Responding to the Housing Needs of Asylum Seekers in Puget Sound
Since 2015, LCS Northwest has helped 2125 asylum seekers in Puget Sound find a path to stability and hope with comprehensive case management services through our Refugees Northwest program. Asylum seekers face numerous challenges to self-sufficiency. They usually...
North Puget Sound District Relocates Seattle Office to University District
After weeks of planning, organizing and packing, LCS Northwest's North Puget Sound (NPS) District moved its Seattle office from Northgate to the University of Washington business district in May. “We were at the Northgate location for about 10 years,” NPS District...
Offering Comfort and a Warm Paw to Victims of Sexual Assault
If you spend time at our LCS Northwest office in Spokane, you will likely meet a pair of nearly inseparable teammates: Mark Kloehn and Walker. Mark is the tall and chatty biped. Walker is the furry quadruped who will greet you with a friendly tail wag. Mark (he/him)...
Meet: Tom Bratvold, LCS Northwest Donor
This post is our latest entry in the Centennial Series. It features donor Tom Bratvold of Spokane. An adoptee, Tom found his forever family through Lutheran Community Services Northwest. Tom Bratvold’s story with LCS Northwest began before he was born. After a...
Nora Foster Tapped to Lead LCS in Klamath Falls
Four years ago, Bob Pickel called managers into his Klamath Falls office. He was challenged to build a succession plan and asked if anyone was interested in becoming the associate district director. Nora Foster agreed to try it. “At first, I didn’t want to be the...
Marking a Century of Service: LCS Northwest and United Way of Pierce County
Two time-honored Puget Sound organizations mark their 100th anniversaries this year: Lutheran Community Services Northwest and United Way of Pierce County. Our Chief Development Officer Elliot Stockstad sat down with Dona Ponepinto, President & CEO of...
Building a Future for Refugee Youth
With a surge of youth trying to seek asylum in the United States at the Mexican border, Lutheran Community Service Northwest works to be part of the solution. We support Unaccompanied Refugees Minors (URM) and place them in foster care in the Seattle and Spokane...
Bob Pickel Ending Long Run at LCS Northwest
After a long career, one often thinks of riding off into the sunset. Not Bob Pickel. “I look at it as a sunrise – the start of a new day.” Bob said. After 25 years as Director of Lutheran Community Services (LCS) Northwest in Klamath Falls, Pickel is calling it a...
Finding ‘Meaningful Work’ at LCS Northwest
This is the third article in our Centennial Series. We feature a current employee who found social work as part of his Lutheran faith. Our founders in 1921 were a group of Lutherans who came together to help people who were struggling. While LCS is turning 100, our...
Former LCS employee Kayse Jama Named to Oregon State Senate
Congratulations to former LCS Northwest employee Kayse Jama for being named to the Oregon State Senate representing Multnomah County, East Portland and Clackamas County. Kayse is a Somali immigrant who fled his war-torn country to become a prominent community...
Sharing LCS History With Boots Winterstein
(Note: This is the second in an ongoing series of articles celebrating LCS Northwest’s Centennial.) Boots Winterstein likens Lutheran Community Services Northwest to a river that is always flowing, moving and refining its direction. Programs enter the river like...
Soto Named Medical Director for LCS Northwest
Each year, we partner with thousands of Northwesterners as they make their journeys through trauma, addiction and mental health challenges. For many, medication therapy is part of their treatment plan to regain health, hope and happiness. Meet Dr. Alfredo Soto, the...
5 Questions: Denny McGaughy
Question 1: You've been a leader in our agency since 1990. What does it mean to you that LCS Northwest is hitting the century milestone? Denny: It’s with great pride that we’ve hit this milestone. It means the agency has repeatedly done things right. We’ve...