Seeds of Vision eNewsletter - Fall 2020
As communities of faith engaged in the hard work of lifting up the least among us, there is so much that we can learn from one another. It is our humble hope that Seeds of Vision will help make that possible by providing a platform for ecumenical social service agencies from across the East North Central region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin) to share their knowledge and experience.
Program – Neighbors Empowered
Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center
Neighbors Empowered is a program designed to help single mothers work towards self-sufficiency and build a better life for themselves and their children. 

It combines empowerment-oriented classes with childcare, a family meal, and grocery store gift cards to remove barriers and make it easier for the women to participate.
Program – Self Esteem Boot Camp
Hope Southern Indiana
The Self Esteem Boot Camp serves girls in middle and high school, ages 11 to 18, who are dealing with suicidal thoughts and/or depression. 

The girls and their counselors spend a weekend at the Country Lake Retreat Center in Underwood, Indiana. Friday night and Saturday are focused on inner beauty, and cover topics from bullying to social media, mental health, and nutrition. On Sunday, they talk about outward beauty and bring in hair stylists and make-up artists. 
Meet an Executive Director
Wes Tillett - Lafayette Urban Ministry
Wes Tillett was a youth minister and lead pastor for 15 years before becoming the executive director of Lafayette Urban Ministry in April of 2020. 

He started his new job in the midst of a pandemic, taking over from a man who had held the position for thirty two years. 

The challenges have been immense, but so have the blessings.
Responding to COVID-19 - Streams of Hope
In Seeds of Vision, Issue two, we met Kurtis Kaechele, who had just taken over as the new executive director at Streams of Hope

In response to COVID, they’d had to change their food pantry to a drive-through model and drop many of their empowerment-oriented programs. 

Seven months into the crisis, they are finding new ways to operate and meet the needs of their community, from taking online appointments at the food pantry to transforming their gym into a safe, socially distanced space for tutoring programs. 
Election Day is THIS uesday, November 3, but early voting has begun in each of the East North Central States. Here are some helpful links for VOTING in 2020:
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in ILLINOIS, click HERE
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in INDIANA, click HERE
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in MICHIGAN, click HERE
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in OHIO, click HERE
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in WISCONSIN, click HERE
  • For everything you need to know to VOTE in USA, click HERE
Invite Your Colleagues - Grow Our Network
If you know of other ecumenical social service agencies in your area who should be receiving Seeds of Vision, please send their contact information to dreamteam@lumserve.org.

If you would like to see your agency, or one of your programs, featured in Seeds of Vision, please contact dreamteam@lumserve.org. We would love to work with you. We’ll conduct a brief telephone interview before drafting an article and sending it to you for your approval.
Connect with your colleagues on social media by joining the Seeds of Vision Facebook Group. To join, click HERE.