From Connie Phillips, President and CEO
While Lutheran Social Services offers lots of services, it really comes down to how it makes one person's life better.
I was privileged to be at the celebration of a woman who was moving to her own apartment after being in our shelter program in Mesa for three years. She spoke with confidence and excitement as she said that she had not thought that she could do it. She did not feel worthy of much when she first came to I-HELP (Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Services), but the volunteers and staff, and the other women in the program reached out to her until she was ready to talk.
She began to trust her case manager who gave her information and encouraged her to take one step at a time. Over the years, she took on more and more responsibility in the program, until she was a peer monitor and finally a driver. She is moving on now, but she takes the love and support she received from the community with her. And she makes room for another.
This program, like all our programs, makes a difference, a lifetime difference, for individuals. Thank you for being a part of the community that gave her hope. Whether you ever know her name, she was blessed by your care.