran health and human service organizations. Working neighbor to neighbor through services in health care, aging and disability supports, community development, housing, and child and family strengthening, these organizations together touch the lives of one in 50 Americans each year and have aggregated annual incomes over $18 billion.
For more information:
Jeanean Merkel, 410-230-3540 or 571-233-4492
