Kathy O’Day, Lutheran Church Charities Director of Disaster Response, received an urgent financial assistance request from Tim Richter, Director of Christian Education (DCE) at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, to purchase basic living items needed for very low-income community members in Harlem Heights recovering from the destruction of their homes from Hurricane Ian. Debra Mathinos, Chief Programs Officer of Harlem Heights Community Center, made the initial request for assistance to Zion Lutheran Church, one of their very involved community partners for the past nine years.
 
This area experienced the hurricane-driven flood surge. All had 4’-8’ of water throughout their homes. Families had to be rescued, and all have lost what little they had owned.
 
Most of these families are now living in fully gutted homes, old campers, and even some tents on their property – and they will be living like this for at least the next six months to a year or more until their homes can be repaired or rebuilt.

This week, your donations through Lutheran Church Charities helped Zion Lutheran Church order and purchase 40 microwaves and deliver 50 folding chairs to Harlem Heights Community Center for families in need. Debra Mathinos is very appreciative for the assistance from their community partner, Zion Lutheran Church.
 
Zion is continuing to meet with Debra to see what basic living needs – such as microwaves, crockpots, hot plates, mini refrigerators, card tables, and chairs – are still needed by 40-50 families that can be met with LCC assistance. This will allow families to cook simple meals, have a place to sit and eat, and for children to do homework as they try to live as best they can in their gutted homes with minimal functional electrical outlets.

Last week, four L.E.R.T. volunteers from Trinity Lisle continued to serve with other L.E.R.T. teams out of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida.
 
Jan Boerman and Linda Arnold were able to distribute air mattresses, pillows, blankets, children’s backpacks, and other items from Zion’s distribution center to many families who have lost everything in devastated South Fort Myers neighborhoods. These families were very grateful to receive these items, as they have also lost their means of transportation and could not get to the church to get much needed supplies or were afraid to leave their damaged homes. They consider it a blessing to pray with and serve residents of this area that have not received a lot of attention or assistance.

Ed Boerman and Clay Arnold assisted with chainsaw and tractor work on extremely hard hit Captiva and Pine Islands.

If any L.E.R.T certified individual is interested in volunteering on their own to do muck-outs or chainsaw work, LCMS Disaster Response is still operating a base camp at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida. It is planning to remain open until the second week of December.
 
CLICK HERE for more information.

Please prayerfully consider donating to help Lutheran Church Charities and Zion Lutheran Church help Harlem Heights families who are struggling and in need.

Please continue to pray for the residents affected by Hurricane Ian as they face a long recovery process.

LCC received a request from Pastor Tim Eckert of Word of God Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to help fund a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a woman in need the church is assisting.

One of the most faithful members at Word of God Lutheran Church for the Deaf, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a woman named Sheri. Sheri is a very pleasant and independent person who loves going to church and socializing and would like to have a regular job. 
 
Cerebral Palsy and a pair of unsuccessful surgeries earlier in life left her unable to walk. She manages very well with the help of assistive devices, but getting into and out of a car independently remains a challenge. 
 
Sheri has checked out used vans, determined a price that would work, and begun saving. She needs about $30,000 more to reach her goal. 
 
Please help make a difference in her life and give her the gift of greater independence. 
 
In Christ,
 
Pastor Tim Eckert
Word of God Lutheran Church for the Deaf
Cedar Rapids, Iowa,

My name is Sheri, and I was born with Cerebral Palsy.
 
I use an electric wheelchair, an electric scooter, and a walker every day. I have owned my own car for many years, but my electric wheelchair and/or scooter cannot fit in the back. I am not able to physically get my manual chair in and out of the vehicle, and I have to depend on others around me to help. 
 
This poses a problem because I am an independent person, and whenever I drive anywhere, I have to make sure someone is there to help me each time I get in and out of my car. 
 
I am looking for funding to get a wheelchair accessible van to improve my quality of life and help me remain as independent as possible.
 
Gratefully,
 
Sheri

Kathy O’Day, Lutheran Church Charities Director of Disaster Response, received an urgent financial assistance request from Tim Richter, Director of Christian Education (DCE) at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, to purchase basic living items needed for very low-income community members in Harlem Heights recovering from the destruction of their homes from Hurricane Ian. Debra Mathinos, Chief Programs Officer of Harlem Heights Community Center, made the initial request for assistance to Zion Lutheran Church, one of their very involved community partners for the past nine years.

Lutheran Church Charities is partnering with Zion Lutheran Church to use your financial donations to purchase microwaves, crockpots, hot plates, mini refrigerators, card tables, and chairs for at least 40-50 families.
 
This will allow families to cook simple meals, have a place to sit and eat, and for children to do homework as they try to live as best they can in their gutted homes with minimal functional electrical outlets.

Zion Lutheran Church will purchase the needed items from local businesses. Tim Richter and Jan Boerman, L.E.R.T. leader from Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, Illinois, who is still serving in Florida, will deliver these needed items to the Harlem Heights Community Center for family disbursement as soon as they can.

Harlem Heights is a severely distressed community in South Fort Myers, with families living in poverty at twice the rate of the rest of Lee County in Florida. The average household income of a typical Harlem Heights family is less than $25,000/year. Demographically, this community is 71% Hispanic (from Haiti, Guatemala and El Salvador), 20% African-American, and 9% Caucasian.
 
Within the boundaries of Harlem Heights, there are 350 single-family homes, 400 apartments, and more than 750 children. Ninety-five percent of the residents were employed in the service industry on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. Due to the hurricane, their jobs and means of support are now gone.

The Harlem Heights Community Center and its Foundation is a grassroots organization that works to build strong, self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood by providing charitable outreach projects in the community with community partnerships. The foundation also operates the community center, early learning center, and school. They are heavily involved in serving this community and helping find resources to assist families in recovering from this devastating disaster.
 
Beginning last week and continuing, four L.E.R.T. volunteers from Trinity Lisle are serving out of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida. Ed and Jan Boerman and Clay and Linda Arnold have been doing chainsaw work and helping homeowners salvage and pack belongings in their flooded homes.

If any L.E.R.T certified individual is interested in volunteering on their own to do muck-outs or chainsaw work, LCMS Disaster Response is still operating a base camp at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida. It is planning to remain open until the second week of December.
 
CLICK HERE for more information.

Please prayerfully consider donating to help Lutheran Church Charities and Zion Lutheran Church help Harlem Heights families who are struggling and in need.

Please continue to pray for the residents affected by Hurricane Ian as they face a long recovery process.

LCC received the following request from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois.

Dear Friends,
 
We have a Syrian asylum seeker family who needs help with immigration services expenses. There is no light at the end of the tunnel in the civil war in Syria that is still claiming innocent lives and destroying families.
 
Please help this family of three survive and have a new life in this great country as they wait for the work permit that will take five months.
 
The amount needed is $2,500. Please show the love of Christ to this new family coming to Salam by donating generously.
 
In Christ,
 
Pastor Hesham Shehab
Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

LCC the following request from Pat Layton, Director of Counseling, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Palm Springs, California:

Blessings!
 
I am writing on behalf of Nancy, age 43, a single woman seeking assistance for a month's rental coverage. She is attending Our Savior's Lutheran Church. Nancy survived an abusive home situation and is working on recovery through our congregation, seeking counseling and involvement in one of our church's ministries which focuses on breaking the cycle of dysfunctional lives.
 
She plans to cover her future monthly expenses, including rent, but fell behind on this month's housing and is in danger of eviction. Her work income is minimal and bi-monthly. She is scheduled to have surgery in a few weeks, which will limit her income. She is seeking a better-paying job after surgery. She is receiving government assistance to help with groceries and is determined to get back on her feet.
 
Nancy is a Christian, seeking to mature in her faith and be involved in our congregation's studies and fellowship. She has been proactive in educating herself through her study of the Bible, previously leaving an unhealthy religious background and relying on the gospels. She is very honest about her past situation struggles and is determined to better her life and be involved in healthy Christian connections.
 
Please prayerfully consider donating to help Nancy her get back on her feet.
 
Blessings,
 
Pat Layton
Director of Counseling
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
Palm Springs, California

If you are so moved, please prayerfully consider donating to help Nancy stay in her home.

On Monday, September 12, LCC presented your generous donations to Pastor Doug Warmann, Assistant Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois, to help a recently widowed mom of five with a sixth baby on the way. Trinity has been caring for and financially assisting Jessica and her five children Cameron, age 10; Freya age 1; Logan, age 8; Mia, age 4; Dustin, age 2.
 
The family is deeply grateful for the generous support. Their needs are still great and ongoing, and your support is a witness to this family of Christ’s Mercy and Compassion.
 
If you are so moved, please prayerfully consider donating generously to help Jessica provide for her five children.

Posted: August 16, 2022

LCC received the following request from Pastor Doug Warmann, Assistant Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois:

I am writing to ask for assistance and help in providing for the needs of a young family in Roselle, Illinois, who are grieving the recent loss of a husband and father and trying to make ends meet.   
 
The 34-year-old mother, Jessica, with connections to Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, and her five baptized children (3 boys and 2 girls- ages 1, 2, 4, 8, 10) with another child expected in March 2023 recently lost her 40-year-old husband and children’s father suddenly in late June 2022. There is minimal family help from the father or mother’s side of the family, and the husband had no insurance. As a church, we are doing what we can to help the family and working with the family to receive as much government support as possible. 
 
The mother has been working at UPS for the past 12 years, up to 25 hours each week. She has worked the 3:30-8:30 AM shift so she can be there for her kids. Earlier this week, she was put on work leave because of an injury for the next six weeks with reduced pay. She will need to go back to work in September to provide for her children. She is a good mother who cares for the needs of her children and wants to keep them all together. The biggest challenge has been finding childcare (and having income to pay for it) because of the mother’s early work shift.
 
Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle is asking for your prayers, ongoing financial assistance, and other resources to care for this family in need. Thank you for the work you do in caring for people in our community and for your gracious consideration!
 
Pastor Doug Warmann
Assistant Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church
Roselle, Illinois
 
If you are so moved, please prayerfully consider donating generously to help Jessica provide for her five children.

Lutheran Church Charities continues to partner with the Prospect Heights Police Department victim advocates as they identify needs and provide assistance to residents affected by the large condominium fire last week, very near the LCC office. These advocates are working closely with all affected residents to make referrals of available community resources to aid in their recovery, as well as provide interpretive services to the many Polish and Hispanic-speaking residents.

The greatest need right now is to assist residents in securing new housing as quickly as possible. Residents are beginning to work with their insurance companies to understand coverage of their losses and to seek new housing, as many anticipate they will be out of their units for many months to a year.

A few units did not sustain any fire or water damage, but because 32 units are in the same building, they had some smoke damage, and all utilities were cut off to the entire building. These residents have been told they could be out of their homes for 4-6 weeks, but since there's no actual fire damage, insurance is not covering many of their expenses.
 
Lutheran Church Charities anticipates assisting with temporary housing needs as identified and requested by the victim advocates in the coming weeks. Please pray for everyone impacted by this tragic fire. If you are so moved, please donate to help LCC help our neighbors as we bring the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need.

On Thursday, August 25, Kathy O’Day, Lutheran Church Charities Director of Disaster Response, received a call from the Prospect Heights, Illinois, Police Department regarding resident assistance for a fire at the Willow Heights Condominiums. This fire damaged 32 units and displaced over 100 residents.

Lynda Streich, Interim LCC President/CEO, and Kathy O'Day responded immediately and assisted the Prospect Heights social workers with completing intake forms with affected residents. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in training, Daniel, Grace, Lazarus, and Michael, with LCC staff and volunteers, also came to provide comfort and care to distraught and displaced residents. Prospect Heights police and fire departments expressed their sincere thanks to LCC for our prompt and caring response to their residents in need.

On Friday, LCC reached out to Betty Franz from Immanuel Lutheran Church Good Samaritan Ministries in Palatine, Illinois, to see if they could offer residents who lost everything any assistance. On Saturday, several fire-affected residents were welcomed to fill a large bag with free clothing and household items they needed. Betty stated that the residents who came were very appreciative of what they received and for being able to share their struggles and concerns with caring Christian volunteers.
 
Lutheran Church Charities will continue to partner with the Prospect Heights Police Department victim advocates as they identify needs and provide assistance to residents affected by the fire. They provide interpretive services to Hispanic, Russian, and Polish-speaking residents so they can be informed of the available community resources to aid in their recovery.

The greatest need right now is to assist families in securing new housing as quickly as possible. Four families have already been identified by the advocates as needing some rental assistance as they seek a new place to live.
 
Some of those affected by the fire have been staying in hotels that were funded by the Red Cross or their insurance company for this week only, but many will not have the funds to stay longer and risk becoming homeless. Some are staying with family or friends temporarily, and even a few are in their vehicles. As families seek to secure housing, LCC is ready and willing to assist as requested.
 
Please pray for everyone responding and impacted by this tragic fire. If you are so moved, please donate to help LCC help our neighbors as we bring the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need.

LCC received the following request from Pastor Christopher Browne at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois:

Friends,
 
We have some church members who have lost several family members. One of the family members was the brother. They are in need of $945 to cover burial expenses. The cost is to open and close the vault and put in the Urn with ashes.
 
Pastor Christopher Browne
Our Saviour Lutheran Church
Chicago, Illinois

Please consider donating to help this family bury their loved one.

LCC received a request from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois:

LCC received the following request from Pastor Jamie Holt of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Illinois:

Marcelle and her four children are members of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, St. Charles. The single mother of four has diligently worked to provide the best for her family. Last year her oldest daughter, 18-year-old Carli, had just graduated high school and was beginning her college education before the unthinkable happened.
 
She was studying and working hard to help her mother make ends meet and help support the household. After falling ill, Carli was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This aggressive cancer required intense, immediate, and continuing treatment. Over the next several months, Carli was subjected to constant medical testing, hospitalizations, and treatments. Her medical needs required Marcelle to leave her job to provide assistance to Carli's daily needs.
 
Carli has been a warrior through this and is bravely battling her disease. In March, Carli received a bone marrow transplant from her sister. This stem cell therapy as part of her treatment plan along with continued chemotherapy provided encouraging results. The cancer was in remission.
 
The specialized treatment and medical care have left the family with devastating debt. With little income, the bills are piling up. The family pleas for financial assistance, which will alleviate some of their stress and help Marcelle focus her energy on caring for her four children. 
 
St. Mark's asks that you prayerfully consider donating to this wonderful family and grant Marcelle's family some financial peace of mind.
 
Thank you for your consideration and may the Lord continue to bless your work for His kingdom!
 
Pastor Jamie Holt
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
St. Charles, Illinois

If you are so moved, please prayerfully consider donating to help Marcelle provide for her four children.