Caring for kiddos: A Family Place expands to Newberg, third site in Yamhill County
A familiar polka dot bus drives around Newberg, the gateway to Oregon's Willamette Valley, picking up children as young as 18 months and delivering them to an exciting new place. This isn't just any place. It's A Family Place, a relief nursery that opened this fall in...
Mother and son opened their Vancouver home to refugees; you can do the same
LCSNW is seeking temporary host homes for refugees. For more information about Vancouver placements, contact Khalid Barzgar, [email protected] or 360-787-4737. For the Portland area, contact Fiona Evans, [email protected] or 503-731-9590. For the Puget Sound area, go...
Disability lost its grip, and she found LCSNW ‘dream job’ in Portland area
Every LCSNW team member has a job-search story filled with unique challenges. Catherine Hill, a recently hired Mental Health Clinician, completed a long journey in which she faced the adversity of being legally blind. But the route was made smoother by Catherine’s...
Spokane clinician’s idea blooms into therapy for young LCSNW clients
One small seedling blossomed into more than 75 plant starts in an unusual place – an LCSNW counseling office in Spokane. Clinician Ryan Marsh had the idea to offer his young clients the chance to start a plant and follow its growth. The project has brought a world of...
Childhood calling fulfilled: New LCSNW Board Member goes into full-time ministry
When people enter their 50s and advance toward their 60s, many start turning their thoughts to retirement. Not Carla Spaccarotelli. She embarked on a new education, a new career and the fulfillment of a calling she’s felt since childhood. She recently completed her...
Spokane LCSNW Mental Health Clinician savors ‘aha moments’ for child and family clients
While the pandemic affected every corner of our lives, few professions were impacted more than mental health practitioners. During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we talked with Kendall Watson, a Clinician with LCSNW in Spokane. She specializes in Sexual Assault...
From clients to caterers: LCSNW Everett resource center ‘means the world’ to this family
Faviola Vazquez Mora knows how devastating the pandemic was for many families, like hers. She also knows the resilience that’s possible with hard work and the helping hands of “angels” along the way. Now Faviola is in a position to share her resilience and gratitude....
Meet Butterfly Lane, one of many uplifting volunteers for LCSNW Santa for Seniors
Lane lives alone on the top of a tiny mountain. He built a cabin on Guemes Island in the North Puget Sound with the help of friends. A fifth-generation Native American carver made sure that Lane had a totem pole in front because the two men are as close as brothers....
Strengthening Afghan families to succeed in America is new focus area for LCSNW
Nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees were resettled by Lutheran Community Services Northwest after their country fell to the Taliban in 2021. Our teams in Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, provided housing, food and other essentials, connections to...
Ramadan observances become more prevalent among LCSNW staff, clients
The early weeks of spring mark the holiest season of the year for many LCSNW staff members and clients from different faith groups. For Christians, Holy Week includes Good Friday on April 7 and Easter Sunday on April 9. For Jews, Passover this year runs from...
LCSNW clients must stay alert as COVID-19 emergency benefits and rules lapse
A couple of important changes are coming to clients and staff of Lutheran Community Services Northwest, due to the end of the national Public Health Emergency (PHE) this spring. LCSNW has lifted its masking requirements in our health care settings effective April 3,...
Helping more youth ‘reclaim’ their lives from the dark is wise use of LCSNW resources
LCSNW has made a strategic decision to keep growing a popular family support program. The WISe program – which stands for Wraparound with Intensive Services – has operated in the Tri-Cities and Spokane for several years and recently expanded to King County. WISe...
LCSNW unveils Safe Route Immigration – new name, same trusted resource
Lutheran Community Services Northwest has provided empathetic, accessible legal guidance to immigrants and refugees since 1979. This month, we are switching to a new logo, a new look, a new website and a new name for the legal services program – Safe Route...