Lutheran Services in Iowa

LSI is going for the gold too! 🌟 🏅 At Lutheran Services in Iowa, we're inspired by the dedication and teamwork showcased in the Olympics. Just as athletes strive for excellence, we are committed to achieving our mission through collaboration and support. Here’s to reaching new milestones and fostering a strong, unified community! 🇺🇸🤝 #LutheranServicesIowa #OlympicSpirit #Teamwork #CommunityImpact

Today is International Self-Care Day! The term “self-care” is a popular buzzword, especially in North America. We asked Sarah Van Gorp, a therapist at LSI who works with immigrants and refugees, what self-care looks like in other cultures.  “While self-care in the U.S. context focuses on individual practices, self-care within many communities we work with focuses on community and family care - not isolation. People are expected to care for each other, receiving care from others when they need it. Wellness involves connecting with cultural traditions, religious practices (prayer, meditation, music, healing, holidays) and cultural food practices. People can also practice some type of communal or habitual exercise, movement, or being in nature. Sometimes people find wellness in a type of cleansing practice – cleansing of their home or themselves.” How do you practice self-care? How might your practices be similar to those of other cultures? 

A team that plays together, hopefully, stays together. Our CEO, Renee Hardman, MBA, SPHR, was proud to conclude a two-day Leadership Retreat with VPs and Directors. They worked out together, bowled together, visited with our National President, and of course had two days of visioning about our future for our 160-year-old organization serving thousands of Iowans. 

Voting together! There was joy, laughter, hugs, smiles, music, and food — lots and lots of food. Why? Sunday, July 14 was national voting day for the Rwandan diaspora. At LSI and around the world, Rwandans gathered to cast their vote for their country's next president and parliament members. LSI was selected to serve as one of the 17 regional polling sites in the USA. Hundreds of Rwandan families from six midwestern states drove up to 12 hours round trip to LSI’s Des Moines campus to participate in their country's official election. “I am proud that LSI was invited to serve international democracy in this way,” said Renee Hardman, MBA, SPHR, LSI President & CEO. “Voting is a basic human right and aligns with our mission of care and compassion. My heart is full!” LSI serves children and families in all 99 counties in Iowa, with thanks to a broad base of generous private and public sources of funding. You can join us! https://lsiowa.org/give/

The 4th of July is coming up! 🇺🇸 Test your knowledge of U.S. facts with our mini U.S. Citizenship test. Take the test: https://lnkd.in/gQ-quDcg Individuals studying to take their U.S. Citizenship test study 100 possible questions. On the day of the test, 10 questions are randomly selected. Participants must answer 6 of the 10 questions correctly to pass. How did you do on the test?

We were SO Inspired by Dr. Dau Jok's keynote address at our Empower event! Thank you, Dr. Jok, for sharing your story of coming to Iowa from South Sudan.    We are honored to be dedicated to helping people like you make a new home in Iowa.    #WeStandWithRefugees

Local 5 News We Are Iowa (WOI-DT) stopped by to interview LSI at Des Moines World Refugee Day. Sara Hilgenberg, LSI Refugee Education Coordinator, encouraged community members to learn more about our refugee neighbors including their culture, stories, and important contributions to Iowa. Thanks, We Are Iowa, for taking the time to interview our team! Check out the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gFGddnNZ

We’re so excited to announce a current LSI team member and former refugee, Patrick, is now a U.S. citizen! What a great way to celebrate World Refugee Day!    Patrick came to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo about five years ago as a winner of the Diversity Visa lottery. In October 2019, Patrick was hired as an administrative assistant at LSI where he quickly became popular with guests, volunteers, and staff due to his friendly smile, cheerful demeanor, and love for helping others.     At the end of 2021, as LSI started to bring its resettlement program back to Des Moines to support the incoming families from Afghanistan, Patrick was hired as one of the first resettlement caseworkers, a role he still holds today.     Moments like these are why we do what we do at LSI. We are so proud of Patrick and all he has accomplished personally and professionally here at LSI. Congratulations Patrick! #WorldRefugeeDay  

Last night we celebrated our 13th annual Empower event in Des Moines, and what a celebration it was! We’d like to extend a sincere thank you to all who attended to celebrate immigrants and refugees and the incredible and important impact they have on our communities.     We’d especially like to thank our sponsors:   Foster Group MidAmerican Energy Company Bankers Trust GuideOne Insurance Polk County Iowa West Des Moines Human Rights Commission   Check out our Facebook for photos from the event! https://lnkd.in/gBK6yrjn

What a great day in Waterloo!   Thank you to all who came out for our open house in Waterloo yesterday! We are so excited to bring our resettlement services back to the area to join our existing services – Early Childhood, Mental Health, and Respite Care – in our new location at 3640 University Ave.    A special shout out to Grow Cedar Valley for helping us celebrate the occasion with a ribbon cutting.  We’re proud to partner with organizations like you to better serve the Cedar Valley community.