By February of each year, award season is in full swing, and “Best of” and “Top 10” lists have been publicized in every magazine on the rack. In addition, organizations – both for-profit and non-profit – have compiled their year-in-review recaps and statistics. Lutheran Social Services is no exception, as we take stock annually of just who, and how many, we serve in a given year.

We recently posted the list of “2011 Accomplishments” on our website. The total scope of our services may surprise you! Categorized into four areas of service – Children’s Services/Senior Services/Families in Crisis/Disaster Response – the numbers tell quite a story. What they don’t tell is the sheer volume of hard work and loyal support of our volunteers, donors, and a statewide staff of more than 850 that makes all of it possible.

We invite you to take a look at our 2011 accomplishment list below. We’re pretty proud of it!

Children’s Services

· 1,871 children provided foster care in 16 communities across Texas—Amarillo, Austin, Bryan/College Station, Conroe/The Woodlands, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Harlingen, Laredo, Lubbock, McAllen, Mesquite, Robstown, San Antonio, Tyler, and Victoria, Texas.

· 500 formerly abused children, ages 6-17, served across three residential treatment centers: Krause Children’s Center in Katy, New Life Children’s Center in Canyon Lake, Texas, and Nelson Children’s Center in Denton (now closed).

· 444 child refugees served at Bokenkamp Emergency Shelter, Corpus Christi, Texas.

· 184 child refugees provided transitional foster care in El Paso, Texas.

· 148 Texas children adopted through LSS domestic adoption program.

· 52 children from countries such as China, Korea, Ethiopia, Colombia, India, Russia, Uganda, Ukraine, The Philippines, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Taiwan adopted through LSS international adoption program in partnership with other international adoption agencies.

· 9,430 volunteers made life better for children at New Life, Nelson, Krause, and Bokenkamp.

Senior Services

· 84 older adults served through our Adult Day Care Center in El Paso, Texas.

· More than 850 older adult residents of LSS senior living options, ranging from independent living to skilled nursing and memory care, in Houston, Brenham, Victoria, Round Rock, and Lubbock, Texas.

· 297 individuals served through Care-Connect senior care management services, now serving clients in Austin and Spring, Texas.

Services for Families in Crisis 

· 13,968 individuals provided emergency assistance with rent, utilities, prescriptions, and other basic needs at Neighborhood House in Lubbock, Texas. More than 62 tons of food and hygiene products were distributed.

· 1,606 individual patients served during 7,280 patient visits through Health For Friends Clinic in Lubbock, Texas.

Disaster Response

· 8,102 Hurricane Ike-affected households were provided case management by LSS Disaster Response through the RISE program.

· 6,448 Hurricane Ike-affected households received more than $9.5 million in direct assistance for housing-related unmet needs, such as furniture and appliances.

· 22,213  individuals served by LSS Disaster Response in 2011.

· $13,993,064 total value of services provided by LSS Disaster Response in 2011.

A concert benefit for Haylift to Texas will be held at The Cotton Gin in Maxwell, TX, on February 12^th, and proceeds from this event will help people, and especially their animals, suffering from the lack of food resulting from the Texas wildfires this fall and the recent drought said to be the worst in decades.

“A Roll In the Hay” is coming together with the help of agricultural professionals, farmers, Farm Aid, and transportation employees from Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and other areas. Proceeds from the benefit will be used to purchase hay and transportation through Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response, a 501c(3) nonprofit charity. Motivating people to donate hay to the cause has been the easiest part of this endeavor; the problem is funding the transportation of up to 100,000 tons of hay from other states to Texas. It is estimated that it costs $3,500 for one semi-truck to travel from Ohio to Texas with donated hay.

“Many people are still in need of help with hay for their livestock due to the drought and wildfires,” said Jean Crawford, Haylift To Texas event organizer. “Farmers north of us are willing to sell us hay at very reasonable prices or even donate hay if we are able to absorb the cost of transportation. The event will be fun and support a great cause.”

“A Roll In the Hay”is a family event, with a host of country entertainers performing throughout the afternoon and evening. They are: Rich O’Toole, John Wayne Schulz (of American Idol), Matt Begley & Bittersweet Whiskey, Bo Phillips and Brian Keane, Shy Blakeman, Seth Candan, Nick Verzosa, Kimberly Kelly and the Texas Renegade Band, Mark Alan Atwood and Brimstone, Dewey Wayne, and Russell Ray & Ken Reynolds.

The Cotton Gin houses a professional bull-riding arena, and cowboys from the Professional Bull Riders, organized by retired World Champion Scott Mendes, will be there to do some bull riding.

Several other country artists who will be on tour but want to participate, are donating auction items to help raise money for this endeavor, and encouraging others to do the same. They are: Miranda Lambert, Pat Green, Leeroy Parnell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lee Ann Womack, Stoney Larue, and Randy Rogers Band. Callahan’s General Store, Cavenders, Pabst Brewing Company, and many others are donating items to the silent auction.

The Cotton Gin, 441 Railroad St. Maxwell, TX 78656, is located half way between Lockhart & Martindale on Hwy 142.

Plan to join us for what promises to be a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Tickets(at the door): $25 Adults, $10 Child. Children 10 and under FREE.

Online donations can be made at www.LSSDisasterResponse.org.

Contact: Jean Crawford, 512-475-4818, haylifttotexas@yahoo.com

Life for the Morgan family of Bastrop changed abruptly this past September when a wildfire that swept through their neighborhood destroyed their home, two vehicles, and all of their clothing. While their family and friends stepped in to help with food, clothing, and shelter, a hardship grant from Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response (LSSDR)gave them immediate financial assistance to begin rebuilding their lives. With their most basic needs met, this family was given the opportunity to begin to heal from this tragedy.

Through the generosity of LCMS World Relief and Human Care (LCMS WR-HC), LSSDR has been able to alleviate immediate financial hardship for many families like the Morgans, serving those whose losses from the wildfires have been most devastating. Initially, LCMS World Relief provided $25,000 for immediate assistance, then followed with an additional $25,000 to aid in long-term recovery efforts.

Mark Minick, senior vice president for External Relations/LSSDR said, “The $50,000 grant money from LCMS has been instrumental in our ability to help so many, in such a timely manner. It is expected that the response will continue for a minimum of two years. As in any disaster, the needs of the community will far outweigh resources. LSSDR is grateful for the support of partners such as LCMS World Relief and Human Care.”

LSSDR has been able to serve more than 250 people directly through emergency assistance, support of local children’s programs (homeschooled children who lost school supplies and books), spiritual and emotional care, and volunteer efforts. Among those aided were farm families who have been doubly affected by the fires and severe drought condition. Additionally, hundreds more have been served through the coordination, collection, and distribution of goods, as well as volunteer coordination and initial case management support.

LSSDR, a ministry of Lutheran Social Services of the South, provides emergency assistance to disaster survivors in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) WR-HC is a ministry of hope that reaches out in mercy and compassion to those in need worldwide, and awards grants to domestic and international partners for projects that benefit communities in need.

After seemingly endless days of hazy, smoke-filled horizons and the smell of fire in the air, there was a new and almost foreign smell in Central Texas this weekend—the smell of rain.  For plenty of folks around the country, they wish the rain would cease, go somewhere else.  But for us Texans, the sound, the feel, the smell of rain seems like a distant memory or something that we dreamed of one night long ago.  But then this weekend, it rained.  It wasn’t a gully-washer, flash flood-enducer or drought breaker, but a slow, easy, steady, soft rain.  I admit, I went outside and stood in it, breathing deeply in the damp, earthy smell that made everything around me feel alive again.  Just watching the raindrops hit and then roll down my arms produced a child-like, visceral joy in me.  Ah, rain, it does exist.  It will come again.

That beautiful rain did wonders to assist the firefighters in Bastrop County with their ongoing efforts to extinguish the Bastrop County Complex Fire, which is now reported as 95% contained.  Other wildfires in Central Texas continue to have hot spots, but are fully contained.  Survivors have been able to re-enter their neighborhoods to survey the damage and to begin to get a sense of what they will need for the way forward.  And that way forward can be a long and winding road.  Piecing one’s life back together after a disaster is a journey, one through which each disaster survivor must work to adjust to the “new normal” of the post wildfire world.  It is during this process of long-term recovery that agencies like LSSDR work to walk side-by-side with survivors, helping them to develop a personalized road-map so that they may successfully navigate that long and winding road to recovery.

As I ponder the beginning of the long-term recovery process for wildfire survivors, I keep coming back to something I learned from the emergency response personnel in both Bastrop and Spicewood, Texas last week—that roots of trees can burn underground.  I know, it sounds impossible, but it happens.  Firefighters across Central Texas have been dealing with flare-ups due to the roots of trees burning underground, weakening the stability of the trees, causing them to eventually fall over, thus letting the fire escape from the roots only to reignite a blaze.  This is a poignant analogy for what disaster survivors may experience throughout long-term recovery.  While all on the surface may seem to have calmed, there may be emotional, spiritual, and financial fires burning deep down that will flare-up at a moment’s notice due to the trauma of the disaster event and the stress of the recovery process.  Yes, people’s roots are burning.  And it is LSSDR and our partner agencies that plan to catch them as they fall and work with them to prevent those burning roots from spreading the fire.  Whether through emotional and spiritual care or long-term disaster case management, we strive to be that gentle, soothing, thirst-quenching rain that brings with it renewal, resilience and hope.

So, once again I ask you to please pray for rain.

Heather Neuroth Gatlin, MPA

Vice President of Disaster Response

Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response

It is hard to believe that we are now on day 11 since the wildfires ignited in Central Texas … and the Bastrop Complex Fire continues to burn. The good news is that the fire is now 70% contained. The bad news today was that the winds were forecast to pick up somewhat again, making further containment challenging for the firefighters and elevating fears of new and growing fires. All of Central Texas – actually all of Texas – remains on edge as this historical, devastating drought continues.

Mark Minick, who oversees our Disaster Response efforts, and I had an opportunity to visit Bastrop earlier this week, to meet with our partner agencies, which are doing incredible emergency and early response work, and to see the devastation firsthand. When you drive into Bastrop from Austin on Highway 71, everything looked parched from the drought, but there were no initial signs of the wildfires.

Support Network In Place

As we drove further into town, we began noticing insurance adjuster RVs parked throughout the area, camped out ready to assist their clients. We drove by a Ford dealership with piles, actually mounds, of donated clothing in a far edge of the parking lot. Driving into historical downtown Bastrop, the evidence of the disaster grows, as we passed the FEMA mobile Disaster Recovery Center on our way to the Bastrop Convention Center which is serving as the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the wildfires. There were emergency vehicles and mobile command posts from Bastrop, Round Rock, Austin, and many other communities throughout the State. Mark and I were fortunate to be able to spend some time in the EOC, talking with FEMA, the State, our friends at Austin Disaster Relief Network and others, as we all work to piece together support for survivors during these early relief phases.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the EOC is the seemingly endless lists of addresses and maps taped to the front windows, letting evacuees know the current status of their homes … or what used to be their homes. My stomach churned as I observed survivors approaching the windows, running their fingers down the list to see if their addresses were included as among those lost. The authorities are permitting evacuees to re-enter the affected neighborhoods throughout this week, one neighborhood at a time. This doesn’t mean they get to return home if their homes are still standing; no utilities will be functioning for one, two, three weeks or more. Some will return to a house standing in a neighborhood of loss, elated that their home is still there, yet mourning the changes around them. Others will return to ash and rubble.

The Damage: Random and Remarkable

One thing that struck me as we drove east of Bastrop on Highway 71 entering the fire zone, was how endless the damage seemed to be, yet how randomly it spared certain parcels of land and pieces of property. Just east of the city, as the Lost Pines area begins, it is blatantly obvious that the fires swept across the highway. Nearly every blade of grass in the median is charred black, and the pine trees on either side show various stages of destruction. Some areas look like the grass burned, but not the trees. Then, other areas, as you drive up and down the beautiful rolling hills, look like a moonscape with giant, scorched twigs jutting up from the barren land. In these areas you can look back through what was once a thick pine forest and see blankets of ash, smoking ground, melted homes, shells of vehicles, and no sign of life. And then, all of a sudden, there will be a house standing, untouched, in the middle of the devastation. It is haunting and remarkable.

Hurricane Ike – 3-Year Anniversary

Mark and I then drove on to Galveston, Texas, to mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Ike, which made landfall on September 13, 2008. We spent the morning of the anniversary at a local event celebrating the collective accomplishments of the recovery and recognizing the work that still needs to be done. Through LSSDR’s work alone, we helped provide disaster case management to over 8,100 households through our Recovery for Ike Survivors Enterprise (RISE) case management program, connecting survivors to nearly $30 million in recovery services. Our rebuild and volunteer coordination staff has helped contribute directly to the rebuilding of nearly 250 homes, and we continue that work. LSSDR’s work is one example of the incredible work accomplished by countless nonprofit and community-based agencies in Galveston County that have come together, pooled resources, advocated for survivors, and pieced together a robust local long-term recovery effort, touching the lives of tens of thousands of survivors. It is amazing what can be accomplished through collaboration and cooperation.

Two Disasters, Common Goals

As we drove back through Bastrop on the anniversary of Hurricane Ike, it was interesting to contrast and compare the two disasters. Hurricane Ike was one of the most devastating storms to ever hit the Texas Coast. The Bastrop fire is one of the most devastating fires to wreak havoc on the Texas landscape. Thousands of citizens lost or experienced significant damage to their homes, in both the hurricane and the wildfires. Both disasters will take years to recover from and the communities will be forever changed because of them. Yet, there is the resilience of the survivors and communities that stands strong.

I remember sitting with nonprofit directors, government officials, and survivors on Galveston Island three years ago, all of us wondering where to begin. We are all doing the same in Bastrop now. The answer is, you just begin. You work together, you collaborate, you advocate, you cry, you laugh, you find beauty in the small things … and in a few days, a few weeks, a few months, a few years, things will be better.

Sadly, over 1,500 homes have been destroyed in the Central Texas wildfires alone.  There has been loss of life, loss of loved ones.  It seems that in our Austin office, everybody knows someone who knows someone who has lost a home in this disaster.  We all feel the pain. Although many fires continue to burn and hundreds of firefighting agencies from across the country are working around the clock, experienced disaster response personnel know that this is still the very early stages of this particular event.  Regardless, it is amazing to be part of the broader community that has quickly come together to provide help, healing and hope to those impacted by the disaster.

During the past week we have established or re-established partnerships with Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Disaster Response, LCMS World Relief/Human Care, Thrivent, Concordia University – Texas, all of the Texas based judicatories, numerous congregations, and hundreds if not now thousands of individual donors and local businesses.

Some of the early response items we’ve been a part of include:

• Providing emergency grants to Lutheran families and others identified by Lutheran congregations who have lost their homes due to the fires.
• Working with local Lutheran Churches in the area that are collecting in-kind donations for those affected.   We help coordinate these efforts to get the needed items into the hands of the survivors.
• Beginning to activate resources for spiritual/emotional care for families and children, which will be an enormous and on-going need.
• We will continue to identify Lutheran and other families and work with emergency personnel to begin the process with relief and recovery stages of this ongoing and major disaster effort for the Lutheran and greater community.

It is too early to know what specific role we will play in the long term recovery (case management, volunteer coordination, rebuilding, etc) as we are just not there yet.  What we do know is that we will be there for the long-haul on behalf of the community to help special needs and vulnerable populations (low income, elderly, disabled, etc), truly the least of these.

It’s easy during a time like this to overlook the traumatic effect a natural disaster has on young people close to the scene.  Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response team is partnering with church congregations in Bastrop and Smithville that are holding a free day camp tomorrow for school age kids K-6^th that aims to specifically address these issues.  We hope and expect that tomorrow’s camp will be the first of many similar activities in the weeks and months ahead as the recovery process begins in earnest.

As the wildfires continue to burn throughout Texas, Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response (LSSDR) is working side-by-side with Lutheran churches and our nonprofit, faith-based, government and community agency partners to identify how we can best minister to the communities and survivors who have had their lives turned upside-down by these devastating wildfires.  In particular, LSSDR is working in partnership with the agencies of the Central Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), which is a collaboration of multiple organizations doing disaster work through all stages of disaster, including preparedness, emergency response, relief and long-term recovery.  These agencies include well-known partners such as the American Red Cross, the Austin Disaster Relief Network, Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army, the Capital Area Food Bank and many others.

At this time, the wildfire disasters in Central Texas in particular are very much still an emergency event.  The largest of the fires, the Bastrop Complex fire, has burned over 38,000 acres, destroyed over 1,300 homes and structures, and is still only 30% contained.  Over 5,000 people have been displaced from their homes, many still with no news as to whether or not their homes made it through the fires.  As such, we must be sure that our efforts do not get in the way of our public officials, emergency responders and law enforcement agents that are still very much actively involved in evacuating residents, fighting fires, and protecting property.  It is unclear how many more days—or even weeks—it may take to completely extinguish this and other fires burning throughout the region.

All of us at LSSDR are humbled and in awe of the outpouring of support and offers of help we have received from throughout the Lutheran and greater community.  As LSSDR works with its partner agencies and the Central Texas VOAD to better identify the immediate and long-term needs of wildfire survivors, we encourage anyone interested in donating money, goods, time or talent to please check our website (www.lsss.org/disaster-response) regularly for donation and volunteer opportunities.  As we are still in the emergency response and immediate relief stage of these wildfires, we ask that you first consider donating funds so as to support LSSDR or other disaster response agencies in our efforts to serve the impacted communities.  If you would like to donate goods, such as water, food, diapers or clothing, we have posted a list of trusted partners and verified donation drop off sites where you can bring items.

As the full scope of this disaster becomes more clear in the coming days, weeks and months, there will eventually be a great need for volunteer assistance with clean-up and rebuilding.  As LSSDR organizes and/or becomes aware of volunteer opportunities, we will also post these on our website.  As so many people have lost their homes and their entire neighborhoods, they will need our love, support and care most likely for many years to come.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the survivors and communities devastated by these wildfires.  Thank you for your prayers for the first responders.  Please continue to pray for all of those affected by and involved in fighting these fires.  And please pray for rain.

(Editor’s note: Heather Gatlin, MPA, is vice president of Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response and president of the Central Texas VOAD.)

September 7, 2011

Firefighters continue battling blazes in Central Texas and around the state. Voluntary organizations are mobilizing to deal with the emergency and its aftermath.  People from all walks of life are deeply concerned and moved about the plight of the victims and are pitching in to help on a massive scale. We are once again deeply moved by the generosity of our donors. As of late yesterday, we have raised more than $100,000 in response to the Texas wildfires. Our disaster response leaders are meeting with church congregations in Bastrop County today to determine immediate emergency needs of their members.  LSSDR will continue to keep an eye on the long term recovery needs of the victims and survivors of this tragedy.

Personally, I attended my first meeting of the Central Texas VOAD today. VOAD stands for Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.  It was an unscheduled meeting as you might imagine under the circumstances and it was held in our Austin headquarters.  Heather Gatlin from our LSSDR group is the president of Central Texas VOAD. What was immediately apparent was that every major volunteer organization in the Central Texas area is represented in VOAD. The American Red Cross, the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN), Catholic Charities, The Capitol Area Food Bank, several other faith-based groups and many other volunteer groups. They packed our largest conference room. If you follow the local news, you will likely see many of these listed as organizations that others can help support in various ways. What most people may not know is that there is an established organization, VOAD, where information, ideas and plans are shared and a concerted effort is made to make the most efficient use of the available, valuable resources.  It is not and will not be easy.  But this particular group has been through a couple of events already on the local level responding to Hurricanes Rita, Ike and even Katrina. Lessons learned, knowledge and wisdom gained. We hope and pray that that hard-earned wisdom will be highly valued during this recovery effort.

A strong theme that permeated the meeting today: it’s on everybody’s mind. Hearts are open now. People are concerned now. Donations of goods, dollars and volunteer time are at their zenith now. The fires will eventually be doused and the media and the public will soon aim their attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, those who have lost everything have a long road ahead of them to recovery. It’s the groups that make up the Central Texas VOAD that will be the ones helping people recover over the long haul once the spotlight is removed. Let’s not forget them, let’s not discount their experience in these matters even when mistakes are made, and let’s not forget the difficult time ahead for the victims of the wildfires.

September 6, 2011.

This is an update to our posting from yesterday, Labor Day (photo courtesy of Deanna Roy).

Phone calls from supporters have already been coming in asking how they might help local fire victims in Central Texas. The LSS Disaster Response (LSSDR) team is working diligently to identify affected families through our network of community partners and Lutheran congregations.

LSSDR is in need of financial assistance to support these relief efforts at this time. The quickest and easiest avenue is to make on online donation to LSS Disaster Response.  Designate “Disaster Response” in the drop-down menu.

In the short-term, LSSDR is addressing the immediate, emergency needs for food/shelter/clothing of individuals and families affected.  This will be an ongoing response through congregations until all are served or until the funds run out.

In the long-term, and as funds allow, LSSDR will assist low-income families without insurance who lost their homes and possessions, as well as renters stripped of their belongings.  Spiritual and emotional care will be available to those in need of support on an ongoing basis.

We will update information on the LSS website.  Additionally, you can help us by sharing this information throughout your own networks and on Facebook.

The thousands of families whose lives have been devastated, and the firefighters who are risking their lives battling the firestorms, are in need of our prayers.  Thank you … and God bless!

September 5, 2011

Responding to the catastrophic wild fires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and continue to burn in many areas of Central Texas since yesterday, LSS Disaster Response leaders are in discussions with key emergency response organizations, community leaders and church congregations in the affected areas. As efforts to contain these fires continue and damages are assessed, we will continue to monitor the situation as closely as possible.

LSS Disaster Response is putting plans in place today in order to be able to effectively respond to the many areas of need. Our focus, as always, will be:

• Short Term Emergency Needs
• Long Term Response
• Spiritual/Emotional Care

Many of our donors have asked how they can pledge financial assistance to response efforts at this time. The quickest and easiest way to do so is to make on online donation to LSS Disaster Response.  Designate “Disaster Response” in the drop down menu.

Our prayers are with the hundreds of families who have been affected and the firefighters who are bravely confronting this disaster.

We will continue update our information as necessary.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic officially began June 1^st and ends November 30^th, which means … we’re in it folks. Peak hurricane season is from August to October, with early to mid-September typically as the pinnacle.

Mother Nature, however, can be full of surprises and the occasional hurricane happens outside of these months. Every year, experts take their best shots at forecasting the probability of major hurricane activity and landfall in the Atlantic. And every year, the Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response (LSSDR) team braces and prepares for … the unexpected.

What does this mean in the daily LSSDR scheme of things? This is the window of opportunity for a proactive rather than reactive approach to disaster preparation. LSSDR preparedness is a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, assessment, and improvement. All systematic planning efforts aside, when emergencies do occur — whether small scale or catastrophic — they can be overwhelming, for the communities they impact and the agencies that serve them.

The early stages of disaster response are typically filled with activity (some would call it chaos) to help meet the basic, immediate humanitarian needs of the affected population. It is a fluid environment, a moving target, as the situation “on the ground” changes rapidly – and the beginning of the long-term response structure occurs behind the scenes.

So when Hurricane “Next” comes down the pike, are we ready? Yes we are. Ready for whatever comes our way. And as a long-term recovery agency, we’re here for the long haul.

LSSDR is a long-term disaster recovery agency, serving as the local affiliate of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a national collaborative effort of the Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. LSSDR response is shaped by both the financial resources available to us and a clearer understanding of where we can best allocate those resources to have the greatest impact. In the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster, we’ll keep you posted through www.lsss.org and our facebook page. To get involved, volunteer or donate here.