Spring, 2012

Dear LCS Supporter,

It is an honor to write to you today with some of the exciting developments that are happening at
Lutheran Community Services this spring. We are fortunate to live in a community where community
members work to gather to solve problems and help the vulnerable. Your support allows us to live out
our mission to bring health, justice, and hope to our community.

Salsa para el Bien 2012

Our success
One year ago we held our first Salsa para el Bien event. The generosity of individuals and businesses allowed Lutheran
Community Services (LCS) to launch an Immigration Counseling and Advocacy Program in Yamhill County. Over the past
year, LCS has hired and trained an Immigration Counselor who is now educating and assisting hundreds of our Yamhill
County residents as they navigate our countrys complex immigration system. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service and Board of Immigration Appeals have recognized our program as a provider of low cost immigration services

Our program has conducted over 40 outreach events educating groups of 10-200 across Yamhill County, with free
immigration screenings and helped county residents remain current, adjust status or work towards US citizenship.

Next steps
Lutheran Community Services Northwest plans to expand our services and begin offering citizenship classes to county
residents

Our Citizenship Program will provide free classes that teach immigrants the English and civics information they need to
know to pass the exam. Paid coordinators and volunteers will teach classes each week at a number of locations. We will
work with local churches to train a group of instructors who will work with their community to offer citizenship classes. This
program will not only provide a needed service to immigrants but will also provide an opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue
blurring the line between teacher and student.

What you can do?

Please join the movment to raise the money needed to expand the Immigration Program and help local families become full
citizens if the US. We will be holding a Salsa themed fund raising event on May 4, 2012 at the McMinnville Grand Ballroom
and hope you will consider being a sponsor.

Community Leadership
The beginning of 2012 has thrust LCS out into the public and allowed us to play a leadership role in
the community. I am fond of recycling the joke that our organization should be called Lutheran Secret
Services because of the low profile that we often keep in the community. Regardless of how funny, or
not funny, you may find that joke it illuminates an problem that social service agencies often have. We
are good at our work, helping individuals improve their lives, however we are not always good at telling
our story, educating others on the social issues we work with every day or enlisting community support.
I would like to share 3 stories that illuminate how we are beginning to change that precedent.
 LCS organized and hosted an early childhood resource event for medical providers from across
the county. This event helped educate over 40 medical providers from hospitals, clinics and
medical practices about the network of support programs that exist for parents of children age
birth to five.
The Willamette Valley Wineries Association and Lutheran Community Services teamed up to provide a
FREE seminar for WVWA members on immigration issues. This seminar highlighted issues that face the
agricultural labor force, resources that are available to them and advocacy opportunities for employers of
immigrants.
Lutheran Community services is spearheading and effort to launch the Yamhill Valley Relief
Nursery. This locally supported child abuse prevention model will high-risk families of young
children across Yamhill County.

Yamhill Valley Relief Nursery

Mobilizing the community to support vulnerable families.

Over the past 6 months community leaders from a variety of disciplines have been gathering to lay the
foundation for an ambitious new support system for local families. The Yamhill Valley Relief Nursery
will use a nationally recognized Relief Nursery model that is proven to stop the cycle of child abuse
and neglect with its blend of therapeutic early childhood services and comprehensive family support.
These services will include; therapeutic classrooms, home visiting services, parent education and alcohol
& drug recovery support services, adult and childrens mental health counseling.

Program advisors include:

Cynthia L Easterday Circuit Court Judge
Michaele Lansing Director of the State Commission on Children and
Families (Retired) 60 44
40
Dr. Peg Miller- Pediatrician

14
Erin Stephenson Community Relations Coordinator, First Federal
Bank
Jane Mosher Therapist and Mediator 20
Diane Roelandt Clinical Services Manager (Juliettes House)
Michael Eichman (Executive Director of Yamhill County Head Start)
Sara Woodard Psychologist
0
Number of Victims Per
This relief nursery targets the counties highest
risk families at a time when interventions have 1000
Rate Before RN Involvement
the best chance to create positive lasting effects
for children and families. Rate After RN Involvement

As you can see we are expanding our services to the community in this difficult economic climate. This
could not have happened without your financial support. Help us maintain this momentum! Your
donations will help support our communitys vulnerable populations.

In peace,

Jordan Robinson, MSW

Lutheran Community Services Northwest
Community Director (Yamhill County)

P.S. Please feel free to contact Jordanrobinson@LCSNW.org for volunteer opportunities.

We appreciate your tax deductible contribution. Our tax ID number is 93-0386860