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| In The Community:
Large-Rothberg
works to help area refugees
 My name is Christine Large-Rothberg, and I am the community & cultural liaison for Jacksonville and its refugee communities. My job is to help develop and improve relations between our city and its multicultural refugee population. My office is housed at Lutheran Social Services, but I work with all three resettlement agencies located in Jacksonville - including World Relief and Catholic Charities. My specific goals are to:
Conduct cultural awareness training programs
Represent the refugee community on various community advisory groups
Work to address all parties' potential issues and concerns and develop appropriate ways to work through them
Provide guidance, advice and support services on ethnical and cultural issues
Improve communication and understanding
Attend outreach meetings with minority community representative members and participate in events and initiatives organized by these groups and agencies
On a personal note, I graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in social work from Florida State University. I have spent the last 13 years working in the multicultural arena. As an adjunct professor, I taught English for Speakers of Other Languages at Seminole Community College and Florida Community College of Jacksonville. I also volunteered in teaching ESOL with the nonprofit organization Learn to Read. While at FCCJ, I also worked as a case manager in the New Americans Program, helping refugees and asylees overcome their barriers to education.
I started with Lutheran Social Services as a job developer in career laddering before moving into the community liaison position.
I am excited to begin this new venture with Jacksonville and its refugees.
Christine Rothberg |
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Volunteer Update
The month of May was a fruitful month for volunteers at the Second Harvest Food Bank, with 321 individuals volunteering 2,355.75 hours - an average of more than seven hours per person during one of the Food Bank's busiest months of the year.
Organizations providing help as the Food Bank sorted and distributed more than 290,000 pounds of food from the 16th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive included: Publix, Mayo Clinic, FCCJ Nursing School, Citibank, Terry Parker High School, On Ideas and numerous area churches.
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LSS Food Pantry
Reaching Out
The Lutheran Social Services Food Pantry operates out of the agency's main office on Phillips Highway and has become a valuable resource to those in the nearby community. During the month of May 2008, the pantry provided canned and packaged food to 31 families and 45 individuals. A total of 133 people were provided food in May - the pantry's highest total to date. The pantry is open to serve those in need each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those wishing to access the food pantry must call Dick Niemann at least two days prior to visiting the food pantry. In order to access food, recipients must show a photo ID and social security card for each member in their household who will receive food. For more information, call Dick Niemann at 904.739.7022 or e-mail dniemann@lssjax.org. |
LSS In The News
In case you missed it, below is a sampling of the news coverage received by Lutheran Social Services and its programs during the months of May and June: Jacksonville FOODFIGHT
Times-Union (June 2)
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18th Annual Jacksonville FOODFIGHT®
produces record numbers in support of Second Harvest Food Bank
 The numbers are in, and the biggest winner from the 18th Annual Jacksonville FOODFIGHT® on June 5 was the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida. The annual gathering of the First Coast's top restaurants, caterers and drink distributors at Jacksonville Municipal  Stadium produced record yields of more than 1,200 fun-filled patrons and more than $55,000 raised to help fight hunger in north Florida. Proceeds from the event benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves an 18-county area by providing food resources to 515 member agencies - including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers and after-school programs for children.
 "Each year, this event proves to be one of the most popular fundraisers from which our agency has the pleasure to benefit," said Wayne Rieley, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services, the parent organization of Second Harvest. "Patrons always have a tremendous time and are able to sample some of the best food and beverages in Jacksonville. Most importantly, however, they are able to contribute to a great cause and make an impact in the continuing battle our community wages against hunger." COMPLETE STORY/PHOTO GALLERY | |
World Refugee Day event celebrates Jacksonville's cultural diversity
 More than 175 members of the Jacksonville refugee community gathered for a local celebration of World Refugee Day on Friday, June 20, at Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church, Lakeshore Property. Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida teamed with World Relief and Catholic Charities to organize the gathering, which allowed refugees in the Jacksonville community to mix and mingle while celebrating their various journeys to America. Publix generously donated refreshments for the event.
COMPLETE STORY |
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Chick-fil-A teams with Kids Cafe®
program to provide summer lunch
for underprivileged children
  With summer vacation now in full swing, many children around Jacksonville will be finding their only nourishment through the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida Kids Cafe® program and its summer lunch opportunities. Chick-fil-A at Roosevelt Square in Jacksonville has stepped to the forefront to partner with Second Harvest in an effort to make sure that more than 700 of those summer lunch opportunities come with "udder" enjoyment. COMPLETE STORY |
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:
Station Four Web Design provides
new look for LSS programs, events
 The 18th Annual Jacksonville FOODFIGHT® enjoyed its most successful year ever - producing nearly $60,000 in revenue and more than 1,200 tickets distributed for the event, both all-time highs. A big reason for the success of this year's event was the launch of a dedicated Web site for the event - JacksonvilleFOODFIGHT.org. The site was designed and developed by Station Four Web Design in Jacksonville, a young technology company that has taken the First Coast by storm since its founding in 2007. Station Four offered its services to help redesign Web sites for the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida and Lutheran Social Services, as well as the Jacksonville FOODFIGHT®. Station Four will unveil a new design for the Second Harvest Food Bank Web site in the coming weeks - WeNourishHope.org - and will overhaul the LSS site by year's end. "Station Four's involvement has been a blessing beyond measure as our agency begins the process of enhancing our web presence in all aspects," LSS President and CEO Wayne Rieley said. "The technical knowledge and expertise Chris Lahey and Chris Olberding bring to the table is tremendous. They have exhibited outstanding professionalism throughout the process of our redesigns." Click HERE to view the Jacksonville FOODFIGHT home page. Click HERE to learn more about Station Four Web Design. |
| NEWS & NOTES
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' TASTE OF THE NFL  The event is planned for Wednesday, Sept. 10, and LSS is in need of high-end items to include in the NFL Silent Auction. Please consider donating items from your stores, getaway trips to your vacation homes or other items that would be suitable for the auction at this exciting event benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank.
For ticket information, contact Tia Ford, LSS special events coordinator, at 904.739.7074 or e-mail tford@lssjax.org.
REMEMBER THE SHARING PLACE
The Sharing Place is in dire need of twin beds and mattresses in order to set up homes for arriving refugees. Items can be picked up by The Sharing Place staff, or dropped off at the LSS locations. For more information, call 904.448.5995.
SETTING THE PACE: 7-YEAR-OLD LEADS BY EXAMPLE
When Rebeccah Brown's birthday party grew to more than 20 invitees in May, her mother quickly realized that she needed a plan.
The thought of receiving more than 20 gifts - in addition to the ones given by her family - seemed way too much for a girl who already had plenty. So Micah Brown and her husband, Robert, decided to offer to their daughter the option of giving a blessing to those in need rather than receiving gifts herself. Rebeccah embraced the idea of her friends bringing nonperishable food donations to the party in lieu of gifts, and a charitable act was born.
The Brown family donated 96 pounds of food to the Lutheran Social Services Food Pantry following the party - all generous donations by those who attended her party. The act left a tremendous impression, both on the girl and the staffers at LSS who received her donation.
"We wanted her to learn the value of giving to others, and we thought it would be a good life lesson," said Micah Brown. "She was very excited and happy on the day we dropped the food off."
BEAUCLERC ELEMENTARY KICKS OFF RECORD
WEEKEND HAUL FOR NALC FOOD DRIVE
 Students at Beacuclerc Elementary School in Jacksonville opened a record-setting weekend for the 16th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive by collecting 1,823 pounds of food in a one-day event held at the school on Friday, May 9. The food collected at Beauclerc will create 1,215 meals for people in need throughout north Florida - or roughly one meal donated per student at Beauclerc. The school's efforts jump-started the weekend food drive in Jacksonville that saw a record of more than 290,000 pounds of food collected in a four-county area for the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida. The total weight collected represented a more than 40 percent increase from the 2007 food drive.
REINHOLD FOUNDATION RECOGNIZES LSSLutheran Social Services was recognized by the Reinhold Foundation on May 8 with a $2,000 grant. The Executive Director Discretionary Award was given to LSS after members of its staff attended the Rollins College Team Leadership Development program, which is sponsored by the Reinhold Foundation. The Reinhold Foundation awarded more than 40 grants at the event, totaling more than $396,000, to nonprofit agencies that serve Clay County. Through its Nonprofit Development Initiative Program, the Foundation focuses on strengthening the nonprofit sector by strengthening the leadership of nonprofit organizations. Participation in the program is restricted to nonprofit organizations that provide services in Clay County. The objective of the Nonprofit Development Initiative Program is to offer training opportunities for professional staff members and volunteer leaders. The Paul E. and Klare N. Reinhold Foundation is a family foundation, founded by Paul and Klare Reinhold in 1954. The Foundation supports philanthropic and charitable programs through several different funding initiatives. Principal among these programs is the Reinhold Leadership Development Initiative. This program is dedicated to enhancing the leadership skills of senior staff members and volunteers that manage nonprofit organizations providing services to the citizens of Clay County, Fla.
LSS APPRECIATION EVENING SET FOR AUGUST
The 2008 LSS Appreciation Evening has been scheduled for Aug. 14, 2008, at the Riverfront Café in the Haskell Building. The event, which honors volunteers who have contributed their time during the past year, is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Volunteers will receive an invitation by mail and are asked to RSVP. For more information, contact Tia Ford, LSS special events coordinator, at 904.739.7074 or e-mail tford@lssjax.org. | |
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