A Look Inside - LSSI

1 A. look Inside 2010 Annual Report A. Letter from the President.. 1. look A look Inside .. 2. Services .. 20. Inside 2010 Annual Report Leadership .. 22. Donors .. 24. The 2010 Paul Simon Courage in Public Service Award .. 28. Amicus Certus .. 31. LSSI: A Leader in Advocacy .. 37. Financial Summary .. 38. Affiliations .. 40. mission statement Responding to the Gospel, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois brings healing, justice and wholeness to people and communities. Dear Friends: her maintain her sobriety. When visiting one of our agency's program sites, whether it's a If you were to visit an LSSI program or Head Start site or a group home for adults with developmental a client's home, you would see such disabilities, I can't tell you how many times I've said to myself, I scenes of care and change. These are wish our friends and supporters could be here with me to see the the sights that have kept the LSSI. amazing work that is being carried out through our partnership. community faithful to this amazing Each day, thousands of individuals receive services at more mission for more than 143 years.

2 Than 80 sites scattered throughout the state of Illinois, as well as in In our agency's recent visioning their homes. As the statewide social ministry organization of the process, you, as a member of our three Illinois synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America community of friends and donors, have (ELCA), Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) provides services to again affirmed LSSI's mission of bringing people in need, primarily in partnership with various state healing, justice and wholeness to government agencies and with the support of our donors. people and communities. It is the knowledge that we are working The effectiveness of LSSI's services in helping change lives and with real people with real needs that shapes and guides our daily in giving comfort and support to people in need is attested to in work. It is our great privilege to share this mission with all of you the excellence of our service outcomes and, most important, by and to know that God has called us to this work as we move the people we serve.

3 In A look Inside , the Fiscal Year 2010 faithfully into our future. Annual Report of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, we invite you Whether you are a donor, funder, staff member, volunteer, to step Inside our agency and meet some of the individuals and partner congregation or advocate for social justice, you families we are so privileged to work with. participate in our mission you are truly part of our daily work For example, there's Dale and Ashley Whittington, a couple in and service to God's people at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. southern Illinois who've given three sisters Melanie, Stephanie and Faith a family, by first opening their home to them as foster parents and later adopting them. And there's Fred and Millicent In Faith, Cox, who receive home care through LSSI's Intouch Services program at their home in Canton. Intouch provides their daughter Mary and her husband with support and respite in their role as primary caregivers. And there's Stacy, who, through LSSI's The Rev.

4 Denver Bitner, Residential Rehabilitation Program in Elgin, is developing skills to help President/CEO. Turn the page and take a glimpse Inside the work of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report 1. Following an illness, Ruby Knight, 83, Five days a week, home care came to Peterson Center for assistants from LSSI's Intouch Home Health for rehabilitation on the center's Care Services come to care for Mary Pathway Unit. The occupational Fidler's (right) mom and dad, Fred and therapist worked with Ruby using this Millicent Cox (seated), in their Canton clothespin exercise to build Ruby's home. Lillian Young (rear) prepares standing tolerance, ability to sequence meals, cleans the house and helps multiple-step tasks and range of Millicent, who has Alzheimer's disease, motion, helping her regain her strength take a shower and get dressed in the and return home. Our goals are to morning. It helps me and my assist a person to become as strong, husband.

5 We can get out and have a safe and functional as possible so he break, says Mary, who adds, Our or she can return to his or her prior home care assistants really do care activities and living situation, explains about [my parents]. My mom acts like Heather Green, rehabilitation program they're part of the family.. coordinator at Peterson. We provide encouragement and empathy for our patients to have trust in us is really important, because we are asking them to do things that can sometimes be hard.. 2 Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report Amy and Doug Witzig play with their daughters, Abigail, 6, and Ella, 4, in the backyard of their home in Peoria. When they decided they wanted to adopt their daughters from China . first Abigail in the summer of 2005, and then Ella, who has a congenital heart defect, in the fall of 2010 the couple chose to work with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI).The agency prepared their home studies, and helped them sort through the complexities of international adoption.

6 We're very happy to know they're ours, says Amy. The couple also serve as foster parents with LSSI and are currently caring for a 22-month-old boy. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report 5. Walter, Keith, Harli and Tracie Elliott hugs her sons Catherine (left to right) at Keith, 8, and James, 6, while their graduation from 4-year-old Donovan waits his Employment Skills School turn. Standing nearby is (ESS) in Marion, part of LSSI's Tracie's mom, Valerie, who Re-entry Program and cares for the children at her Prisoner and Family Ministry. home in Chicago while Designed specifically for Tracie serves her sentence at previously incarcerated men Decatur Correctional and women by the Southern Center. Illinois University Work Force Development Department, Every year, Visits to Mom, a ESS is a 23-day, program of LSSI's Prisoner comprehensive computer- and Family Ministry, makes based job preparation class 500 visits like this one possible for returning citizens and so that mothers and children parolees.

7 ESS was an can stay connected. The opportunity to start anew, kids want to remember how says one recent graduate of their mom hugs, says Elaine his experience. I had self- Evans, Visits to Mom gratification, a desire in me to coordinator. The visits are do more with my life. I priceless, she adds. finished something, and that is not something that I. regularly do. Of the program's 21 graduates, to date, only one has returned to prison a 95 percent success rate! 6 Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report Stacy, a resident of the Twenty-four hours a day, Residential Rehabilitation seven days a week, the staff Program at LSSI's Elgin at LSSI's Project IMPACT (Inter- Center, takes part in a group Multidisciplinary Pre-Screening where clients can discuss Assessment Crisis Team), their personal issues and including (from left): Frank feelings related to addiction Jeffers, supervisor; Melissa and recovery. Support Prusko, crisis worker; and groups are essential in the Manoj Patel, director, work to recovery process they help people in crisis people provide people with the skills dealing with mental illness, and tools to help them substance abuse and maintain abstinence and domestic violence.

8 Located long-term sobriety. In groups, adjacent to Swedish clients gain three important Covenant Hospital's things: knowledge about Emergency Room in Chicago, chemical dependence, Project IMPACT serves any how to identify potential individual who comes to the relapse triggers and how to emergency room needing cope with life while being mental health care or sober. substance abuse care, regardless of his or her ability to screening an individual, Project IMPACT staff will work with ER staff to either hospitalize patients on psychiatric units, or refer them for appropriate follow-up services in the unique program serves 250. people a month and 3,000 a year. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report 9. At Messiah Head Start, Devin (left) and Ericka (right), LaSonya Coleman, a teacher, fifth-graders at Centennial works with students Samantha School in Polo, work on Egg- (right) and Janilah on one of cellent Me an art project the center's focused on self-esteem . LSSI's five Head Start sites in with the help of counselor Chicago, students use Nina Setchell.

9 The girls computers to increase their participate in a social skills basic skills and to develop group that is offered at problem-solving and creative Centennial by LSSI's School- computers also foster Based Services. Says Setchell, social interactions and The group allows students cognitive development in fun opportunities to learn social and interactive ways. skills in a comfortable and peer-friendly environment. Messiah provides The skills they learn within the comprehensive services for group help them increase the children and families we their self-esteem, make and serve as they strive to respond improve friendships, and to economic and social learn manners and challenges in their lives, says appropriate ways to express Delphine Whittlesey, site their feelings. Professional director. Head Start is counselors, like Setchell, work important to the families in directly with schools in Lee, the West Englewood Ogle and Whiteside community because it is a Counties to provide shining light' we provide prevention and counseling support, motivation and services for K-12 children.

10 Encouragement, as families navigate daily challenges and personal circumstances.. 10 Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report Melanie, 13, hugs her adoptive mother, Ashley Whittington. Ashley and her husband, Dale, began fostering Melanie and her younger sisters, Stephanie, 12, and Faith, 5, in the spring of 2008 and have since adopted them. The dedicated couple, who live in southern West Frankfort, have made a tremendous difference in the girls' lives. It's been the most amazing experience. We needed them as much as they needed us, . says Ashley. The couple is also caring for another LSSI foster child, a 15-month-old boy who is developmentally delayed. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois 2010 Annual Report 13. At Intouch Adult Day Services in Moline, (from left) Betty, Leonard, Jack, Les and Gladys exercise with an Octoband. In addition to being a fun group activity especially when teacher Paula Sims places a stuffed animal in the middle of the Octoband and has participants make it jump this exercise tool strengthens participants' range of motion and eye-hand coordination.