Stories

Helping Seniors Live at Home Why should a person lose everything just because they are old?” asks Marva Stewart, 71, Chicago.
Haiti Relief Effort ‘a work of the heart’ for Members of LSSI’s Journey’s Members of the Journeys program, at LSSI's Portage Cragin Counseling Center on the northwest side of Chicago, took a journey of their own early in February when they organized a "Have a Heart" donation drive to benefit the earthquake victims in Haiti
Building A New Life After Prison A unique scholarship program links graduates of LSSI's Building Homes:Rebuilding Lives with Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
A New Playground for North Austin Head Start In September 2008, LSSI’s North Austin Head Start playground received a major facelift.
LSSI Employee Featured in Foster Kids Are Our Kids Campaign Chiketa Matthews, a licensing specialist with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), is one of three former foster children featured in the new, statewide Foster Kids Are Our Kids campaign, “I’m Doing Good.”
Preserving Adoptions One Family at a Time Twila and David Mustain of Galesburg didn’t expect to fill their two-bedroom bungalow-style house with five adopted children.
One Mother’s Determination Hard work, persistence and help from LSSI enable a woman struggling with domestic violence and drug abuse issues to reunite with her daughter, who was placed in foster care.
LSSI's 2008 Foster Parent Law Implementation Plan Earns Award On May 16, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) presented LSSI with an award for its plan.
An Adoption Journey Home Jody and Rose Baker decided to go home, to Rose's village in the Philippines, to expand their family.
Keeping Families Intact In the midst of turmoil, one southern Illinois family finds help through Intact Family Services. The program works with families in their homes, keeping children out of the child welfare system.
Linking Seniors to Resources Social service coordinators link residents of LSSI’s senior housing programs to services and benefits to help them live fully and independently.
LSSI Group Homes: A Place to Develop The goal of LSSI's group homes for people with developmental disabilities is to provide a living environment that is structured caring and also nurtures residents' independence.
Building Homes Rebuilding Lives Building Homes:Rebuilding Lives, a partnership between LSSI, the Illinois Department of Corrections, Habitat for Humanity and School District 428, offers inmates the opportunity to give back to the community.
In the Comfort of Home Intouch Services in Peoria, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary, makes home care services affordable, enabling seniors to stay in their homes.
Keeping Adults at Home Intouch Adult Day Services provides older adults with the opportunity to maintain their residences in the community while providing peace of mind for their loved ones.
Making Their Own Wings Collaboration between staff members and clients enhances LSSI's innovative and effective mental health programs.
Ms. Shelby Gives Up on No Child Champaign foster mother opens her home to give help and hope to many children, including hard-to-place teenage boys.
Peterson Meadows Retirement Community Grows Friendships Peterson Meadows offers residents comfortable, maintenance-free housing, built-in companionship and lots of ways to keep active.
Putting the Pieces Together Lifebooks helps children in foster care preserve their life stories, embrace their strengths and make sense of loss, trauma and change.
Second Family: A Legacy of Hope For 12 years, Second Family helped HIV-infected women make permanency plans for their children and find support and a sense of community.
Telepsychiatry: Picture to Picture, Face to Face In its Telepsychiatry Program, LSSI uses technology to connect adolescents served by Nachusa Lutheran Home with a psychiatrist 90 miles away at its Des Plaines office.
The Dream of Family Adopting From Around the World For people who dream of having a family, international adoption offers a compelling way to bring that dream to life and give a child a loving home.
The Hands of Head Start At LSSI's six Head Start sites in Chicago, parent volunteers help out, providing invaluable support to teachers and staff and enriching students' Head Start experience.
A Positive Influence LSSI’s School-Based Program, offered at 15 public schools in north central Illinois, provides a variety of education and support services to students, freeing them to focus their energy on schoolwork.
A Spirit of Caring New awards highlight special volunteers throughout the state for their unique contributions to LSSI's work.
Adoption Day: Sharing The Joy In the late August, when Chris and Sophie officially became members of Shaun and Kim Bill's family, their loved ones and friends were there to celebrate.
All About Gratitude Graduates of the Men's Residence West, an LSSI substance abuse program, give back and help others nurture their sobriety.
Churches Reach Out With Ministry Of Hope Three churches receive the 2005 Ministry of Hope Award for their efforts in extending social ministry to their communities.
Connecting With a New Life Incarcerated women frequently lack access to services that allow them to successfully re-enter the community, but LSSI’s Connections program is there to support and empower them and their families.
Corporate Lawyer to Cruise Director After taking early retirement last year, Scott Gierke began work as a volunteer activity coordinator with Journeys, a community-based program for adults with mental illness in Chicago.
Detox Opens the Door Sometimes the first opportunity to engage people in treatment, LSSI’s Detox program brings hope to those struggling with alcoholism and other drug addictions.
Dreams Do Come True In May, people gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the culmination of a dream called Shady Oaks, a program for adults with developmental disabilities.
Faithful Servants: Long-Term LSSI Employees Reflect On Their Work LSSI’s veteran employees bring a variety of rich resources to the agency — including a dedication to LSSI clients and a sense of institutional history.
Finding Support Strength and New Possibilities LSSI's Single Parent Program helps participants find support and develop skills that lead to greater independence and self-empowerment.
Foster Parenting There's nothing better than to be a foster parent, says a southern Illinois woman who adopted a special needs foster child.
Healing Families: A Community Effort Family to Family works to keep children in their neighborhoods whenever possible and to speed reunification of families separated by abuse and neglect.
Home Is Where Your Heart Is The P.A. Peterson Center for Health offers a wide range of living options for seniors, as well as services to the greater Rockford community.
Internships at LSSI Eager to learn and contribute, students benefit from serving LSSI clients through the agency's numerous internships. And LSSI programs benefit, too.
The Womens Network The Women's Network, founded 25 years ago, has grown to be a group of more than 80 women who pool their collective skills and enthusiasm to make a difference in the lives of the people served by the agency.
What You Give From the Heart LSSI clients, volunteers and staff from around the state reflect on what Christmas means to them.
When I Was In Prison Thursday Ministry volunteers reach out to Dixon Correctional Center inmates, bringing love and spiritual inspiration.
When You Need Extra Help In Rockford, LSSI offers a variety of living and care options for seniors. Jeannette Muehlemeyer and Shirley Lundgren, who live full lives at Peterson Meadows and P.A. Peterson Center for Health, receive daily assistance tailored to their needs.
A Refugee's Story A Vietnamese refugee finds a connection with other people in recovery at LSSI's Intensive Outpatient Group in Chicago.
Barnabas Ministers: A Heart Connection Volunteers provide a listening ear and friendship to “special people” — the residents at P.A. Peterson Center for Health in Rockford.

Helping Seniors Live at Home
Why should a person lose everything just because they are old?” asks Marva Stewart, 71, Chicago.

Haiti Relief Effort ‘a work of the heart’ for Members of LSSI’s Journey’s
Members of the Journeys program, at LSSI's Portage Cragin Counseling Center on the northwest side of Chicago, took a journey of their own early in February when they organized a "Have a Heart" donation drive to benefit the earthquake victims in Haiti

Building A New Life After Prison
A unique scholarship program links graduates of LSSI's Building Homes:Rebuilding Lives with Habitat for Humanity affiliates.

A New Playground for North Austin Head Start
In September 2008, LSSI’s North Austin Head Start playground received a major facelift.

LSSI Employee Featured in Foster Kids Are Our Kids Campaign
Chiketa Matthews, a licensing specialist with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI), is one of three former foster children featured in the new, statewide Foster Kids Are Our Kids campaign, “I’m Doing Good.”

Preserving Adoptions One Family at a Time
Twila and David Mustain of Galesburg didn’t expect to fill their two-bedroom bungalow-style house with five adopted children.

One Mother’s Determination
Hard work, persistence and help from LSSI enable a woman struggling with domestic violence and drug abuse issues to reunite with her daughter, who was placed in foster care.

LSSI's 2008 Foster Parent Law Implementation Plan Earns Award
On May 16, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) presented LSSI with an award for its plan.

An Adoption Journey Home
Jody and Rose Baker decided to go home, to Rose's village in the Philippines, to expand their family.

Keeping Families Intact
In the midst of turmoil, one southern Illinois family finds help through Intact Family Services. The program works with families in their homes, keeping children out of the child welfare system.

Linking Seniors to Resources
Social service coordinators link residents of LSSI’s senior housing programs to services and benefits to help them live fully and independently.

LSSI Group Homes: A Place to Develop
The goal of LSSI's group homes for people with developmental disabilities is to provide a living environment that is structured caring and also nurtures residents' independence.

Building Homes Rebuilding Lives
Building Homes:Rebuilding Lives, a partnership between LSSI, the Illinois Department of Corrections, Habitat for Humanity and School District 428, offers inmates the opportunity to give back to the community.

In the Comfort of Home
Intouch Services in Peoria, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary, makes home care services affordable, enabling seniors to stay in their homes.

Keeping Adults at Home
Intouch Adult Day Services provides older adults with the opportunity to maintain their residences in the community while providing peace of mind for their loved ones.

Making Their Own Wings
Collaboration between staff members and clients enhances LSSI's innovative and effective mental health programs.

Ms. Shelby Gives Up on No Child
Champaign foster mother opens her home to give help and hope to many children, including hard-to-place teenage boys.

Peterson Meadows Retirement Community Grows Friendships
Peterson Meadows offers residents comfortable, maintenance-free housing, built-in companionship and lots of ways to keep active.

Putting the Pieces Together
Lifebooks helps children in foster care preserve their life stories, embrace their strengths and make sense of loss, trauma and change.

Second Family: A Legacy of Hope
For 12 years, Second Family helped HIV-infected women make permanency plans for their children and find support and a sense of community.

Telepsychiatry: Picture to Picture, Face to Face
In its Telepsychiatry Program, LSSI uses technology to connect adolescents served by Nachusa Lutheran Home with a psychiatrist 90 miles away at its Des Plaines office.

The Dream of Family Adopting From Around the World
For people who dream of having a family, international adoption offers a compelling way to bring that dream to life and give a child a loving home.

The Hands of Head Start
At LSSI's six Head Start sites in Chicago, parent volunteers help out, providing invaluable support to teachers and staff and enriching students' Head Start experience.

A Positive Influence
LSSI’s School-Based Program, offered at 15 public schools in north central Illinois, provides a variety of education and support services to students, freeing them to focus their energy on schoolwork.

A Spirit of Caring
New awards highlight special volunteers throughout the state for their unique contributions to LSSI's work.

Adoption Day: Sharing The Joy
In the late August, when Chris and Sophie officially became members of Shaun and Kim Bill's family, their loved ones and friends were there to celebrate.

All About Gratitude
Graduates of the Men's Residence West, an LSSI substance abuse program, give back and help others nurture their sobriety.

Churches Reach Out With Ministry Of Hope
Three churches receive the 2005 Ministry of Hope Award for their efforts in extending social ministry to their communities.

Connecting With a New Life
Incarcerated women frequently lack access to services that allow them to successfully re-enter the community, but LSSI’s Connections program is there to support and empower them and their families.

Corporate Lawyer to Cruise Director
After taking early retirement last year, Scott Gierke began work as a volunteer activity coordinator with Journeys, a community-based program for adults with mental illness in Chicago.

Detox Opens the Door
Sometimes the first opportunity to engage people in treatment, LSSI’s Detox program brings hope to those struggling with alcoholism and other drug addictions.

Dreams Do Come True
In May, people gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the culmination of a dream called Shady Oaks, a program for adults with developmental disabilities.

Faithful Servants: Long-Term LSSI Employees Reflect On Their Work
LSSI’s veteran employees bring a variety of rich resources to the agency — including a dedication to LSSI clients and a sense of institutional history.

Finding Support Strength and New Possibilities
LSSI's Single Parent Program helps participants find support and develop skills that lead to greater independence and self-empowerment.

Foster Parenting
There's nothing better than to be a foster parent, says a southern Illinois woman who adopted a special needs foster child.

Healing Families: A Community Effort
Family to Family works to keep children in their neighborhoods whenever possible and to speed reunification of families separated by abuse and neglect.

Home Is Where Your Heart Is
The P.A. Peterson Center for Health offers a wide range of living options for seniors, as well as services to the greater Rockford community.

Internships at LSSI
Eager to learn and contribute, students benefit from serving LSSI clients through the agency's numerous internships. And LSSI programs benefit, too.

The Womens Network
The Women's Network, founded 25 years ago, has grown to be a group of more than 80 women who pool their collective skills and enthusiasm to make a difference in the lives of the people served by the agency.

What You Give From the Heart
LSSI clients, volunteers and staff from around the state reflect on what Christmas means to them.

When I Was In Prison
Thursday Ministry volunteers reach out to Dixon Correctional Center inmates, bringing love and spiritual inspiration.

When You Need Extra Help
In Rockford, LSSI offers a variety of living and care options for seniors. Jeannette Muehlemeyer and Shirley Lundgren, who live full lives at Peterson Meadows and P.A. Peterson Center for Health, receive daily assistance tailored to their needs.

A Refugee's Story
A Vietnamese refugee finds a connection with other people in recovery at LSSI's Intensive Outpatient Group in Chicago.

Barnabas Ministers: A Heart Connection
Volunteers provide a listening ear and friendship to “special people” — the residents at P.A. Peterson Center for Health in Rockford.