At the 2021 North Carolina ELCA Synod Assembly, LSC kicked off the congregational phase of the Be The Light campaign designed to expand and enhance our child and family services program in North Carolina.
With close to $3,000,000 raised, LSC has been able to accomplish several campaign projects: increase foster parent recruitment, open a new full-time residence for those with traumatic brain injury (TBI), equip foster care case managers with mobile technology, start the new integrated model of care for clients with TBI, establish a permanent residency and citizenship legal fund for refugees and immigrants, and start the For the Children Endowment. Your compassion has brought light to our communities.
“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — JOHN 1:5
Be the Light impact report
Thanks to the Be The Light campaign, LSC’s foster care recruiters have all the information they need for foster families at the touch of their fingertips.
“The donation of tablets has significantly benefited case managers in the field by enhancing their efficiency and productivity. With tablets, case managers can access important information and resources on-the-go, allowing them to provide real-time support to families and children we serve. They have improved the effectiveness of case managers in delivering timely and quality support to those in need.”
— Nakia Batts Womack, LSC Executive DirectorChildren’s Services
Another goal of Be The Light was to create a statewide foster family recruitment program in North Carolina. Thanks to your support, LSC was able to hire a supervisor, a data specialist, and three new foster family recruiters (in the Hickory, Wilmington, and Fayetteville areas) to join our existing recruiters (in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Raleigh). Below is a story from a family who was recently recruited.
“My partner and I really wanted to be parents — we felt like that was our calling — but we struggled with infertility for several years. I work in the children’s mental health field, and foster care stories just melted my heart. So, we talked about it and decided to become foster parents. We attended parenting classes together and were licensed last May. In August, we began fostering two young sisters. The girls are amazing — and LSC has been so helpful! Our LSC Foster Care recruiter is the sweetest person. We’ve received grace and support through the whole process. With foster care, we don’t always know what will happen next, but the girls have a safe home with us no matter what.”
— Candace, LSC foster parent
Since the opening of Moretz Manor in 2021, 7 individuals with traumatic brain injuries have called Moretz Manor home.
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Be The Light campaign brings help and hope to clients with TBI
Registered Nurse Blythe Griffin leads traumatic brain injury integrated care efforts
One goal of LSC’s Be The Light campaign launched in 2021 is to create a new, integrated model of care for our clients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thanks to generous donations, LSC was able to hire Blythe Griffin, RN, as TBI liaison last June — and the integrated care model is already bearing fruit.
Griffin received her Bachelor of Science in nursing from East Carolina University and completed a nursing externship in a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU). She spent the first eight years of her nursing career in the pediatric ICU at Duke University Hospital and several more as a pediatric/neonatal ICU “floater” at UNC Health in Chapel Hill.
Nursing runs in Griffin’s family. “My mom was a nurse, and like her, I had a heart to help people through healthcare,” she explained. “I saw acute cases of TBI on the pediatric unit, but I never got to see how those patients progressed after they left the hospital. When this position opened up at LSC, it seemed like a great opportunity.”
Griffin spends about half of her time traveling to LSC’s group homes for adults with TBI: Lippard Lodge in Winston-Salem, Whittecar Home in Raleigh, and Moretz Manor in Durham. Each home has six beds, and Griffin works with all of the clients and their families or guardians. Her work is vitally important.
“TBI patients have the potential to get better, but for many it’s a lifelong challenge — and there are behavioral health issues like depression that go along with TBI,” she noted. “Health care providers are typically concerned with treating medical issues. Information from the primary care provider isn’t always relayed to psychologists, neurologists, and therapists, and vice versa. My job is to help bridge that gap.”
Griffin attends team meetings at the residential programs to collaborate with direct care workers and clinicians. She and the group home program director meet in person
or virtually with each client and/or their parent or guardian. They discuss what’s working, the issues the client is facing, and how LSC can help. Then Griffin works with primary care providers and specialists to adjust the approach to treatment.
“One of our clients was coming up on the 2-year anniversary of his injury,” recalled Griffin. “He was starting to lose hope and showing signs of depression. I worked with his guardian and the program director to fit more activities he enjoyed into his schedule. He started talk therapy and music therapy and began going to the gym. He is feeling much better about things now; his guardian has reached out several times to thank me.”
Much of Griffin’s work involves listening, advocacy, and problem solving — the same skills that made her a successful pediatric
nurse. “I’m able to connect, slow down, and ensure our clients are heard,” she said.
When Griffin isn’t meeting with clients and care providers or training teammates on techniques such as administering medicine, she is busy planning for the future. “In Year 1, I’m focusing on relationship building and education. Our clients don’t all see the same providers, so there are a lot of relationships to build,” she said. “In Year 2, I’ll be working on electronic health records to improve communication among care providers.”
Griffin brings thought, care, and individualized attention to her work. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the clients,” she noted. “Each one is unique.”
“TBI is not an easy journey,” she added. “It feels good knowing that I can help make a difference.”
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TBI Liaison Blythe Griffin, RN, and client Marcelle Harding, a resident of Moretz Manor in Durham, North Carolina.
Planning for the future
The Be The Light campaign has made a significant impact by establishing LSC’s For the Children Endowment Fund. This enduring fund will illuminate the path for years to come, aiding LSC in meeting the critical needs of children in North Carolina. A portion of the endowment’s annual returns will be strategically allocated to support essential services for children, precisely where they are most needed.
Kathy Knecht, recognizing the profound
significance of this initiative, seized the perfect moment to designate a planned gift to the endowment fund. Her contribution will continue to radiate hope and support for generations to come!
“Family and children’s ministries and programs have always been close to my heart. In graduate school for my master’s in social work at UNC (University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill) my concentration was Family and Children. My career in social services saw
16 of my 30 years spent in services to children and families (adoptions, foster care and homes, day care, protective service and a federal project focused on youth). During this time, I also served for 12 years on the Board of Lutheran Family Services (now part of LSC) providing care for refugee families, and an expansion of the foster care program with a ‘no reject and no eject’ policy for foster children. I feel strongly that families and children need to be supported both emotionally and financially.”
Giving across the Carolinas
• We are so very grateful for the congregations who participated in the LSC Be The Light campaign even while adapting to the unknowns of congregational life after the pandemic. You truly have been and are light for those children and families in NC who need expanded helping services, and your participation and contributions are making a difference!
— Rev. Dr. Tim Smith, Bishop of the North Carolina ELCA Synod
LSC Teammates all over the Carolinas supported the campaign during the annual Teammate Giving Campaign and raised over $65,192!
A total of 87 congregations took part in the Be The Light campaign. Together, they successfully raised a remarkable sum of $2,167,253!
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