0706Lutheran Social ServicesANNUAL REPORT

Nurturing SEEDS of HOPE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Lawrence Huser, Chair

Kem Siddons, Vice Chair

Tracey Arpen, Secretary

Jerome Crawford, Treasurer

MEMBERS

Martha Baggs

Julie Buckingham

The Rev. Sharon Dorr

Brenda Ezell

Marie Friedsam

Donald Martin

Jack Parker

The Rev. William Reister

Dwane Tyson

JETSET

Junior Executives Today Setting

Examples for Tomorrow

OFFICERS

Melissa Ross, President

Mark Stevens, Vice President

Alan Verlander, Past President

MEMBERS

Barrett Cook

Robert Franklin

Liz Hartman

Carter Henderson

James Hopkins

Annie Houghton

Sonja Kutsch

Bill Laird

Dewayne Rabon

Ron Rothberg

Tracy Sadeghian

Kimberly Sole

Kevin Wallquist

Katie Wiltse

We spent the past year nurturing several new directions for Lutheran Social Services that are

resulting in exciting new programs and campaigns this year. Without your help, our vision for the future would be constrained

by our past realities. Increased support by you, our donors, has enabled us to plan boldly for how we can best bring hope to the people in need coming to us for help.

InTERnATIOnAL ADOPTIOn PROgRAMAfter much preliminary work, we finally received our certification from the Department of Children and Families to handle international adoptions. This allows us to join a national collaboration of 30 Lutheran social ministry organizations that are active in both international and domestic adoptions and who are members of Lutheran Services in America (LSA). Lutherans and others who know about Lutheran social ministry organizations have occasionally asked us whether we could help them adopt internationally. We are proud to now be able to help find permanent families for children from nine countries. As part of a faith-based network, we are motivated to service on behalf of those without a voice—children who need permanent families—and on behalf of loving people hoping to adopt a child to become part of their home. Collectively, LAN member agencies place thousands of children into loving adoptive homes every year.

THE SHARIng PLACE THRIFT SHOPWe researched the possibility of opening a thrift shop to meet three needs – to collect household items to help us set up new homes for arriving refugees, provide for the needs of our ACE customers, and help diversify our revenue stream to make up for decreasing government funding. In February, we open (or perhaps we should say re-open) The Sharing Place Thrift Shop located in the same building as our main offices at 4615 Philips Highway. Even as we seek to serve more people through this newest venture, we are building on our past work. In the past, LSS successfully operated as many as three Sharing Place Thrift Shops located on the Westside, in Arlington and in Downtown Jacksonville.

FOOD BAnK AWAREnESS CAMPAIgnWe hired Jane Jordan & Associates to conduct a capital campaign feasibility study to determine our ability to raise a minimum of $8 million to increase the network capacity to recover and distribute more nutritious food throughout 18 Northeast Florida counties. What we learned is that before we embark on a capital campaign, we need to increase awareness of the Food Bank and why it is critical to our community’s ability to take care of its most vulnerable citizens. This past fall, On Ideas, a local advertising and public relations agency that works with major clients such as Winn-Dixie, offered to take the Food Bank on as a pro bono client to develop a brand awareness campaign for us. The agency is already hard at work and has set a goal of unveiling the campaign, complete with a name change for the Food Bank, by this coming fall to coincide with America’s Second Harvest’s marketing and public relations push during Hunger Action Month in September.

gROWIng SuPPORT FROM DOnORSPlease visit our Web site to read the names of the many individuals and organizations that supported us with their financial gifts this past year. Each one of you is very important to us and enables us to realize big dreams of ways we can grow to meet needs. Thanks to you, we look forward to a very exciting 28th year of serving people in need in Northeast Florida.

R. Wayne Rieley, LSS president/CEO

A MESSAgE

PresidentFROM THE

2006-07 LSS Annual Report/Page 3

BALAnCE SHEET FOR yEAR EnDIng SEPTEMBER 30 , 2007

ASSETS

Current Assets

Cash and cash equivalents $858,017

Cash and cash equivalents - restricted $605,406

Accounts receivable - service fees $62,465

Accounts receivable - funding sources $418,225

Pledges receivable - short-term portion $1,852

Available from endowment fund - current portion $34,410

Food Bank inventory $32,555

Investments $0

Prepaid expenses $30,442

Total current assets $2,043,372

Property and equipment, net $2,738,256

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents - restricted $324,674

Pledges receivable - long-term portion $0

Available from endowment fund - long-term portion $103,230

Total other assets $427,904

TOTAL ASSETS $5,209,532

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable $83,906

Accrued retirement expense $34,480

Accrued compensated absences - current portion $24,140

Deferred revenues $12,700

Deposits held for others $608,323

Other accrued expenses $42,487

notes payable - current portion of long-term debt $4,136

Total current liabilities $810,172

Long-term liabilities

notes payable $147,592

Accrued compensated absences - long-term portion $49,013

Total long-term liabilities $196,605

TOTAL LIABILITIES $1,006,777

Net assets

unrestricted net assets $3,590,165

Temporarily restricted net assets $612,590

Total net assets $4,202,755

TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS $5,209,532

Please visit www.lssjax.org from a complete recognition list of all our valued donors from 2006-07. A special thank you to everyone who supported LSS. This year would not have been possible without you!

Agency Revenue by Source

Foundations & Private Grants

4.6%

Churches0.4% Special Events

6.6%

Miscellaneous1.0%Individual

Donations4.0%

CorporateDonations

0.9%

Fees for Services16.2%

Investments1.1%

Federal/State/LocalGrants65.2%

Agency Expenses by Program

Administration9.16%

Development4.64%

ACE11.61%

Rep-Payee6.98%

Food Bank41.59% Refugee Svcs

26.02%

Agency Revenue by Source

Foundations & Private Grants

4.6%

Churches0.4% Special Events

6.6%

Miscellaneous1.0%Individual

Donations4.0%

CorporateDonations

0.9%

Fees for Services16.2%

Investments1.1%

Federal/State/LocalGrants65.2%

Agency Expenses by Program

Administration9.16%

Development4.64%

ACE11.61%

Rep-Payee6.98%

Food Bank41.59% Refugee Svcs

26.02%

AgEnCy REVEnuE By SOuRCE

AgEnCy EXPEnSES By PROgRAM

In the 2006-07 fiscal year, the Sec-ond Harvest Food Bank distributed 6,424,683 pounds of food directly from its main facility (1502 Jessie Street). The annual distribution is

valued at over $9.6 million of donated items. Much of this food would have been lost to landfills if not for the efforts of the drivers, warehouse staff and volunteers who rescue the food on a daily basis. The rescued and donated food created about 4.3 million meals with an average serving of 11,780 meals per day. Many external influences changed the amount of food available during the fiscal year. The Food Bank suffered a dramatic shift in available food from the USDA TEFAP program of over 600,000 pounds – a 26 percent reduction. In mitigating the dangers of the food-borne illnesses during

2007, the Food Bank contacted all food recipients and recalled tens of thousands of pounds of potentially harmful items. Steep increases in the cost of staple resourc-es such as dairy products forced donations to decrease or be eliminated from some previous sources, while increases in fleet maintenance and fuel prices created over $141,000 in transportation costs. To overcome the reductions in food sources, the Food Bank expanded its scope of procurement to outside its 18-county service area. Donations were coordinated through producers, manufacturers, and warehouses in 13 states resulting in almost 2 million pounds of food from outside our area. Local donors were asked to focus on set goals for their collection efforts by taking the Food Drive Challenge of 5,000 to 20,000 pounds. Despite all the setbacks, the generosity of the donors increased the donations by 823,000 pounds from the previous fiscal year. The result was an increase of approximately 223,000 pounds of food donations. These donations were distributed to

nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the Food Bank’s service area. By partnering with charities whose mis-sions are to educate children, end homeless-ness, rescue victims, and provide ongoing support to those in need, the Food Bank was able to create a solid foundation for local nonprofits and charities to increase the capacity of their own organizations. By reducing costs in transportation and handling areas, in April of 2007, the Food Bank reduced costs normally shared by agencies. Since this time, the Food Bank has been able to save these organizations an average of $37,000 per month in addi-tion to the $9.6 million saved during the year. Food distribution rose and new pro-grams in rural areas emerged as a result. The Food Bank has increased the food going to rural counties by as much as two

to three times that distributed in previous years.

Children benefited even

more in the 2006-07 fiscal

year. During the first of the

year, the addition of many

of the Jacksonville Recreation

and Parks Department sites

increased the total number

of Kids Cafe programs.

America’s Second

Harvest, the Nation’s Food

Bank Network, recognized

the LSS Second Harvest

Food Bank as the largest

Kids Cafe program in the

nation with 92 sites. The

Food Bank was also recognized as

creating the most growth in the Kids

Cafe programs with an additional 27

sites in just one year – the national

average is four sites per year. These

programs at schools, youth centers,

athletic leagues and churches provided

a safe place for children to go after

school and during the summer to

learn, receive tutoring, participate

in physical exercise and receive

approved nutrition provided by the

Food Bank.

SECOnD HARVESTFOOD BAnK

2006-07 LSS Annual Report/Page 5

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2 0 0 5 - 0 7 P O u n D A g E D I S T R I B u T I O n C O M P A R I S O n R E P O R T

BACK TO BACK TO BACK: A yEAR’S WORTH OF RECORD-BREAKERS

Special events are not only an important fundraising tool for the Second Harvest Food Bank, they also act as much-needed awareness builders of the intricate and valuable role the Food Bank serves in the Northeast Florida community. The big events of 2007 marked a

special record-breaking year and helped propel the Food Bank into 2008.

17TH AnnuAL JACKSOnVILLE FOOD FIgHT Sponsored by Everbank, the 17th Annual Jacksonville Food Fight, which took place on June 7, 2007, raised over $55,300 in net rev-enue, which is almost $10,000 more than the previous year’s net revenue. The money raised is the equivalent of 307,000 pounds of food or 204,600 meals for hungry people in Jacksonville and sur-rounding areas. The event took place at the Crown Royal Touch-down Club and featured over 45 of Jacksonville’s best restaurants and beverage distributors. Preparations for the 2008 Food Fight are already underway, so mark your calendars for another exciting night! The 18th An-nual Jacksonville Food Fight presented by Everbank will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2008, 6-9 p.m.. Additional details can be found on the LSS events calendar on page 11 or by visiting www.lssjax.org.

5TH AnnuAL JACKSOnVILLE JAguARS TASTE OF THE nFLA record crowd generated the highest net revenue to date at the 5th Annual Jacksonville Jaguars Taste of the NFL, hosted by Jaguars co-owners Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver. With $174,980 raised, these funds will provided more than 648,000 meals for the hungry in our community. It was truly an unforget-table night. Held on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007, at the Crown Royal Touchdown Club West in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville’s premier “party with a purpose” showcased the city’s finest chefs who prepared an exquisite six-course dinner complete with wine pairings for guests to enjoy. Last year, Taste of the NFL was proud to feature Executive Chef Partner Shane Cheshire of

Shay T’s Catering Concepts, Chef Liz Grenamyer of Catering by Liz, Executive Chef Partner Tom Gray of Bistro Aix, Executive Chef Charles Charbonneau of the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa, Executive Chef Tim Hoch of Levy Restaurants, and Chef Matthew Medure of Matthew’s. We are excited to announce that plans are in motion for a sixth year of Taste of the NFL, with a date to be determined for September 2008, the nation’s official “Hunger Action Month.”

23RD AnnuAL EMPTy BOWLS LunCHEOn Sponsored by Acosta Sales and Marketing, last year’s Empty Bowls Luncheon also broke all previous records – more than 900 people attended and the event raised over $50,000 for the LSS Second Harvest Food Bank. The luncheon was held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007, from noon – 1 p.m., at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. The luncheon is one of our most recognizable events for raising sup-port and awareness of the issue of hunger in Northeast Florida. Uniquely individual ceramic bowls created by area students and local potters are displayed prominently at the event. Artists’ bowls signed by celebrities such as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Billy Idol, and Kenny Chesney are included in a silent auction during the luncheon. Local school groups and other community groups perform during the heartfelt program. We look forward to hosting the 24th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon, which will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008, noon to 1 p.m., at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Join us as we kick off the holiday season and help us fill empty bowls. In an effort to meet growing needs in our community, special events like Food Fight, Taste of the NFL, and the Empty Bowls Luncheon help to promote hunger awareness, raise much-needed funds, and show support for one of the nation’s most solvable social issues – food insecurity. We would like to thank everyone involved in the success of these events, including guests, sponsors, and volunteers. We look forward to your continued support and participation in 2008.

Last year, the Refugee and Immigration Services (RIS) Program resettled 188 people from other continents and countries including Africa, the

Western Hemisphere, the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Asia. Our newest group of refugees are Burmese people who have been living in Thailand and Burundis from Tanzania. These people had been granted the status of refugee, asylee or entrant by the U.S. State Department because they were escaping persecution due to politics, war or personal beliefs. They came to LSS via Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). The 27 RIS staff members speak a total of 17 languages and come from 14 countries in the world. They work to pave the way for refugees in learning about the American culture, government requirements, banking and employment processes. Their goal is to promote long-term economic self-sufficien-cy and effective resettlement for refugees, entrants and asylees. Through Resettlement Services, the RIS staff works to introduce newly-arrived refugees to their new community. Staff members help refugees secure safe housing, food, cash assistance, public health screen-ings, health care and Social Security cards. Children are enrolled in school and acculturation begins for all entrants. Through Employment Services, RIS staff assists all eligible refugees (up to 60 months after they come to this country) in achieving economic self-sufficiency and effective resettlement in as short of a time period as possible by helping them find gainful employment. Staff members help refugees search for jobs, write resumes and learn how to complete job applications. RIS has longstanding relationships with a number of employers in Jacksonville who are eager to hire refugees. The top employers last year were ATS Staffing, Gate Precast Company, Amelia Island Plantation, and various hotels and restau-rants. They hired refugees mainly from Russia, Cuba, Haiti, Liberia and Burma. Last year, RIS Employment placed 303 refugees in jobs throughout Jacksonville In Career Laddering, staff members help each refugee develop an individual career track based on agreed-upon career goals. Refugees are encouraged to target

specific jobs and identify professional growth objectives, including further education needed, skills training and cre-dentialing necessary before moving to the next step on the career ladder. Last year, Career Laddering staff helped 31 refugees find and participate in further training to advance their careers. Of these 31 people, 28 found job placement in the Jackson-ville area. Refugee Youth and Family Services staff members provide services to assist all eligible refugee youth and their families in achieving family stability and integra-tion into the Jacksonville community. School liaisons work within the schools to help refugee youth with all aspects of the public school educational system, such as development of good study habits and tu-toring if necessary. Last year, staff worked with 169 youth. They came from 24 countries including Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Myan-mar, Russia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan and the Ukraine. As part of Healthy Marriages/ Family Nurturing services, staff members provide eligible refugee youth and their families with hands-on assistance and guidance in the areas of family violence or psychoso-cial issues that may impede their progress toward self-sufficiency. Last year, these services helped 13 women and nine men from eight countries. Contracts from the State of Florida Department of Children and Families al-low LSS to provide employment services including Career Laddering and Refugee Youth and Family Services program services including Healthy Marriages/Family Nurturing Services. A cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration with LIRS and EMM provides reception and placement services. Integration Assistance Services (IAS) staff members provide intensive case man-agement to refugees who face significant social and cultural barriers in becoming self-sufficient. An example is an elder person applying for SSI in order to live independently. IAS also provides survival English classes for six weeks for all new refugee arrivals. Each week features a different acculturation issue, such as health care or education, and participants may enter and exit as needed.

REFugEE & IMMIgRAT IOn

SERV ICES

2006-07 LSS Annual Report/Page 7

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900s. Recognized on March 8, IWD is an important global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. IWD celebrates the collective power of women past, present

and future. Hosted by LSS Refugee & Immigration Services Program and the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, Inc., a special event to honor IWD will be held on Friday, March 7, from 5 - 8 p.m., at Riverside Park United Methodist Church (819 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204). The celebration will feature music, singing, food, special guest speakers including refugee women from the community, as well as a silent auction and live entertainment. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. The event is free; guests are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

WHy DEDICATE A DAy EXCLuSIVELy TO THE CELEBRATIOn OF THE WORLD’S WOMEn?

The United Nations General Assembly, composed of delegates from every member state, celebrates International Women’s Day to recognize that peace and social progress require the active par-ticipation and equality of women and to acknowledge the contribu-tion of women to international peace and security. For the women of the world, the day is an occasion to review how far they have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. People might think that women’s equality benefits mostly women, but every one-percentile growth in female secondary schooling results in a 0.3 percent growth in the economy. Yet

girls are often kept from receiv-ing education in the poorest countries that would best benefit from the economic growth. Until men and women work together to secure the rights and full potential of women, lasting solutions to the world’s most serious social, economic and political problems are unlikely to be found. In recent decades, much progress has been made. On a worldwide level, women’s access to education and proper health care has increased, their participation in the paid labor force has grown, and legislation that promises equal opportunities for women and respect for their human rights has been ad-opted in many countries. The world now has an ever-growing number of women participating in society as policy makers. However, nowhere in the world can women claim to have all the same rights and opportunities as men. The majority of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor are women. On average, women receive between 30 and 40 percent less pay than men earn for the same work. And everywhere, women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women of reproductive age worldwide.

LSS celebrates THE WOMEN OF THE world

W ith the start of a new year comes the arrival of new refugee groups for the LSS Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS) Program. This fall, RIS will prepare for the arrival of its newest population of refugees, the Bhutanese in Nepal.

Due to ongoing Bhutanse civil conflict over the past 16 years, the United States has launched a program to resettle tens of thousands of Bhutanse refugees from refugee camps in neighboring Nepal. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, many Bhutanese refugees say they want to return to their homes in Bhutan. Despite this desire – and despite numerous high-level meetings between the governments of Bhutan and Nepal to resolve the refugee crisis – Bhutan has not permitted a single refugee to return home. Of the more than 100,000 refugees in Nepali camps, the United States will consider for resettlement at least 60,000.

With the help and dedication of the RIS staff, Bhutanese refugees sent to LSS will receive a wealth of assistance in areas such as education, housing, language and career opportunities in order to begin new and safer lives in the United States.

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The AIDS Care and Educa-tion (ACE) Program faced a number of challenges in 2007 brought on by the reduc-tion in Ryan White funding,

which resulted in the elimination of three case management positions, the highly successful Jail LINC (Linking Inmates Needing Care) Program, and the Food Pantry Program. A restructuring of the funding for the Housing Assistance Pro-gram resulted in the loss of two more po-sitions. Despite these challenges, in 2007 ACE’s remaining seven staff members assisted through case management 459 people who were HIV-positive. Of these, 62 were new clients to the ACE Program. Additionally, the Housing Assistance Program assisted 81 people last year. At the beginning of 2007, ACE encompassed several service categories: Ryan White case management, housing, mental health, Project AIDS CARE Waiver case management and the nationally recognized Jail LINC (Linking Inmates Needing Care) Program. ACE also had a food pantry available to those meeting the federal poverty guidelines. During the changes, ACE pulled together as a team which facilitated better communication between staff and supervision, thereby providing the people they served with a more efficient service delivery. The ACE staff reached out and served people living in rural areas, women, men, racial/ethnic minorities and communities of color, homeless people, gay, lesbian and bisexual adults, incarcerated persons, people in need of mental health counseling, injection drug users and other drug users. Of the 459 people served in the case management program last year, 230 were 24-44 years old. In addition, 218 were 45-64 years old, and nine people were 65 or older. Two people were between 18-23 years old. In the terms of race and ethnicity of those in case management, 156 were white or Caucasian, 291 were black or African-American, seven were Hispanic or Latino, and five were classified as Asian or other. Of the total number of people in the program, the majority was diagnosed with HIV (not AIDS) and 158 had a Cen-ter for Disease Control-defined diagnosis of AIDS. On the basis of income, 308 individuals

had household incomes at, or lower than, the federal poverty level of $10,210. In order to stretch their incomes and help make ends meet when necessary, people with whom ACE worked sought rental, mortgage and utility assistance from the Housing Program or were referred out to other agencies. ACE provided 459 people with specific case management services and referrals for health care and supportive services, for example, dental care, substance and domestic abuse counseling, Social Security Disability, Food Stamps and legal and util-ity assistance. In addition, 42 people re-ceived mental health services from ACE’s mental health counselor, and 81 people were assisted through H.O.W. (Housing Opportunities for Women and Children). The ACE staff assisted people with all aspects relating to their medical well-being such as finding appropriate medical treat-ment sites, keeping appointments, moving into homes and apartments, finding household supplies and goods and obtain-ing personal care items. The staff served as advocates to landlords, lawyers and the Department of Children and Fami-lies. They taught people how to be more self-reliant by teaching them to budget their income, to live independently and to be more responsible for their daily existence. The majority of the services that the ACE Program offered last year were funded by the following government contracts:

• RyanWhiteCaseManagementand Mental Health - Ryan White Title I (via City of Jacksonville Behavioral and Human Services Division of the Recreational and Community Services Department), which receives the funds as a Transitional Grant Area Part A from HRSA;

• HousingOpportunitiesforWomen and Children, Shared Housing, – Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (via the federal government to the City of Jacksonville);

• ProjectAIDSCareWaiverCase Management - State of Florida Medicaid (a certification of the agency and individual case managers to provide the service).

AIDS CARE & EDuCAT IOn

SERV ICES

2006-07 LSS Annual Report/Page 9

FAQS

Do I have to be Lutheran to adopt through Lutheran Social Services? No. Lutheran Social Services provides adoption services to all qualified parents, regardless of religious affiliation.

How long does the adoption process take? The first step is the home study, which takes about three months. Placement of a child usually occurs within 12 months upon completion of the home study.

Is travel always required?For almost all countries, travel by at least one parent is required. Parents are strongly encouraged to travel for their adoption, regardless of country requirements. This is a great way to experience the culture of the child’s birthplace.

How much does adopting a child cost?Costs for adopting a child depend on variables such as age of the child, country of origin and travel timing. In general, total costs range between $15,000 and $30,000.

CONTACT INFO

For more information on the LSS International Adoption Program, please contact:

Kelsea EckertLSS International Adoption CoordinatorToll-free: 1.888.LSS.ADOPT (1.888.577.2367) E-mail: wkeckert@lssjax.org

International Adoption Services TAKES SHAPE In 2008

Children all over the world are in need of loving homes. Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida is proud to help

facilitate families’ next additions. In 2007, LSS became a member of the Lutheran Adoption Network (LAN). LAN is a national collaboration of 30 Lu-theran social ministry organizations that are active in international adoptions and who are members of Lutheran Services in

America (LSA). As a whole, LAN mem-ber agencies place thousands of children in caring adoptive homes every year. Services are not restricted to Lutherans. LSS and LAN provide adoption services to all qualified parents regardless of faith. As a direct service agency, LSS is the only agency in 11 counties licensed to handle international adoptions and the only member agency of LAN operating in the state of Florida. A lot of preliminary legwork was accomplished in 2007 in order for this new and exciting service to come to frui-tion. First, LSS created a list of policies and procedures which followed the state statutes and Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) regulations on how the program would be conducted. Before LSS could be certified to provide international adoption services, the credentials, educa-tion, experience and background of both the agency president, Wayne Rieley,

and the director of operations, Dan Ashdon, were verified. In addition, LSS was required to obtain a signed Memo-randum of Understanding (MOU) with a foster home in the event an adoption falls through and placement of the child becomes necessary. LSS has contracted with Kelsea Eckert, an attorney and former board member, to serve as the LSS international adoption coordinator. Kelsea originally brought up idea of adding international

adoptions to the mission of LSS in 2004. She updated a business plan that LSS had developed in the early 2000s for a potential international adoption program and participated in the application process for DCF. LSS representa-tives and she set up informational meetings with the various service providers in the community who will conduct the home studies for the prospective parents, provide counseling with the families and prepare the dossiers. These provid-ers will in turn be contract employ-ees for LSS for the above services they will be providing. LSS hosted the first in a series

of international adoption informational sessions on Feb. 5 at Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church. Other sessions will follow at various locations through-out Northeast Florida, and presentations scheduled to date can be found on the LSS calendar of events on page 11, as well as future presentations as they are sched-uled on the LSS Web site, www.lssjax.org. At each session, prospective parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the International Adoption Program and LAN. Providers will answer questions about how the process works and what to expect. Prospective parents will also be able to make an appointment to apply and start the process, if they are interested. Over the years, Lutherans and others familiar with the services typically pro-vided by Lutheran social service agencies nationwide have asked LSS to help them adopt children. The agency is blessed to finally be able to meet their needs.

Due to its affiliation with LAN, LSS is able to help prospective parents adopt children from such countries as China, Colombia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

The mission of the Lutheran Social Services Representative Payee Program is to provide clients with prudent financial management and counseling from qualified fiscal coordinators. The LSS Representative Payee Program is the only agency in Northeast Florida that manages Social Security checks for people not capable of spending their money appropriately.

Consisting of eight full-time staff members, Representative Payee had 1,000 clients enrolled in the program in 2007 that were served each month. Of those, 450 resided in assisted living facilities (ALFs). The program serves and works with all age groups, from less than four years old to over 60. All of the people served last year are considered low income, according to the Federal Poverty Guideline. The Representative Payee Program works in partnership with over 85 ALFs, the Mental Health Resource Center, Mental Health Center of Jacksonville, River Region Human Services, Northwest Behavioral Services, Clay County Behavior Services, St. Johns County Mental Health Department, Nassau County Mental Health Services, North Florida AIDS Network, the LSS ACE Program and Gateway Community Servic-es. These partnerships help staff members follow the whereabouts of the people they serve, understand their total financial obligations and work together to make sure that these people are able to access the services they need. The people served in this program are especially susceptible to making bad spend-ing decisions and are often easily manipulated by others. Before they were required to have a Representative Payee, these people would often spend most or all of their Social Security checks on alcohol, drugs or non-essential items without regard to shelter, food and other basic needs. They were then forced to turn to other community resources as well as federal monies to survive the rest of the month, using the resources of other community services to house, feed or otherwise care for themselves after their money was gone. Government funding for the Representative Payee Program came from the State of Florida Department of Children and Families and from the City of Jacksonville Public Service Grant. The program also received fees from clients who were not covered under these two grants. These clients pay $34 per month, and the amount is deducted from their account each month. Starting in 2008, these fees will increase to $35 per month. The cost to cover program expenses for each client is actually about $60 per month. The eight staff members in the program worked to meet a series of objectives designed to keep the people with whom they worked off the streets and ensure that their basic needs were met. Staff members met the following objectives last year:

• Metface-to-facewith85percentofthepeople for whom they provided fiscal management services;

• Ensuredthatnewclientsintheprogramhadhousing within 60 days of beginning Representative Payee Services;

• Paidallmonthlyfixedbillsforthepeoplewith whom they worked and helped them live within their established budgets;

• Preventedhomelessnessforallofthepersonsliving with HIV/AIDS;

• Referredallofthepeoplewhoneededreferral to substance abuse treatment or mental health treatment;

• Ensuredthat90percentoftheclients with whom they worked did not experience incarcerations;

• Providedfiscalmanagementfor 30 persons receiving Social Security benefits and living with HIV/AIDS.

REPRESEnTAT IVEPAyEE

SERV ICES

2006-07 LSS Annual Report/Page 11

Lutheran Social ServicesC A L E n D A R O F E V E n T S

FEBRUARY 29 - MARCH 30, 20087TH AnnuAL CAnSTRuCTIOn®

Jacksonville Public Library - Main Library303 n. Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008InTERnATIOnAL ADOPTIOn InFORMATIOnAL SESSIOn

6 p.m., Cross+Road Lutheran Church5091 Lakeshore West, Orange Park, FL 32003

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008InTERnATIOnAL WOMEn’S DAy

5 - 8 p.m., Riverside Park united Methodist Church819 Park Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204

APRIL 18, 2008LSS APPRECIATIOn DAy

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.FCCJ Deerwood Center

9911 Old Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008InTERnATIOnAL ADOPTIOn InFORMATIOnAL SESSIOn

6 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church1415 S. McDuff Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32205

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008nATIOnAL ASSOCIATIOn OF LETTER CARRIERS

FOOD DRIVEDon’t forget to leave nonperishable food items by

your mailbox for pick up!

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 200818TH AnnuAL JACKSOnVILLE FOOD FIgHT

6 - 9 p.m., Crown Royal Touchdown Club

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2008WORLD REFugEE DAy

SEPTEMBER 2008 - HUNGER ACTION MONTH6TH AnnuAL TASTE OF THE nFL

Date/Time TBD

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 200824TH AnnuAL EMPTy BOWLS LunCHEOnnoon - 1 p.m., Prime Osborn Convention Center

MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2008WORLD AIDS DAy

Be sure to check the LSS Web site, www.lssjax.org, for complete event information, ticket ordering and updates throughout the year.

Help us fill empty bowls with another record-breaking event!

A “feast for the eyes” competition that’s sure to wow spectators.

Take a bite out of hunger and sample exquisite food and drinks

from 50 of Jacksonville’s finest restaurants.

Wear red and show your support!

Learn how LSS can help facilitate the next addition to your family.

Join us as we celebrate the women of the world.

Volunteering at the Food Bank is fun and easy. Simply call 904.353.FOOD (3663).

Volunteers and donors are the heart of our organization.

NoN-Profit orgU.S. PoStage

PAIDJackSoNville, fl

Permit No.1610

lUtheraN Social ServiceS

of NortheaSt florida, iNc.4615 PhiliPS highway

JackSoNville, fl 32207

Working in Partnership with:

SolutionS from the heart.

Agency Sponsor:

editor: kareN J. rieleywriter/deSigNer: meliSSa SimPSoN

www.lssjax.org

LSS SENIOR STAFF

PRESIDEnT/CEO

R. Wayne Rieley

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIOnS

Dan Ashdon

COnTROLLER

Richard Mochowski

HuMAn RESOuRCES SPECIALIST

Eileen nelson

DIRECTOR OF ADVAnCEMEnT

Karen Rieley

PROgRAM DIRECTORS:

AIDS CARE & EDuCATIOn

Dick niemann

InTERnATIOnAL ADOPTIOn

Kelsea Eckert

REFugEE & IMMIgRATIOn

SERVICES

Barbara Carr

REPRESEnTATIVE PAyEE SERVICES

Richard Mochowski

SECOnD HARVEST FOOD BAnK

Patrick Colley

THE SHARIng PLACE

THRIFT SHOP

Deborah Reeves