Goal of $45,000 Met!

Thank You!

Lutheran Church Charities extends sincere thanks to our generous donors, whose donations have allowed us to provide scholarships for 15 students at Christ the King Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, Illinois.

Thanks to your generosity, in just a few weeks, we were able to raise $45,000 needed to sponsor 15 children for the entire year!
 
On Monday, October 5, Nikki Deacon, LCC's Ministry Director, and LCC volunteer Bob Morris presented the generous donations to Pastor John Brazeal and Principal Geri Brazeal.
 
Your donations make it possible for the children to stay in the Christ-centered environment of Christ the King Lutheran Church and School.
 
Thank you for changing the lives of children who otherwise would have no hope for their future.

LCC's Ministry Director Nikki Deacon and LCC volunteer Bob Morris presented donations to Pastor Cesar Sifuentes, of “Comedor San Mateo” Soup Kitchen at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois, and his wife Elly.
 
Thank you for helping St. Matthew’s to be the hands and feet of Jesus, reaching out and feeding the hungry and homeless in their community.

Thanks to a generous donation of yoga mats from Kathleen Enstrom, the children at Immanuel Christian Academy-Hillside were able to comfortably practice physical distancing

Because of your generous donations LCC was able to send funds to Haiti to buy food for the children we support through a scholarship program.
 
We received pictures and this note from Lophane Laurent.

LCC Thanks Members from St. John Northbrook, Illinois, for Generous Donation

Charlene Lemke presented a generous donation on behalf of members from St. John Lutheran Church in Northbrook, Illinois, to Vida Johnston, LCC Director of Operations, to continue the mission and ministries of Lutheran Church Charities.

In 2014, St. John’s opened its building to LCC to train future comfort dogs for its K-9 Ministry. In 2015, St. John deeded the building and property to LCC and continued to hold worship services in the church. That summer, LCC moved its headquarters to the Northbrook property. In 2019, St. John Lutheran Church closed with members attending the last worship service on Easter Sunday.

The staff at LCC thanks the members of St. John for their generous donation, servant hearts and many years of dedication to Lutheran Church Charities.

Toddler Yoga Mat Donation

A special thank you to LCC volunteer Kathleen Engstrom for another donation of 572 toddler yoga mats and to Bob and Eileen Desiron who drove to Racine, Wisconsin to pick up the donation.

For one of our larger schools this donation enabled them to save $6,000.00 that they did not have to spend from their already stress school budget. For day care, preschool, kindergarten, and first and second grade teachers it allowed them to create safe social distance spaces for their students on the classroom floor and allowing them to create the social distance space when they move the classroom outdoors.
Lutheran Church Charities was able to pass this donation of toddler yoga mats on to the following schools and ministries in Illinois:

•   Calvary, Wood Dale Baby Bank
•   Immanuel Lutheran School, Hillside
•   Immanuel Lutheran School, Palatine
•   St. John Lutheran School, Lombard
•   St. Matthew Lutheran School, Hawthorn Woods
•   St. Paul Lutheran Church, Oak Lawn
•   St. Peter Lutheran School, Schaumburg
•   Trinity Lutheran School, Roselle

On Tuesday, August 4, one hundred and fifty (150) yoga mats were brought to the Disaster Response for Families with Children workshop for children’s use after a disaster or to assist a school with COVID-19 preparations.

As of Thursday, August 6, all the mats were delivered to the following Lutheran schools:

• Christ the King Lutheran School, Chicago, Illinois
• St. John Lutheran Preschool, Wheaton, Illinois
• St. Peter’s Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten, Schaumburg, Illinois
• Trinity Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten, Roselle, Illinois

As our schools are preparing to open during the COVID-19 pandemic and because of the increase in cost to protect the children and staff, this donation was a blessing to each of these schools. That sentiment was echoed by each of the principals and teachers we talked to at these schools.

Mr. Cathcart will return to work this autumn as a teacher in the Kentucky School System, and although the car he would have used to commute to his newly acquired job recently failed, the Cathcarts are now the grateful recipients of the car donated by Laurie.

Laurie was moved to see that the donation of her vehicle was so appreciated and that it will be used by a family very much in need of such a gift.

Retired law enforcement, firefighters, business owners, and friends recently gathered to honor and remember Andy Whowell, retired Deputy Chief of Police, Arlington Heights Police Department, after 30 years of service to his community. Following his retirement in 2017, Andy continued to serve his community in many volunteer activities. Andy passed peacefully at his home on December 1, 2019.

On July 8, 2020, over 30 participants attended the first Annual Andy Whowell Memorial Golf Outing at Villa Olivia Golf Course in Bartlett, Illinois, in fellowship and to raise funds for charities he loved and supported. One near to his heart was volunteering at Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) and serving as a law enforcement handler with LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dog Susie from St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where he was a member, and LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dog Jacob (LCC Staff).

Andy was a person of great faith and is remembered for the well-being and compassion he showed to everyone he met. The first Annual Andy Whowell Memorial Golf Outing raised $1,725 for the LCC K-9 Police Ministry.

On Saturday, August 1, donations were presented by Ray Cowin, Retired Chicago Police Lieutenant, to Tim Hetzner, Lutheran Church Charities President/CEO. Also present were Andy’s wife Ingrid, his son Matthew, Stephanie Keller with LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Susie (St. Peter Lutheran Church - Arlington Heights, Illinois), and Corporal Terri Albright, Community Resource Unit for the DuPage County Sheriff Department and law enforcement handler for LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dog Julia (King of Glory - Elgin, Illinois).

Several golf event participants and friends of Andy also attended: John Lawlor, Arlington Heights Public Works, Ken Galinski, Retired Arlington Heights Police Officer, and Tim Barrett, Retired Arlington Heights Police Officer.

Lutheran Church Charities was blessed by Andy’s servant heart and thanks his friends and family for their generous donation to the LCC K-9 Police Ministry in his honor. We continue to pray for his family, friends, law enforcement peers, and the many lives he touched.