 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.
Your Donations Will Help 40 – 50 Families in Need! 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.
Assessments Completed: 102 Chainsaw Worksites Completed: 78 Muck Out & Salvaging Belongings Completed: 11  Helping Churches and Homeowners with Physical Recovery and Spiritual Care in Hardest-Hit Areas with Recovery Efforts Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the US mainland, battered southwest Florida as it moved inland. Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response Director Kathy O'Day and Ed Boerman, Northern Illinois District Disaster Response Coordinators, are working with the LCMS Disaster Response and District Disaster Response Coordinator Jay Wendland from the Florida-Georgia District.  As of Sunday, October 23, eighteen LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers are in Florida with chainsaws, heavy equipment, and servant-hearts to continue the massive recovery effort in our designated communities of Venice, Port Charlotte, and Englewood, as well as North Port, Punta Gorda, and Rotunda West until the end of October. These communities were in the eye of a slow-moving hurricane, with residents enduring nine hours of sheltering in place while 125+mph winds and multiple tornadoes passed over their homes. Since our arrival, LCC has completed 102 property assessments of tree damage which requires chainsaw and heavy equipment assistance. We are also assessing for debris removal or helping homeowners salvage their belongings from heavily damaged or destroyed homes.
During their first two weeks in Florida, L.E.R.T. volunteers completed seventy-eight tree-damaged property sites and eleven property sites with muck out, debris removal, or salvaging assistance. The teams worked at four churches, two pastor homes, ten church worker or congregational staff homes, and many congregational members and community residents. Most of all, L.E.R.T. volunteers are present to provide spiritual and emotional care with those they serve. Helping a Recent Widow with Property Damage
Removing a Giant Tree from Hard-Hit Property
BEFORE AFTER  Helping Homeowner Recovering from Recent Open Heart Surgery While working on another property, we met a female homeowner in her 40s who was recovering from a recent open-heart surgery. In fact, this was her fourth heart surgery. Her property had quite a yard of downed trees, and she didn’t know how she was going to get it taken care of as she has many medical expenses. She truly appreciated the caring support and was amazed that we would offer to help her at no cost in her time of need. Working Together to Serve Homeowners in Need
LCC never goes where we are not invited. We NEVER charge those we serve! If you are so moved, please donate to the LCC Disaster Response Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. Please pray for the residents in the impacted communities and all of the LCC Disaster Response volunteers and staff during our deployment to the hardest-hit areas of Florida to help during the long recovery process.
 Working with LCMS Florida-Georgia District Disaster Response Coordinators to Help Impacted Churches, Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas with Recovery Efforts Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the US mainland, battered southwest Florida with high winds, rain, and storm surges as it moved inland. The death toll reported is now more than 100 as search and rescue teams continue to go door to door throughout impacted communities. As the storm swept ashore in southwest Florida, it raged across the state with catastrophic 150 mph winds and a deadly storm surge of up to 18 feet. Estimated to be about 140 miles wide, it was downgraded from a high category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm as it moved slowly northeast, causing vast destruction and major flooding.  Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response Director Kathy O'Day and Ed Boerman, Northern Illinois District Disaster Response Coordinators, are working with the LCMS Disaster Response and District Disaster Response Coordinator Jay Wendland from the Florida-Georgia District. On Sunday, October 9, eighteen LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers arrived in Florida with chainsaws, heavy equipment, and servant-hearts to begin the massive recovery effort in our designated communities of Venice, Port Charlotte, and Englewood until the end of October. Additional L.E.R.T. volunteers will arrive throughout the deployment. As of Monday, five churches, four pastors, and thirty-one congregation members from five different churches need immediate property assistance. Assessments began upon arrival, and some of the homeowner damage is so bad that homes are uninhabitable. Additional assessments will continue throughout the three-week deployment. Lakeside Lutheran Joyfully Serves Community through L.E.R.T. On Monday, LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers completed all of the property clean-up at the host church, Lakeside Lutheran, in Venice, Florida. Pastor David Dahlke and congregation members are very welcoming and supportive of our team members. They are amazed at all of the work done to clean up their property so quickly. Lakeside’s mission is “to joyfully serve,” and they have been joyfully serving our L.E.R.T. volunteers so that we can represent them as we serve in their communities.
Restoring Hope at Redeemer Lutheran Church
LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers will provide chainsaw, heavy equipment, boom lift assistance, and some mucking and gutting of a flooded church sanctuary. Our teams will also provide spiritual and emotional care as many people took shelter in their homes and endured horrific conditions while the hurricane passed through their cities. Residents are overwhelmed with the devastation and need the reassurance and hope found in Jesus Christ. LCC never goes where we are not invited. We NEVER charge those we serve! If you are so moved, please donate to the LCC Disaster Response Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. Please pray for the residents in the impacted communities and all of the LCC Disaster Response volunteers and staff during our deployment to the hardest-hit areas of Florida to help during the long recovery process.
 The families and staff at Saint Michael Lutheran Church and School in Fort Meyers, Florida, were impacted by the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian. More than 40 families from their congregation lost their homes. Some of the teachers' homes were flooded or have cars that were no longer drivable. It has been a challenging time for all. Through all of these challenges, their Pastor, Principal, Director of Christian education, teachers, parents, and congregation have worked together to help one another.  Lori Schwan, Director of Christian Education from Saint Michael, invited the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs to be at the school on Tuesday as the teachers, parents, and children returned for the first time since Hurricane Ian. It was a soft opening, allowing teachers and parents to meet with counselors from Lutheran Counseling Service in the morning and then an open house for the students in the afternoon. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Jemimah (St. Paul - Boca Raton, Florida), Moriah (St. Luke - Oviedo, Florida), and Peace (Trinity - Orlando, Florida) traveled to be present with the staff, parents, and teachers to bring comfort, love and a gentle and kind distraction from all the stress and loss the community is facing.
The LCC K-9 Ministry teams were blessed to see the teachers' and parents' faces relax and the lines of stress ease as they petted and interacted with the dogs. Seeing the children smile and hug the Comfort Dogs was a gift. Even in our darkest times, God's light shines and directs our paths. People are working together, helping each other, and watching over each other during these times of tragedy to help lighten the load. "For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness." Psalm 18:28 LCC never goes where we are not invited. We NEVER charge those we serve! If you are so moved, please donate to the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Travel Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.
 Working with LCMS Florida-Georgia District Disaster Response Coordinators to Help Impacted Churches, Individuals and Families in Hardest-Hit Areas with Recovery Efforts Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the US mainland, battered southwest Florida with high winds, rain, and storm surges as it moved inland. The death toll reported is now more than 100 as search and rescue teams continue to go door to door throughout impacted communities. As the storm swept ashore in southwest Florida last week, it raged across the state with catastrophic 150 mph winds and a deadly storm surge of up to 18 feet. Estimated to be about 140 miles wide, it downgraded from a high category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm as it moved slowly northeast, causing vast destruction and major flooding.  Lutheran Church Charities Disaster Response Director Kathy O'Day and Ed Boerman, Northern Illinois District Disaster Response Coordinators, have been collaborating with the LCMS Disaster Response and District Disaster Response Coordinators Joel Mathews and Jay Wendland from the Florida-Georgia District. Rev. Ross Johnson, Director, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Disaster Response, and Jay Wendland have asked Kathy O'Day, Ed Boerman, and L.E.R.T. team leader Marty Johnson to be in Florida this week to be part of the assessment team. Approximately twenty-six LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers will begin serving out of Lakeside Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida, which is located 30 minutes from Englewood and Port Charlotte. Pastor David Dahlke has graciously welcomed our team to stay at Lakeside Lutheran. Brenda Gustafson, Church Administrator shared, “We are an older congregation and cannot get out into the community, so we are thrilled to serve you so that you can be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities.” LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers will begin arriving in Florida on Sunday, October 9, and will be serving in our designated communities until the end of October.  LCMS Disaster Response has asked us to begin our work with two heavily damaged churches, Trinity Lutheran of Southwest in Port Charlotte and Redeemer Lutheran Church & School in Englewood, and remove downed trees at our host church Lakeside Lutheran. All three congregations also have several staff and congregation members who have property damage. In addition, we will serve affected residents as requested in these communities. LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers will provide chainsaw, heavy equipment, and boom lift assistance, and some mucking and gutting of a flooded church sanctuary. Our teams will also provide spiritual and emotional care as many people took shelter in their homes and endured horrific conditions while the hurricane passed through their cities. Residents are overwhelmed with the devastation and need the reassurance and hope found in Jesus Christ. LCC never goes where we are not invited. |
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