LUM Offers Hope & Life-Altering Assistance |
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Wes's Weekly Wrap Up - Impact of Assistance Fund |
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In this edition of Wes's Weekly Wrap Up, Wes Tillett, LUM executive director, reflects on the life-altering impact of the LUM Good Samaritan Fund and the empathy we share by "jumping into the shoes" of our local neighbors in need. Please take 59 seconds to watch the video and SHARE with others. See below for more information about the LUM Good Samaritan Fund. |
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A Letter from Wes Tillett, Executive Director |
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Can You Imagine Being in Someone Else's Shoes? |
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The roots of EMPATHY lie in our ability to imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes. I invite you to jump into the shoes of a few people in our Greater Lafayette community for a moment.
Imagine receiving the news that your child is being diagnosed with cancer. This news then requires you to give up your current job so that you can spend all of your time and energy attending to your child’s medical needs and appointments. Then comes the double-whammy of enormous medical expenses and greatly reduced income. After all of this, imagine falling behind on rent and reaching out to LUM for some financial assistance in order to stay securely housed. For more than one family in Greater Lafayette right now, no imagination is needed – this is reality.
EMPATHY requires imagination. Jesus taught “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This necessitates some ability to envision how we would like to be treated and then translate that into how we treat the person right in front of us. I imagine if I were in a financial crisis, I would want someone to listen to me and offer practical help. My guess is that you have listened well and offered practical help in the past by making a contribution to LUM, and maybe specifically to the LUM Good Samaritan Fund. Thank you for your empathy. On behalf of the many people in our community who receive hope and help through your kindness, thank you in advance for whatever you can contribute today to continue to assist our neighbors in need.
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Mission Moments - LUM Good Samaritan Fund |
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Real-Life "Shoes" - Three Families in Crisis |
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The LUM Good Samaritan Fund is a financial assistance program that provides a strong and reliable safety net to our community’s families and children. This financial assistance is paid to a third party for rent, utilities, or prescription medication. Here are some other real-life, local “shoes” you're invited to imagine yourself in:
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You are a SINGLE DAD caring for CHILDREN with DISABILITIES. You can’t return to work for several weeks until your children are approved to receive the supportive services they need. You need help with an overdue heating bill.
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You are a SINGLE MOTHER of three, needing aid to move out of a LEAD-contaminated apartment and into a clean and safe living situation.
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You are a YOUNG ADULT recovering from BRAIN SURGERY. You are determined to return to work again someday, but for now you have no income. It’s the onset of winter, and you cannot afford to pay your heating bill.
Again, these are NOT made-up scenarios. There are precious local people in these precarious situations that have come through our door, seeking financial assistance from the LUM Good Samaritan Fund. Because of empathetic donors such as YOU, LUM has been able to give financial assistance – and with it, emotional support and hope – thousands of times. Thank you.
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Life-Altering Impact - Good Samaritan Fund |
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$1.2M | 5,000 Households | 21,248 Times |
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In 50 years of serving low-income households in Greater Lafayette, LUM has learned that even modest financial assistance can have a dramatic, positive impact on families.
In the past 10 years, LUM has distributed more than $1.2 million in emergency financial assistance to 5,030 families in 21,248 separate client visits. Any given client could receive a maximum of $200 each year. In the past decade, the average client only visited three times. Clearly, the LUM Good Samaritan Fund is not creating financial dependence on LUM but instead is giving an empowering hand of hope to people in the midst of their own financial crises. The impact is life-altering.
Would you please consider giving $50, $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 to the LUM Good Samaritan Fund, to ensure that LUM can continue to offer this critical social safety net to our neighbors in need?
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This Thanksgiving - Make New Memories |
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Participate in the LUM Turkey Trot 5K Run |
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Sign up today for the LUM Turkey Trot 5K Run (Thursday, November 24). Make it a family tradition, wear a fun hat or costume, and take part in the most fun 5K of the year. This Thanksgiving morning, create new memories with your family and friends that you will cherish for a lifetime. All proceeds benefit local individuals, families and children through LUM programs and services. Register for the LUM Turkey Trot 5K Run TODAY! |
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Neil Klemme Insurance $3,000 Match |
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Now - November 30 | Benefiting Jubilee Christmas |
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For the entire month of November, the Neil Klemme State Farm Insurance Agency of West Lafayette is offering a “$3,000 Match Donation” in support of LUM Jubilee Christmas & the financial assistance program. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to “double your donation” to LUM and increase your impact on strengthening local families thanks to the generosity of Neil Klemme Insurance Agency.
It’s simple — click the “Klemme Match” button from NOW until November 30, make a donation, and the Neil Klemme Insurance Agency will match donations up to $3,000. This is an exciting partnership because Neil Klemme State Farm Insurance Agency is a local business. LUM is fortunate and grateful to have this support from Neil Klemme State Farm Insurance Agency.
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Community Thanksgiving Feast
Thursday, November 24 – Noon – Thanksgiving Day
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Jubilee Christmas
Saturday, December 10
Various Locations & Times
DONATE: to make cash donation or donate toys & needed items, click HERE. If your business or group would like to become an event sponsor, call or email us (765-423-2691 | jubilee@LUMserve.org).
VOLUNTEER: to sign up to volunteer, click HERE. Volunteers are needed from Monday, November 28 – Tuesday, December 6 to staff the Donation Center, and on Jubilee Christmas Day (December 10) from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. to host families and organize toys.
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