Resources

On July 23, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) announced the launch of a new report, "At the Crossroads for Unaccompanied Migrant Children: Policy, Practice & Protection." More than 40 people attended the standing-room-only event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., which featured remarks from Linda Hartke, LIRS President and CEO and a panel discussion with experts on immigration and refugee resettlement.

On July 17, 17 providers of services to seniors, all members of the LSA network, met in Washington, D.C. to talk about senior wellness and how care to improve the lives of older Americans is being redefined by social ministry organizations. As the largest faith-based non-profit group serving older adults in the United States, representing close to 200 Lutheran social ministry organizations that offer senior care, the LSA network has provided a broad range of care and support for seniors from all walks of life in all types of communities for decades.

Just released, “A Call for Action: Strengthening the Human Services Sector” is a synopsis report of the symposium The Kresge Foundation held last April 2014 at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC. LSA's President & CEO, Charlotte Haberaecker, represented the LSA network at the symposium.

With more than 100 LSA members serving children, youth and families in 33 states across the country, the LSA network has a dominant national child welfare presence. The Children, Youth and Families Community of Practice comes together to learn from and with each other to transform the well-being of vulnerable youth and their families by continuing to improve current care practices, develop new and innovative solutions and encourage practitioner informed policy decisions. At the 2015 LSA Annual Conference several members of the Children Youth and Families Community of Practice began working with Sara Morrison from the Center for the Study of Social Policy. A second session, made possible by a grant from the Lutheran Services Children Endowment (LSCE), is planned for June 25th in Washington, DC.

We are thrilled to announce that our longstanding Affinity Partnership with the Unemployment Services Trust (UST) has reached a milestone year! Providing exclusive unemployment and HR resources to our members for 15 years, UST has been and will continue to be an invaluable program benefit—dedicated to the education and advancement of nonprofits nationwide.

If you haven’t booked your air travel to San Antonio yet for the Annual Conference, Southwest Airlines is currently running a sale. Book by April 6 to take advantage of discounted rates.

The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships held an Affordable Care Act Briefing for Faith and other Community-based Organizations. The White House and HHS thanked community leaders from across the United States for their efforts to educate and enroll people in the Health Insurance Marketplace, as giving information on funding opportunities and announcing a new initiative from HHS called “Coverage To Care”.

An upcoming complimentary webinar on Friday, September 5th from 2-3 pm ET will focus on the topic: "How Our Eyes Age: The Impact on Everyday Life."

Part of a "Conversations with Grantmakers in Aging" (GIA) series, the webinar will provide a useful overview of vision and aging issues, and will be of particular interest to anyone involved with services for older adults, both on a professional and personal level, as well as to foundations and funders who fund work with the health sector.

Lutheran Disaster Response announces the development of a Midwest Disaster Consortium that will be focused on creating sustainability for essential disaster staff at Lutheran Disaster Response affiliate Social Ministry Organizations within a four-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Missouri. The Social Ministry Organizations that will be active in the consortium include Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSSMN), Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSSND), Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota (LSSSD) and Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri (LFCS).