Thanks to you, the LSS of NW Ohio “Building on the Rock” improvement project is moving along very well into the second phase of the campaign. Our goal for the entire campaign was $300,000 to complete renovations at the Fremont and Toledo offices.

May 2008 saw the completion of the Fremont renovations and it was a special time of celebration to “burn the mortgage” at the same time as the note had been paid in full. Friends of the agency joined with community leaders and several congregations in the Fremont area to thank and praise God.

A generous gift was recently received by a dear friend of the agency in the amount of $60,000! This gift brings the total raised to date to $188,000. The same donor pledged an additional $40,000 to be received in 2009 for the Toledo office project. We continue to be deeply grateful for the generosity of this person who has led the way towards completing critical renovations necessary to better serve the individuals and families who seek our services. Access and enlargement of the emergency food pantry will allow LSS to serve an estimated 20,000 clients in 2009, more than a 45% increase over last year. We also anticipate an increased need for space made available by the renovation. Groups for anger management, depression and addiction recovery will use the space now occupied by the food pantry. We must make the critical renovations and improvements to the Toledo building in order to welcome our volunteers and staff to better serve our clients.

The third phase is positioned well for success! We will, by God’s grace, complete the “Building on the Rock” campaign as crucial computer and information technology improvements are made throughout 2009 – 2010.

Phase I

February 2007 Kick-Off for “Building on the Rock” Goal: $300,000

May 2008 Mortgage Burning and Completion of the Fremont office

November 2008 Cash Gifts received totaling $188,000 for Toledo office

Phase II

March/April 2009 Ground Breaking for Toledo office renovations

Phase III

May 2009 complete third phase of “Building on the Rock” computer and technology improvement

How might you give?

Cash, stocks, other assets are all excellent possibilities.

Your gift will be matched!

The LSS Foundation will match your gift! For every $3 from you, the Foundation will match $1 (up to a total match of $1000 per donor).

Interested in any of these options? Please contact:

Pr. Mark Hill
VP of Development
mhill@lssnwo.org

or

Fred Heintz
Exec. Director, LSS Foundation
fheintz@lssnwo.org                

How Can You Support The Ministries of Lutheran Social Services?

There are many ways to help support Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio during this season of giving and throughout the year. Below are some examples:

A general donation can help numerous programs offered by LSSNWO. Please consider sending a tax-deductible gift, by check to the administrative office at:

Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio
2149 Collingwood Blvd.
Toledo, OH 43620.

We welcome your gift in honor or memory of a birthday, anniversary or any donation to the general work of the agency.

GivingPlus – Here are the easy steps to more fully realize the PLUS advantage in 2008. You can send a gift of up to $600 now or throughout the year on a monthly or quarterly basis with no minimum gift required. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will contribute $1 for every $2 donated for LSSNWO and if you are a volunteer of 25 or more hours of service to the agency, Thrivent will contribute an additional $25.

Next step. If you are not a Thrivent member, a Thrivent member family you can become an Associate member for a small fee of $10 (per family), good for one year, and all family members 16 years or older can contribute to the GivingPlus® Program. New forms are now available online

Notice that the form has changed and Thrivent ID numbers are no longer required and only the last four digits of the social security number are requested to process the gift and match from Thrivent.

Forms are also available at any of the LSS offices and will be included with future mailings for your convenience.

Please consider a gift of $50, $75, $100 or more in response to God’s love for all persons and as we seek to partner together to enhance the mental, physical, social and spiritual well-being of those who are in need of A Rock in Uncertain Times.

On-Line Giving also is available for those of us who are not interested in trudging through the rain or snow to the mailbox but would rather send our gift at the end of the year electronically. Click the “Give To LSS” button on the left hand side of this page. Simply click on the button and follow the easy to follow instructions to make your donation and you will receive confirmation from the LSSNWO Administrative office with gratitude and appreciation for your support.

But wait there is more! Simply Giving is another no-fee program of automatic transfer of funds from an account that you designate through a simple registration process that can also support LSSNWO. You already take advantage of the convenience and simplicity of electronic transfer of funds to make utility payments. Now you can use the same convenient, reliable method of giving to strengthen the ministry of LSSNWO. Call the Toledo office at (419) 243-9178 for more information and ask for Pastor Mark Hill if you have any questions.

A Wish List of in-kind gifts also is listed the web site.