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Hi everyone,

You all do such an amazing job of hitting that donation button whenever we ask for help, but today I want to let you know what happens after you donate. I’m not even going to ask you to hit the button today (though it’s there in case you still really want to). I want to tell you about something that just happened, the kind of thing that happens all the time at Lutheran Settlement House, and the kind of thing that only happens because of you.

So, last week Olivia, the Director of our Bilingual Domestic Violence Program, did just about the worst thing that a person can do. She was late to a meeting. I know, right? But before you judge her too harshly, listen to what she was doing that made her late.

Olivia and her incredible team of advocates were helping a client who came to LSH with just her little dog and her determination to start a new life without abuse. That’s an amazing and also scary decision to make, but we were ready for her.

One person got her food, because she hadn’t eaten all day, and a change of clothes to replace the ones that were torn and stained after a violent incident. One person sat with her to safety plan, and luckily there was a relative who she could stay with but who lived a couple states away. Another person started working with Amtrak to get her tickets, and also found the domestic violence agency near her destination so she could get support when she arrived.

And oh wait, the dog! Another staff member went down the street to our neighborhood pet store and got her a dog carrier because our pets are family, and we don’t leave anyone behind.

Without you, we don’t have all those staff people ready to respond, or funds for train tickets, or the money for random needs like a dog carrier. You all are this awesome, unstoppable force of compassion and you come through year after year so this work can happen every single day. Because you are here whenever we need you, we can be there for families whenever they need us.

So, I think we can all forgive Olivia for being a little late to a meeting.

You are amazing, and we’re grateful.

Thank you,

David Chiles

This story is part of Every Day at Lutheran Settlement House, a new series featuring stories from our Executive Director.

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