Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) is a social service organization headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with programs serving residents in each of the state's 87 counties.
As the largest non-profit organization in Minnesota, LSS employs over 2,300 staff and is supported by 10,000 volunteers. The organization traces its roots to 1865 when Reverend Eric Norelius took in four orphaned Swedish children, founding the Vasa Children's Home.
Video Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
Mission
LSS "expresses the love of Christ for all people through service that inspires hope, changes lives, and builds community." The organization's vision is for "all people [to] have the opportunity to live and work in community with dignity, safety, and hope."
Further, LSS envisions that its 2,300 employees would have "deeply meaningful work that changes lives, the opportunity for their unique gifts to shine and grow, and abundant and balanced lives."
Maps Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
History
In 1865, Rev. Eric Norelius purchased ten acres of land near the site of his congregation, Vasa Lutheran Church in Welch, Minnesota, in order to dedicate a home for orphaned children while providing ample room for farming. His vision was realized in the founding of Vasa Children's Home, the state's first orphanage. Pastor Norelius managed the home until 1876 when he transferred supervision to the Minnesota Conference of the Augustana Lutheran Synod. After being rebuilt twice due to tornado and fire damage, the home moved to its present Red Wing, Minnesota location in 1926.
On January 1, 1963, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota was established through the merger of several predecessor organizations, including the Lutheran Welfare Society and the Board of Christian Service, which then administered Vasa Children's Home.
In 2012, LSS merged its adoption services with those of newly acquired partner Children's Home Society of Minnesota, forming the largest adoption agency in the state.
Services
LSS reaches children, youth, families, people with disabilities, and older adults through more than 23 lines of service. Among them are adoption and foster care services, behavioral health services, crisis shelters for children and services for youth experiencing homelessness, disaster response, employment services, financial counseling and debt management services, support services for people with disabilities, and support services for older adults.
In addition, LSS operates Camp Knutson, which hosts annual summer camps for children with special needs in Crosslake, Minnesota, and Camp Noah, a program for children and communities impacted by disasters.
Center for Changing Lives
In 2008, LSS opened the Center for Changing Lives, a hub for multiple community services and 48 units of affordable housing in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. LSS opened a second Center for Changing Lives to serve youth experiencing homelessness in Duluth, Minnesota in June 2017.
Affiliations
LSS is a member of the Lutheran Services in America (LSA) network. President and CEO Jodi Harpstead serves on the LSA Board of Directors.
The organization is affiliated with Minnesota's six synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Other faith-based partners include Thrivent Financial and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Target is a corporate partner.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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