Beaumont Foundation of America presents $228,300 check to Lutheran Social Services for foster care clothing

C. Edward Keller executive director of the Beaumont Foundation of America, presents an honorary grant check to Sam Sipes, LSS president and chief operating officer, and members of the Coffey family, the 2006 Texas Therapeutic Foster Family of the Year.

Austin- The Beaumont Foundation of America (BFA),
as part of its mission of assisting the underserved, presented a check for $228,300 to Lutheran Social Services Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the lobby of Lutheran Social Services at 4:30 p.m.

The check is part of a $456,600 grant to LSS to provide school clothing for foster children throughout Texas, as well as all foster children receiving care at three LSS residential treatment centers. The grant will provide a $300 dollar clothing stipend per child for 2007. The monies will be used to defray costs of school clothing needs. The grant allows for each child to aid in the selection of their own clothing.

"Too often, the children come to us with a few items of used clothes stuffed into a black trash bag," said LSS President and Chief Operating Officer Sam Sipes. "As a foster child, it is sometimes tough to fit into a new school. Having good clothes that they help choose makes them feel better about themselves, and makes the transition emotionally easier to handle."

The check was given by C. Edward Keller, executive director of grant review and authentication with the BFA. On hand to accept the check on behalf of all foster children of LSS was Brenda Coffey, whose family was awarded the Texas Therapeutic Foster Family of the Year for 2006 by the Texas Foster Family Association.

The LSS specialized foster care program has grown from serving 13 children in 1993 to more than 400 foster families caring for 1,600 children throughout Texas in 2006. LSS also operates three residential treatment centers and one emergency shelter serving more than 500 children annually.

Lutheran Social Services serves as the social service arm of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. LSS affiliated ministries serve more than 35,000 children, elderly and poor in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, regardless of religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender or age. Its ministries include children's centers, therapeutic foster care, adoption, disaster response, emergency assistance, senior health care, retirement communities and adult day care.

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