Hurricane Laura Threatens Southeastern States

Satellite Image of Hurricane Laura

August 27th, 2020 2:00pm EST

Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday, August 27th, 2020.

With 150 mph winds and the threat of a storm surge 30+ miles inland, Hurricane Laura is the strongest hurricane to hit the Louisiana coastline since 1856.

"Catastrophic storm surges, extreme winds, and flash flooding" are threatening communities from Louisiana to Tennessee, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is moving inland across southwestern Louisiana, then heading north across the state on Thursday afternoon. The center of the storm will then move over Arkansas, Tennessee, and the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, reaching the mid-Atlantic states by Saturday. (CNN)

Our team of disaster response volunteers are preparing to deploy. Currently, we are working closely with our partners, the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response, to assess the communities most in need of our assistance across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Together, we are also in communication with the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee VOADs and EMAs to ensure we are collaborating and prioritizing communities with unmet needs.

We also have a disaster relief team on the ground in Tennessee ready to assist with homes that could be impacted by tornadoes and flooding that may arise on Friday, August 28th, 2020 from this storm.

All our teams are following COVID-19 safety guidelines and sanitary protocols while providing relief and support during this challenging time.

We’re extremely grateful for our collaborative partners during this difficult time, especially our trusted partners: the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response.

We’re experiencing two disasters at the same time: COVID-19 and Hurricane Laura. But we’re an organization that, through your generosity and support, brings hope to the people who need it most. Please donate today. Your help during the early days of a disaster are critical!

HOW TO HELP:

DONATE HERE

VOLUNTEER HERE

BE A HOME HERO & FUNDRAISE HERE

MAIL GIFT CARDS/CHECKS TO:

Inspiritus

Attn: Disaster Relief

P.O. Box 7829

Atlanta, GA 30357

If you have any specific questions, please reach out to Sabrina More, our Disaster Relief Volunteer Manager. Be sure to check out our Hurricane Laura page on our website, as we will update it with the latest information.

And be sure to follow us on all our social media channels at: @weareinspiritus

Our hearts and prayers go out to our loved ones and neighbors in the path of this storm.

With Gratitude,

Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

The Classroom Looks Different This Year

Hello Friends,

It's August, which means students across Georgia are heading back to school. For many children, the beginning of school can cause both excitement and anxiety as they face new teachers, new peers, and often new schools. After a summer of stay-at-home orders and mask mandates, the anxiety of life during a pandemic is now extending to the difficult transition to virtual learning. We want to let you know what Inspiritus has been doing to help our kids succeed in this new academic year.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS

We are excited to share that 8 of our refugee girls have been admitted to the Global Village Project school for the upcoming school year. There they will receive an education tailored to the unique needs of refugee girls. The Global Village Project is a specialized, strengths-based academic program focused on the whole student. Our refugee girls who have been enrolled in years past became more confident and self assured.

PREPARING FOR A VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

Case workers and other staff have been spending the weeks leading up to school preparing families and children for the first day of virtual learning. We have assisted parents with registration, necessary testing, and securing devices and internet connection necessary for the virtual learning semester.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR FOSTER KIDS

Inspiritus is also working to support children in our foster care program. We have partnered with the Ticket To Dream Foundation to provide foster children with the school supplies they need to succeed as they return to school. Though times are hard for many families, heroes continue to emerge. For example, one Inspiritus foster family in Atlanta recently took in a family of seven foster children!

Inspiritus is grateful for heroes like these who allow the important work to continue.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

For many of our other families in our refugee and family intervention programs, providing the necessary school supplies can be another area of stress in addition to employment loss, eviction risk, or contracting the COVID-19 virus. This is where we need your help. Please consider supporting one of our kid's going back to school experiences by donating $100 today. This will ensure that backpacks and other necessary supplies are delivered to our kids, so they have what they need to stay on track with their studies.

From all of us at Inspiritus, thank you. We appreciate your support and so do the kids!

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development

Hurricane Season is Here!

Dear Friends,

An above normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service. The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal season, which runs through November 30.

We've already seen large storms threaten the Southeast as recently as last week, with Tropical Storm Hanna pounding the COVID-ravaged coast of Texas. This weekend, Florida has many a COVID weary soul watching potential Tropical Storm Isaias.

Thanks to ongoing support and funding from Lutheran Disaster Response, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA, we are currently staffing up in hard-hit areas like Cookeville, TN, a town that was devastated by the Nashville Tornado on March 3rd. We’re on the ground in Cookeville, actively supporting our neighbors and preparing to start the long term recovery process to help them rebuild. The need is extensive in Tennessee, as residents have suffered from tornado damages to their homes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With so many Southeastern states currently overwhelmed with hot spots of this deadly virus, additional storms could be devastating. Inspiritus is preparing to help, and we'd like you to join us.

In anticipation of these severe weather hurdles, we hope you will consider becoming a monthly donor of Inspiritus' disaster relief efforts. Please click here and select 'Monthly' under the 'Donation Frequency' header to join us.

YOUR MONTHLY DONATION WILL SUPPORT:

• Equipment for debris removal, chain sawing & tarping

• Construction supplies for home repairs

• Ongoing hunger relief through our food bank for residents in hard-hit areas

• Long term recovery planning with emergency officials

• PPE safety gear for our recovery & response teams

• Volunteer coordination support

Your much needed help will continue to ensure we have adequate PPE supplies for our teams on the ground, and appropriate response equipment and shelter for future storms. August is a busy month for us, as we prepare for this potentially extreme and dangerous weather, and launch our Cookeville Tornado long term recovery work in Tennessee.

Please stay safe during these unsettling times. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress.

Kind Regards,

Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development

.

"Every disaster requires PPE. For COVID-19 that means masks and gloves. For tornadoes that means helmets, eye and ear protection, and chaps. I was totally impressed with the gear, the training provided before they put a chainsaw in my hands and the oversight they provided during my time on the job site. The ritual at the end of the day, but before dinner, involved thoroughly cleaning the equipment and readying it for the next day."

– CEO, John Moeller, CEO, Easter Tornado Clean-up, Chattanooga, TN.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church's Legacy

Dear Friends,

With joy and thanksgiving, we share with you the news that Inspiritus recently received a significant legacy gift to support our work and our ministry. This gift was made possible through the closure of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Hiram, Georgia.

It was the hope of members of Holy Cross that the proceeds from the sale of its property could bring new life through the work we do at Inspiritus to assist our most vulnerable and medically fragile individuals on a path from surviving to thriving. We are honored to be chosen as a recipient of such a gift.

In his letter to Inspiritus, Bishop Kevin Strickland, Southeastern Synod, ELCA, wrote, “May God’s continued blessing from the life and work of Holy Cross Lutheran Church and their faithfulness be a blessing to those who you serve.” Given the current global pandemic and the increased demands across the three states in which we operate, these funds will support our program needs as we continue to accompany hundreds of individuals and families across our footprint.

We honor today those for whom Holy Cross Lutheran Church was their church. May we always be inspired by their legacy of care for the least among us as we continue their ministry.

With Gratitude,

– Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

Meet Shane

Shane is a young man who grew up in foster care system and has experienced many placements. Fortunately, once he was placed with Inspiritus, we were able to provide the stability he needed. Over the last four years, Shane has thrived due to the care of his loving foster mother who nurtured, cared for, and ushered him into adulthood. What is so special about this story is that Shane is autistic, has cerebral palsy, and functions at an adolescent level. As Shane reached the age of 21, he almost fell through the cracks as many young adults with disabilities do. But thanks to the collaboration of Inspiritus, DFCS and DBHDD, he was successfully transitioned to Inspiritus’ Host Home program where he continues to move into independence and reach his full potential! If you are interested in caring for a young person with special needs, please fill out an inquiry form here or you may reach us at (800) 343-2458 for more information.

All Our Locations At A Glance

As of June 1, 2020, our Corporate office has relocated from its downtown location. Thanks to our Lutheran partners for their generosity and support, the administrative office for Inspiritus is now located in the Mission House at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta. Our new mailing address for donations and information is P.O. Box 7829, Atlanta, GA 30357.

You can still contact Inspiritus at the same local phone numbers you’re accustomed to using, as those have not changed.

Our Atlanta Corporate Office Has Moved

In 2019, our Staff and Board of Directors at Inspiritus began working on a plan to shift towards having a workforce capable of working remotely, with a goal of bringing our staff closer to the clients they serve and reducing office expenses. Thanks to that preparation, our remote workforce plan has fully ramped up over these past three months. We are proud to share that all our staff are successfully operating remotely and at program sites across Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Many of our clients' needs have increased during the pandemic and all of our program staff are working very hard to ensure each client is served either in person or virtually. We are so grateful for your support during this time. Supporters like you have helped us remain strong and rise during these challenging times.

A key part of our remote workforce strategy is to ensure that the spaces where we work are the best fit for our clients and the way we work today. As of June 1, 2020, our Atlanta Corporate office has relocated from its downtown location. Thanks to our Lutheran partners for their generosity and support, the administrative office for Inspiritus is now located in the Mission House at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta. Our new mailing address for donations and information is P.O. Box 7829, Atlanta, GA 30357.

Our Refugee and Immigrant Services Team have enthusiastically relocated to a new office space near the Decatur Square, in proximity to where our clients and partners need us the most. The team will continue to provide client services out of our Financial Opportunity Center in Clarkston.

We believe this is faithful stewardship of the generous resources we have been entrusted with for our organization. These moves will help us serve our clients in the Atlanta region more efficiently, and make us stronger as an organization financially, across the board.

You can still contact Inspiritus at the same local phone numbers you're accustomed to using, as those have not changed. We look forward to keeping you informed on all our programs and services this summer, with invitations to Open Houses to come celebrate once it’s safe and appropriate to gather together again.

We hope you and your loved ones are enjoying these warm summer days. Please stay safe!

With Gratitude,

Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus

Pass The Georgia Hate Crimes Bill Now!

Hello friends,

We're reprinting an important statement regarding the passage of The Georgia Hate Crimes Bill known as HB 426, signed by our CEO, John Moeller:

In the wake of the recent extrajudicial killing of minority citizens in Georgia and across the nation,The Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center calls for passage of HB 426, The Georgia Hate Crimes Bill.

Statement Against Racism and Violence

ATLANTA (June 2, 2020) -- The Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center condemns racial violence and racism in all forms.

We bear witness to the profound outrage, horror, and trauma following the inhumane murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25, 2020, the killing of Breonna Taylor on March 13, 2020, the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick on February 23, 2020, and the violence sustained by our brothers and sisters of color throughout the history of this state and country rooted in systemic racism.

Whereas, we recognize that these acts stem from centuries of racial violence against innocent, unarmed black and brown men, women, and children in this country to uphold systems of white supremacy. Now Therefore, we specifically call for the passage, without amendment, of Georgia House Bill 426, also known as The Hate Crimes Bill.

We recognize that the violence of white supremacy became institutionalized with the enslavement and exploitation of Africans and people of African descent. We believe the chronicity of this violence is located in the institution of slavery which demeaned those made in the image of God to property.

We further recognize that the violence of white supremacy continues to be perpetuated in policies and practices that inflict undue suffering and harm to communities of color. We recognize that the violence of white supremacy stretches back to the founding of this country. We recognize that the violence of white supremacy began with the genocide of Indigenous Nations inhabiting this land.

We believe this is a defining moment when we, as people of faith and good will, cannot stand by in silence. We must stand up and speak out. We pray for all individuals, families, and communities enduring pain, sorrow, rage, and shock due to the impact of racial violence. We believe that faith leaders have a unique responsibility and a sacred mandate to lift up the dignity and value of all human beings.

We recognize that all faiths believe in justice and therefore we call on people of all faiths and good will to join us in advocating systemic changes to dismantle institutionalized racism. This tragedy makes it even more urgent for us to draw closer together as partners across all religions, races, and ethnicities to fight for justice and equality.

Further, we condemn the use of violence against peaceful protesters and the misuse of the symbols of any faith, not for justice or peace, but for propaganda and partisan posturing.

We declare our commitment to achieving racial justice and equity in the State of Georgia.

Signed by:

• Hilton M. Austin, Jr., Chair of the Board of Directors

• Rabbi Peter Berg, Chief Rabbi, The Temple, Director

• Ann Cramer, Board Secretary

• Robert B. Currey, Founder, Currey & Company, Inc., Director

• Chester Fontenot, Jr., PhD, Baptist Professor of English and Director of the African American Studies, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, Director

• Soumaya Khalifa, Executive Director, Islamic Speakers Bureau, Director

• The Reverend Shelli Latham, Pastor, Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, Director

• The Venerable Carole Maddux, Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, and Executive Director, Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center

• John Moeller, Executive Director, Inspiritus, Director

• David Marmins, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, Director

• Howard Mosby, Senior Vice President, Grady Healthcare System, Atlanta, Director

• Brenda Joyce Smith, Independent Scholar, Director

• The Reverend Kevin Strickland, Bishop, Southeastern Synod, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Director

• The Reverend Taryn Strauss, Senior Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Director

• The Right Reverend Robert C. Wright, Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, Director

While the events of the last couple of days in Atlanta and across the US are grievous and, in some cases, hard to comprehend, we can’t, and won’t, let our confusion and fear immobilize us. We look forward to deeper engagement with our partners and with all who are ready to say, “This must end. We can do better than this. We are better than this. God grant us strength to be better than this.”

With Gratitude,

Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

"Hope Can't Be Quarantined"

Dear Friends,

We want to highlight the following op-ed piece that ran over the weekend. Our CEO, John Moeller, co-authored this article along with Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. In case you missed it, we are reprinting it here as it is a critical topic that needs immediate attention.

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Opinion: Migrants in detention deserve dignity, sanitary conditions

While anxious shoppers across the country stockpile toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, immigrants at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, struggle to make their lone bar of soap last the week. Even more so now, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed at least 9 positive cases among detainees in the facility and 23 cases among personnel, according to the private prison contractor, CoreCivic, that operates the detention center.

If they want to wash their hands more frequently or with liquid soap per the CDC’s handwashing recommendations, they must use their commissary accounts – that is, if they have any money at all. Those fortunate enough can buy basic supplies like soap or toothpaste at more than double, or even five times the price they’d pay outside. Only some have the opportunity to earn money by working at their detention facilities, often for a salary of $1 per day. Migrants literally cannot afford the soap to keep themselves safe.

And this soap shortage is only the tip of the iceberg. Nearly every day since the pandemic began, leaders from former ICE acting director John Sandweng to medical experts for the Department of Homeland Security have been calling for the release of the nearly 32,000 migrants in ICE custody to help mitigate further outbreak. In late March, 3,000 medical professionals sent a letter to ICE urging them to reduce the detention population. It responded instead by increasing the number of detainees by 700 within that same week. Despite the agency’s announcement that they would limit enforcement and arrests during the pandemic, raids have continued — including in New York, the crisis’ U.S. epicenter.

Migrant detention centers are, as many have called them, tinderboxes. Close quarters, substandard hygiene supplies, and a failure to adhere to CDC recommendations means that the spread of the virus in these facilities is nearly inevitable. Just this past summer, a mumps outbreak quickly spread through 57 facilities across the U.S. — and already, 267 migrant detainees and 123 ICE personnel have tested positive for coronavirus nationwide.

And yet, efforts to release inmates from prison to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been far more effective than calls to release ICE detainees. Just shy of 32,000 domestic prisoners have been released or diverted from penitentiary facilities nationwide, according to the UCLA School of Law’s “COVID-19 Behind Bars” project. Meanwhile, no more than 700 migrants have been released from ICE detention across the country – with hundreds of men and women above the age of 60 still in custody. Why can we not show the same level-headed compassion to the tens of thousands of migrants with no criminal record?

Seeking a better life should not be a death sentence — and migrants are trying to raise the alarm, despite ICE’s attempts to silence them. Guards at three ICE detention facilities in Louisiana and Texas have used force to suppress protests over coronavirus concerns. We’ve also seen at least five hunger strikes by detainees to secure more hygiene supplies or their release from crowded facilities, where implementing social distancing is impossible.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is proud to stand with these migrants in the fight for their lives. The coronavirus pandemic is a time of unprecedented uncertainty for all of us, but it is a time, too, for us to acknowledge and embrace our shared humanity.

There are so many ways to help our brothers and sisters in detention: write letters, donate to a visitation program that places funds in migrants’ commissary accounts, urge your elected officials to support humane alternatives to detention, or simply spread the word about the inhumanity faced by those in ICE detention.

Empathy can’t be detained. Compassion can’t be kept in cages. Hope can’t be quarantined.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, one of the nation’s oldest and largest immigration nonprofits.

John Moeller is the President and CEO of Atlanta-based Inspiritus and a Board Member of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

________________________________________

Please see link to the Op-ed here, and thank you for your continued support and kindness.

With Gratitude,

Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

COVID Relief: Please Send Supplies!

Dear Friends,

We’re seeing amazing stories of empathy–on the news and from our staff across our regions. We believe we are each wired to connect and contribute, especially during this unprecedented time of isolation. From sidewalk chalk thank you notes to first responders, to our staff members helping vulnerable clients with therapy gardens, we’re all motivated to help during difficult times. One of the ways we’re helping address serious needs is by sending critical supplies to our staff who are serving on the front lines. We’ve created our COVID-relief wish lists so you can drop-ship supplies directly to our Atlanta and Tennessee regions. Households in those areas need basic items such as cleaning supplies, diapers, and school items so they can continue to thrive at home.

TENNESSEE Inspiritus Nashville continues to ramp up their Food Pantry efforts to serve the city’s most vulnerable citizens throughout this crisis. We are delivering supplies to these clients who cannot come to us. We need you to help us with much needed items for our vulnerable neighbors! In Middle Tennessee, many of our gardeners are growing spring greens as we continue to plan for Plant Days to support our 184 gardens. We thank Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Thomas Rowe and MHA for allowing this program to thrive! Please check out our Amazon wish list to see the supplies you can provide. (Please select Inspiritus c/o Janet Arning from the drop down address list for shipments).

GEORGIA Many of our clients need cleaning supplies such as bleach cleaners and heavy duty sponges. They are also in need of laptops for the many students who are now at home doing digital learning. These items are listed on our Amazon wish list. With a few clicks on Amazon, you can help us give these vulnerable clients the opportunity to increase their food security, as well as, increase their overall well-being. (Please select Inspiritus c/o Eli Flournoy from the drop down address list for shipments).

Also in Georgia, our director of Disabilities program, Christina Blair, is partnering with her community in Northwest Georgia to bring all the emotional and mental benefits of gardening to some of our host homes and clients in Disability Services in NW GA. Through Healthy Gardens, families and individuals have easy and free access to fruits and vegetables to supplement their meals as well as a healthy outlet for relieving stress and staying active. If you would like to send Christina and our Disability clients in NW Ga the supplies to get started on their own garden, we’ve listed the needed items on this Amazon wish list. (Please select Inspiritus c/o Christina Blair from the drop down address list for shipments).

As you plan your shopping needs, here's something to be mindful of over the next few days:

Please avoid grocery shopping on April 1-3 unless you have a critical need. Many WIC/SNAP benefits come to low-income families at the first of the month and there will be a surge as these families redeem them. Many of these families’ benefits were depleted more quickly because children are staying home from school and some families are going hungry right now. Also, please respect their needs by not buying items with a WIC shelf tag unless you absolutely need them. They cannot simply substitute these items with others; they would go without. This will also help to keep some of our city’s most vulnerable safer by not adding to the crowds in the stores unnecessarily.

These critical supplies will help local families in crisis. And financial donations are always greatly appreciated! To meet the needs we’ve assessed across our clients, we need to raise at least $500,000 in emergency financial assistance. Please donate below and help us during this crucial time.

We couldn’t do what we do without your support and kindness. Thank you.

With Gratitude,

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus

COVID: Hunger Relief Updates

Dear Friends,

We hope you all are staying safe and healthy during this challenging time. We wanted to let you know about some immediate action steps that Inspiritus is taking to offset the impact of this crisis. Our COVID Emergency Hunger Relief efforts are well underway in many of our regions. We’re providing valuable assistance for seniors, neighbors with disabilities, parents, and children in low income areas with little to no access to food.

Here’s how we’re supporting our neighbors in our four major program areas:

DISASTER RELIEF Inspiritus Nashville continues to ramp up their Food Pantry efforts to serve the city’s most vulnerable citizens throughout this crisis. We’re delivering to our elderly neighbors who cannot come to us. In Middle Tennessee, many of our gardeners are growing spring greens as we continue to plan for Plant Days to support our 184 gardens. We thank Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Thomas Rowe and MHA for allowing this program to thrive!

REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SERVICES We're connecting refugee families to emergency resources. We're providing virtual case management and teaching individuals how to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many of our clients have lost their jobs as a result of this pandemic, and are at risk of losing their homes. We're helping with emergency financial assistance for families struggling to keep food on their tables. And we're helping refugee students navigate virtual learning and tutoring.

CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES Our staff is closely working with caregivers, families, and vulnerable children served by this program to make sure they have the support they need to navigate this crisis. Our financial opportunity center will provide emergency financial assistance for those who may find themselves in an economic or health crisis related to COVID-19.

DISABILITY HOST HOMES Our Healthy Gardens program is expanding to Georgia! Our staff have identified clients & caregivers in North Georgia who need a Healthy Garden to stay safe and well during this crisis. Through our Healthy Gardens program, families and individuals have easy access to fruits and vegetables to supplement their meals as well as a healthy outlet for relieving stress and staying active.

Through our amazing supporters and a recent $150,000 grant from the United Way we can immediately assist our clients. We are so grateful to United Way of Greater Atlanta & Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta for moving quickly to help us stabilize the most vulnerable among us. 💪❤ Our Financial Opportunity Center is preparing to disperse this $150,000 grant as emergency financial assistance so that families navigating job losses & medical concerns will be able to survive & thrive! The grant will support rent and utilities assistance, and food, household, medical and sanitizing supplies to meet the urgent needs of the individuals and families we serve across Metro Atlanta. It is such an amazing start, but to meet the needs we've assessed across our clients, we need to raise at least $500,000 in emergency financial assistance.

This is such a critical time. Today, your gift will do more than help our teams guide local families in crisis on the path from surviving to thriving. For the time being, your gift will help them survive. Please donate below and help us during this crucial time. We are so grateful for your continued support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We could not do the work we do without helpers like you!

With Gratitude,

-Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

Inspiritus COVID-19 Update: Planning & Response

Dear Friends,

Inspiritus has been closely monitoring the evolving Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our Clinical Team Manager is working across our programs to ensure sanitary and preventative measures are in place. She has been working in partnership with all program directors to accomplish these precautionary steps. Here are the immediate priorities we're working on across all four of our program areas:

DISASTER RELIEF:
We are ramping up and adjusting our Hunger Relief services through our Food Bank site in Nashville to support growing pandemic needs. Meanwhile, our Tornado Disaster Response teams which have led over 4,200 volunteers in service to the Nashville and Cookeville communities over the last two weeks are temporarily returning to their homes to weather the pandemic crisis at hand. Our Nashville office will continue to receive donations and supplies for our Tornado response and recovery work, please donate for a 50% match from Thrivent Financial here. Our relief efforts will resume again as soon as possible. 

REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SERVICES:
Rapid changes are occurring in this program daily. Yesterday, our teams were preparing to receive and resettle 30 refugees in March-April, totaling 30% of our annual caseload in a two month period. Yesterday, we were informed that all refugee resettlement into the US has been temporarily halted due to pandemic risks to these families. While we are evaluating how to maintain staff capacity to endure this gap in service funding, our staff are already receiving increased requests for assistance from refugees living in Clarkston. These individuals and families have lost their incomes as a result of the economic downtown precipitated by this pandemic. We expect these calls to increase daily and are currently seeking to raise funds to help keep 50 of our families stably housed this month, with financial needs of $800 per family for rent.

CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES:
Our staff is adapting and adjusting as they continue to provide vital services to help protect foster children in our care, particularly those with existing health challenges and may be at higher risk of infection. Case managers are staying in close contact with our foster families to identify needs that arise as a result of the coronavirus and to connect them to the additional resources.  As these resources are squeezed due to increased demand, we will need to lean on our own resources to fill gaps.

DISABILITY HOST HOMES:
Because most of the adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities we support in host homes have at least one, and often many, medical diagnoses that place them at higher risk for becoming infected, our staff are adapting to support them and their host home support companions during this crisis.  They are paying particular attention to the need for economic, food and other assistance that might not be otherwise required.   

We serve those who are most vulnerable in this national crisis. Their cries for financial assistance are starting to pour in, at the same time that we are daily seeing reduced volunteers and funds due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We're asking each of our supporters to prayerfully consider joining with us as a "monthly sustainer" during the uncertain months ahead. Your monthly donation will directly go to help those who are losing jobs, facing homelessness, enduring life-threatening medical challenges, and spiraling into crisis. Your monthly gift will sustain foster parents caring for medically fragile children during this crisis. You will help caregivers with highly-vulnerable, disabled adults living in their homes with 24-hour medical care needs. You will help hard working fathers and mothers who are losing their jobs and facing homelessness in Clarkston, Atlanta, and Nashville.

This is a critical time. Today, your gift will do more than help our teams guide local families in crisis on the path from surviving to thriving. For the time being, your gift will help them survive. Please donate below, and select a monthly donation option to be a Sustaining Partner with us now.

Nashville Tornado: Day 9-Stories from the Ground

VOLUNTEER STORIES

Our Disaster Relief Volunteer Manager, Sabrina More, shared that, "Inspiritus volunteers recently met a mother searching for her daughter’s Air Force jacket after the tornado. With teamwork, we found it over 50 miles away and we were able to return it to her. Her daughter was visibly shaken by the destruction she was witnessing to their home. When we returned her military jacket to her, she was smiling from ear to ear."

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Dave is a Delta Airlines volunteer who drove up for the weekend with his co-workers to help out in whatever way they could. He shared that the moment that touched him the most was when, “we found photos and a child’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’ book in the debris in a yard that had a girl's name written in it and the date of 1986. I hope they find their way back to their owner! My own daughter loved that book. It brought back a lot of special memories.”

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Micah is a volunteer whose mission trip to Uganda this week was canceled due to coronavirus travel restrictions. When he learned that his life insurance provider, Thrivent Financial, was supporting the Inspiritus Disaster Response in Nashville, he signed up to volunteer and headed to Nashville for the week. Sharing from a worksite, he said: “You could just see the relief on the husband’s face when our volunteers showed up on the second morning to finish the job. Also, there was a woman who was distraught. You could tell she was trying her hardest to be strong. She said, ‘I really shouldn’t complain. I’m still here.’ An orthodox priest was volunteering with us and told her that she could complain, that it’s alright to, and he really legitimized what she was experiencing. We were able to speak life into her and she said it ‘made her feel valuable again.’

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Ashley is an AmeriCorps NCCC volunteer serving with Inspiritus Disaster teams in March through April. She led a volunteer team in “Zone 2” in Mt. Juliet, north of Nashville. Ashley shared that the homeowner’s gratitude really moved her because “her yard was a mess, her garage was destroyed, but the thing she appreciated most was the personal contact she had with the volunteers who made sure she wasn’t alone during that time and that all her needs were being met. That really meant a lot.“

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We're so fortunate and grateful to have volunteers joining us from around the country. We couldn't do what we do without these volunteers, and partner agencies, especially the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response.

We continue to need your support to keep our teams on the ground and well-equipped to make a difference. Thank you for your support if you have given. If not, please consider giving today to help our neighbors thrive again after this devastating tornado.

WHAT WE ARE DOING:

NORTH NASHVILLE / GERMANTOWN 

- Food Box Distribution Site for residents in this hard-hit area

NASHVILLE AREA

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

- Volunteer coordination support

- Longterm recovery planning with emergency officials

COOKEVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

- Volunteer coordination support

- Longterm recovery planning with emergency officials

HOW TO HELP:

Donate: click here  

Volunteer: click here  

Mail: Gift Cards & Checks

We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately:

• Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools

• Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need

• VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies

• WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)

Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:

Inspiritus 

Attn: Disaster Response 

P.O. Box 60597 

Nashville, TN 37206

Please consider making a donation, sending us gift cards, hosting a fundraiser on social media, or even signing up to volunteer in the weeks ahead.

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado.

Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville! 

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus

P.S. Rev. Katherine Museus Dabay and Sandy Vollmer, Director of Youth & Children’s Ministry at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin delivered “Fuel Bags” of energizing non perishable foods for us to distribute to families in need. Thank you! #NashvilleStrong

Nashville Tornado: Week One-On the Ground

WEEK ONE-LIVE UPDATE

WEEK ONE UPDATE:

Over the past weekend, our Inspiritus Disaster Response teams coordinated nearly all of the spontaneous volunteers who showed up to help in Mount Juliet, leading over 1,500 volunteers on Saturday alone!

Emergency officials in Cookeville were overwhelmed by the level of destruction they endured. They had to turn away over 4,000 volunteers until they partnered with us this weekend. We were able to offer the city quick training and free use of our disaster leadership team in Cookeville, to help.

Together with these local city heroes, we helped coordinate over 2,800 volunteers pouring in from all over the country!

In the North Nashville/Germantown community, our MyCanvas art therapy program empowered youth impacted by the storms to process through their experiences and begin to heal. Each day after the tornado, local Lutheran church partners volunteered and generously provided hot cooked meals to local residents and responders, warming many hearts during this dark time.

As we enter week two of our tornado response, we wanted to share our latest information and action steps:    

WHAT WE ARE DOING:

NORTH NASHVILLE / GERMANTOWN 

- Food Box Distribution Site for residents in this hard-hit area

NASHVILLE AREA

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

- Volunteer coordination support

- Long-Term recovery planning

COOKEVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

- Volunteer coordination support

- Long-Term recovery planning

THE NEED:

North Nashville / Germantown - Direct hit to homes and businesses; Growing concern about the need for hunger relief for families without power, especially low income or disabled families and children living in the area or families taking shelter in local facilities.

Nashville Area/Mt. Juliet - Initial surveys indicated EF-3 tornado damage in East Nashville, Nashville Donelson's neighborhood and in Mt. Juliet, a town about 20 minutes east of Nashville, the National Weather Service said. Communities inside and outside of metro Nashville were devastated. Local Emergency Management needs support coordinating volunteer and non-profit agency responders seeking to help with debris removal.

Cookeville - Putnam County emergency officials confirmed 18 of the 24 Nashville tornado fatalities occurred in this one community. Local Emergency Management needs support coordinating volunteer and non-profit agency responders seeking to help with debris removal.

HOW TO HELP:

Donate: click here  

Volunteer: click here  

Mail: Gift Cards & Checks

We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately:

• Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools

• Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need

• VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies

• WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)

Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:

Inspiritus 

Attn: Disaster Response 

P.O. Box 60597 

Nashville, TN 37206

We're so fortunate and grateful to be working closely with our local community partners, especially the SE Synod of the ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response. As we enter week two, we continue to need your support to keep our teams on the ground and well-equipped to make a difference.

Please consider making a donation, sending us Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards, hosting a fundraiser on social media, or even signing up to volunteer in the weeks ahead.

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado.

Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville! 

-Virginia Spencer

Vice President of Development

Inspiritus

Nashville Tornado: Day Four-On The Ground

LIVE UPDATES FROM THE GROUND

Nashville Area DISASTER RESPONSE: Mount Juliet, TN: Today, our Inspiritus Nashville team is leading 40 volunteers in providing debris removal. The devastation to this community is extensive. Inspiritus Disaster staff member (and Cookeville native) Kevin Burgess, is in Cookeville, TN, where he is working to setup a second operation base, now.

MyCanvas Art Therapy Program

North Nashville Our MyCanvas art therapy program is empowering children & youth in North Nashville to process the trauma of the Nashville Tornado that hit their neighborhood. They are working through a “Transforming Destruction” art project, converting debris found on their street into a Rising Phoenix art structure.

As we enter day four of our tornado response, we wanted to share our latest information and action steps:    

We presently have six AmeriCorps members, one team leader and many volunteers on base under the leadership of Sherry Buresh (our Director of Response), Sabrina More (our Volunteer Manager) and Sue Glassnor. Mike Buresh, former Director of a National and International Disaster Organization, will train and lead in our chainsaw teams. Kevin Burgess (our Construction Manager) is a Cookeville native and he's in his hometown now working to coordinate another Inspiritus operation to help there. We've seen a steady stream of volunteers, but we need more. To volunteer, sign up here

NEW PARTNERSHIPS:

• AirLinks is providing free flights for our leads.

• IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) has asked to partner. Two of them will arrive today, and an additional one on Saturday.

• St. Bernard Project (SBP), a Mississippi based organization and known for long term recovery repair/rebuild has asked to partner with us as well.

• Heavy Equipment Coalition, another non-profit, contacted us last night asking to join us. Their sawyer will arrive this weekend. Besides chainsaws they will be bringing in a mini excavator with them. The excavator and operator will be with us for 3 weeks.

• Christian Emergency Network (CEN) has put out an advisory directing their partners to our website if they are interested in helping. They have 113 partners in the Nashville area. 

WHAT WE ARE DOING:

GERMANTOWN 

- Feeding Station for residents & responders

NASHVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

COOKEVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

THE NEED:

Germantown - Direct hit to homes and businesses; Growing concern about the need for hunger relief for families without power, especially low income or disabled families and children living in the area or families taking shelter in local facilities.

Nashville - This continues to be a search and rescue operation and crews are going house to house. At this time, there are 24 confirmed fatalities, including some children, and more than 88 injuries are being treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.*

Cookeville - Putnam County emergency officials confirmed 18 of the 24 Nashville tornado fatalities occurred in this one community, 77 remain unaccounted for at this time.**

HOW TO HELP:

Donate: click here  

Volunteer: click here  

Mail: Gift Cards & Checks

We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately:

• Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools

• Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need

• VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies

• WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)

Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:

Inspiritus 

Attn: Disaster Response 

P.O. Box 60597 

Nashville, TN 37206

We need your help as those vulnerable in the path of this storm will need additional resources and shelter. To that point, we are also collaborating with our friends at Lutheran Disaster Response, the Tennessee VOAD, the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA, and the Mid-South District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, as we assess and prepare our short-term and long-term response and recovery work in Middle Tennessee. We are closely monitoring, day-by-day, the emerging needs of the community surrounding our Inspiritus Nashville program site, and will need partners to help us to continue to respond to these needs next week. 

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado. Our prayers are with everyone in this tornado's path.

Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville! 

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus

P.S.This was the first donation made at our Feeding Site on our first day. Hundreds of residents & homeless families in North Nashville depend on Inspiritus Nashville for assistance in their times of need. Our program has been rooted in the community for many years. We were so touched as these neighbors keep showing up at our site asking how they can help their more affluent neighbors of Germantown who live "on the other side of the street". Our work could not be possible without their selfless offers to volunteer, to help with serving meals to emergency responders, and even insistently donating $1 and $2 at a time, despite themselves having no power, insufficient food, declining health, and in some cases, no home of their own. We are humbled by and grateful for their living examples of the widow's mite. 

Nashville Tornado: Day Three-On The Ground

As we enter day three of our tornado response, we wanted to share our latest observations and action plans:      

• We've observed a high level of medical difficulties amongst seniors and the disabled in Germantown & North Nashville attending our Feeding site. As days without power tick by, their health concerns increase with limited to no access to medications and support. We've made a call for nurses and will begin to have a nurse there to help starting this Friday. We have an open invitation for medical personnel to serve at our Germantown /Salemtown location at 11am daily at 1628 Rosa Parks Blvd.
   

• To respond to a high volume of hunger relief needs, we will lift our limits on food box distributions occurring at this site, allowing locals to receive as many food boxes as needed during the first month following the tornado.
   

• To respond to growing concern over the health and well-being of low income children impacted by the storm, we will begin offering our MyCanvas art therapy programming at this site to help children who are out of school, and without power and food, to process through the trauma of the storm.

WHAT WE ARE DOING:

GERMANTOWN 

- Feeding Station for residents & responders

NASHVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

COOKEVILLE

- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

THE NEED:
Germantown - Direct hit to homes and businesses; Growing concern about the need for hunger relief for families without power, especially low income or disabled families and children living in the area or families taking shelter in local facilities.

Nashville - This continues to be a search and rescue operation and crews are going house to house. At this time, there are 24 confirmed fatalities, including some children, and more than 88 injuries are being treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.*

Cookeville - Putnam County emergency officials confirmed 18 of the 24 Nashville tornado fatalities occurred in this one community, 77 remain unaccounted for at this time.**

HOW TO HELP:

Donate: click here  
Volunteer: click here 

Mail: Gift Cards & Checks   

We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately: 

• Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools

• Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need

• VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies

• WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)

Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:

Inspiritus 

Attn: Disaster Response 

P.O. Box 60597  

Nashville, TN 37206

We need your help as those vulnerable in the path of this storm will need additional resources and shelter. To that point, we are also collaborating with our friends at Lutheran Disaster Response, the Tennessee VOAD, the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA, and the Mid-South District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, as we assess and prepare our short-term and long-term response and recovery work in Middle Tennessee. We are closely monitoring, day-by-day, the emerging needs of the community surrounding our Inspiritus Nashville program site, and will need partners to help us to continue to respond to these needs next week. 

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado. Our prayers are with everyone in this tornado's path.
Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville! 

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus  

P.S. Volunteers from across the community and the region unloaded 5,807 pounds of food this morning into the Inspiritus food pantry to be distributed into the North Nashville/Germantown communities. Thanks to the Southeastern Synod ELCA, we have a generator to be able to handle cold products. For the duration of the disaster relief the eligibility requirements will be loosened. Thank you Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee!

Nashville Tornado: Day Two-We're on the Ground

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Nashville suffered a tornado that left at least 24 dead, 77 missing, and many homes destroyed.    

WHAT WE ARE DOING:
GERMANTOWN  - Feeding Station for residents & responders
NASHVILLE - Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping
COOKEVILLE - Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping

THE NEED:
Germantown - Direct hit to homes and businesses; Growing concern about the need for hunger relief for families without power, especially low income or disabled families and children living in the area or families taking shelter in local facilities.
Nashville - This continues to be a search and rescue operation and crews are going house to house. At this time, there are 24 confirmed fatalities, including some children, and more than 88 injuries are being treated at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.*
Cookeville - Putnam County emergency officials confirmed 18 of the 24 Nashville tornado fatalities occurred in this one community, 77 remain unaccounted for at this time.**

HOW TO HELP:  

Donate: click here  
Volunteer: click here 
Mail: Gift Cards & Checks   

We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately: 

• Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools

• Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need

• VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies

• WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)

Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:

Inspiritus 

Attn: Disaster Response 

1628 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. 

Nashville, TN 37208

We need your help as those vulnerable in the path of this storm will need additional resources and shelter. To that point, we are also collaborating with our friends at Lutheran Disaster Response, the Tennessee VOAD, the Southeastern Synod of the ECLA, and the Mid-South District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, as we assess and prepare our short-term and long-term response and recovery work in Middle Tennessee.

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado. Our prayers are with everyone in this tornado's path.

Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville! 

-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus



P.S. Today, volunteers from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin, TN joined us and grilled 700 burgers & hotdogs at our Inspiritus Nashville site in Germantown (formerly St. Paul's Lutheran Church). The community came together to serve residents and responders; including policemen, power linemen, and first responders. With your support, we will continue bringing the community together to serve & be filled with hope! (Pictured: CEO-John Moeller, Regional Director of Middle Tennessee-Janet Arning, and Program Coordinator-Christie Farrar)

Urgent: Nashville Tornado Response: Day One

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Nashville suffered a tornado that left at least 22 dead and many homes destroyed.    

The damage from this deadly tornado extends from Nashville, through Mt. Juliet and Putnam County, with new information coming in hourly. Currently, Germantown, East Nashville, Lebanon, and the rural areas along I40 need our help and attention.

Our Nashville property at St. Paul's Lutheran Church was spared; however, our Germantown neighbors suffered significant damages. In Germantown, we are deeply concerned about the hunger needs of the vulnerable families and children without power. We are working closely with the SE Synod of the ELCA and Missouri Synods to expand our Hunger Relief programs at St. Paul's to include a daily lunch and access to food and water supplies for locals and responders. Our disaster team, under the watchful eye of Sherry Buresh, is already assembling and setting up base camp at Christ Lutheran Church to house 15-20 volunteers. Our corporate partners, Home Depot and Lowe's, are donating some limited tools and supplies, but we have many more needs for this response.

Our relief teams are planning to move in just as soon as it is safe to do so. However, we need your help as those vulnerable in the path of this storm will need additional resources and shelter. To that point, we are also collaborating with our friends at Lutheran Disaster Response, the Tennessee VOAD, the Southeastern ELCA Synod, and the Missouri Synod as we assess and prepare our short-term and long-term response and recovery work in Middle Tennessee.

Support our relief efforts by donating today. You'll be making a difference in the lives of those impacted by this latest natural disaster. 

To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado. Our prayers are with everyone in this tornado's path.

Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville!
- Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development

New Americans Celebration

The seventh annual New Americans Celebration held their annual day of education and outreach for refugees and immigrants, on Thursday, February 13th. Hosted by the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies, NAC celebrated new Americans, particularly those now living in Georgia. Supporters met on Atlanta’s State Capitol to engage with legislators and share why refugees and immigrants should continue to be welcomed in Georgia.

The coalition of 21 refugee and immigrant-serving organizations, including Inspiritus, sought to highlight the contributions made by refugees in the state. Currently, the federal government is appealing a judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order that allows state and local governments to turn away refugees.

Over 350 advocates braved the rain to let their representatives know that #GALovesRefugees Many speakers spoke on behalf of GA’s refugee community. One of those speakers was Mohammed Karim, a client in our Refugee Youth Career Pathways program. Mohammed had recently become a citizen, and he represented the refugee community during the New Americans Celebration press conference.

Inspiritus resettled Mohammed’s family over five years ago. Mohammed received a scholarship through Inspiritus and is currently a student at Georgia State University studying criminal justice to one day become a police officer or join the U.S. Military. We’re very proud of Mohammed, and you can watch some of the press coverage below:

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/community-members-march-to-georgia-state-capitol-to-show-support-to-refugees-and-immigrants/85-e84a8ef5-981b-4f9b-b3e0-4f034e205f86

#GALovesRefugees and #GALovesImmigrants!

MLK Day of Service with The Rev. Tiffany C. Chaney

On Monday, January 20, Inspiritus held its 11th annual MLK Day of Service, Learning and Advocacy at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Peachtree Corners.  The day began with learning for all ages to add context and meaning to the day’s service and advocacy. 

Pastor Tiffany Chaney from Montgomery, Alabama, led a dynamic and inspiring  learning experience, Beneath the Surface: Going Deeper with the Words of Dr. King, which included time for conversation and reflection, studying Dr. King's writings and relating his mission to our own today: “The challenge before us today is to develop a coalition of conscience and get rid of this problem that has been one of the nagging and agonizing ills of our nation over the years.” - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr

 It was a thoughtful reminder to the audience that there is still work to be done.

(Read full remarks here).

Photos from the 2020 Lutheran MLK Day of Service

During the day, 253 volunteers filled the fellowship hall to assist in 21 service projects benefiting people served by Inspiritus, as well as, other community organizations hosted by local Lutheran churches. The volunteer’s participation will have a lasting impact on those we serve and those served by churches in our community. The volunteers also wrote 200 letters to elected officials to advocate for keeping immigrant families together (#KeepFamiliesTogether, led by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service)  and for the need to expand Georgia’s expungement law (Second Chance for Georgia Campaign, led by the Georgia Justice Project). The whole-hearted participation of everyone made for a powerful experience of growth and connection.