Lutheran Community Services Northwest—Our Stories

In this episode Elliot interviews Dona Ponepinto, President & CEO of the United Way Tacoma-Pierce County and David Duea, President & CEO of Lutheran Community Services NW.  Both organizations are celebrating their centennials in 2021.  Dona and David share about what drew them to their roles, the history of the two organizations, how the pandemic has changed or affected the way they see community impact, and what they are excited about in the years ahead.  

LCSNW Chief Development Officer, Elliot Stockstad talks with Phil Wuerfell from Thrivent Financial about community impact and the legacy of partnership between our two organizations.  

This week's interview is with Isaac Alvarez, Independent Living Coordinator for North Puget Sound's Refugee Foster Care program. This program serves unaccompanied refugee youth  by providing foster care, and the services and supports they need to achieve independence. 

This week's interview is with Diego de Acosta, Program Coordinator for North Puget Sound's Refugee Elder program. Diego's program serves refugee, asylee and immigrant elders throughout King and South Snohomish counties, providing ESL, immigration, basic needs and other supports.

This week's interview is with Adriana Mendivil, Program Supervisor for Safe Release and the Angle Lake Community Resource Center, serving multicultural families from Seattle south to the Pierce County line. Safe Release is a unique program in Washington State, helping families that are retrieving children from Immigration detention. The Community Resource Center provides a variety of services for these families, including basic needs support like food and hygiene items. Interested in more events and resources for Hispanic Heritage Month? Please visit https://lcsnw.z2systems.com/event.jsp?event=2& for more information about our Celebracion events! 

Join this first podcast in our series of Program Podcasts to learn more about our Familias Unidas Community Resource Center, located in Everett. Yolanda Gonzalez, one of our Support Specialists, talks about our program, her history, and what you can do to support the people we serve. To learn more or to support Familias Unidas, visit https://lcsnw.org/office/north-puget-sound/ or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EverettCRC. 

Mental Health Clinician James Ellis shares how even in a season of not being able to connect with clients face to face, he's still finding hope in his virtual sessions. Listen now to hear several stories of encouragement—and how we can still say socially connected even when physically distant.

Looking for ways to support our work as we continue to serve clients via telehealth? Visit https://lcsnw.org for more information. 

Chief Development Officer Elliot Stockstad speaks with Joseph Fry, Program Director of Home Care at Lutheran Community Services (LCS) Northwest's South Puget Sound office, to talk about how those the program serves have been impacted by COVID-19. "Most clients we serve are considered to be high risk for COVID-19," says Joseph. "We and our caregivers are right in the front lines serving people who are incredibly vulnerable right now." 

If you're looking for a way to serve the South Puget Sound Region and lend a hand to LCS Northwest during this unprecedented time, email development@lcsnw.org for more information.

"Now is the time to be generous," says Joseph. "It's a time where we should really be thinking about how we can reach out and help the community."

A wonderful lunch conversation with Ladd Bjorneby, retired Lutheran pastor and long-time supporter of Lutheran Community Services NW.  Ladd shares a bit of his story and his current activities, including why he chose to become part of LCSNW's Circle of Hope.  

Spokane resident and wonderful supporter of LCSNW's work

#legacystories