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CENTRAL SERVICES 3627A West Waters Ave. Tampa, FL 33614 800.651.1853 or 813.875.1408 Fax 813.875.1302
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Youth at Lippman Shelter Plant Peace Garden
27 September 2011
OAKLAND PARK – Teens at Lutheran Services Florida’s Lippman Youth Shelter planted a Peace Garden during “Choose Peace Week” Sept. 19-23.
Choose
Peace/Stop Violence asked municipalities, schools, community groups, businesses
and faith-based organizations to “plant the seeds of peace” by creating Peace
Gardens or other permanent structures that will become the foundation of
peaceful reflection and conflict resolution in every school, home and community
in Broward County.
Youth at Lippman donned work gloves to plant flowers, herbs or vegetables and apply plant food.
On small index cards next to each planting are words synonymous with peace such as Respect, Love, Calm, Truce, Unity, Meditation, Quietness, Serenity, Neutrality and Relaxation.
Medical school students and a graduate of Nova Southeastern University Public Health Program helped the youth with their Peace Garden. Nova students who are serving internships through the School of Public Health volunteer at Lippman Shelter throughout the year. The students provide weekly health education groups at the shelter. They also sponsored a toiletry drive for the shelter, collecting toothpaste, mouthwash, soap and other hygiene products.
“We
greatly appreciate all the Nova students do for us,” said Southeast Director
Joan Shaw-Davis.
Choose Peace/Stop Violence is a community movement of concerned Broward County residents and agencies dedicated to creating safe, healthy and thriving environments for children and families.
Choose Peace/Stop Violence was launched to bring together neighborhoods, municipalities, organizations and other groups already in place to identify, share and implement proven strategies that will reduce and prevent youth violence.
The Lippman Youth Shelter offers temporary housing for youth ages 10 to 17. The shelter can house up to 20 youth who stay anywhere from a few weeks to many months. The children may be there for truancy or ungovernable behavior or they may be escaping abusive situations or neglect at home. The goal of LSF’s youth shelters is to reunite families through both individual and family counseling.
Lutheran Services Florida is a statewide, nonprofit
human services agency dedicated to helping all people in need regardless of
religious affiliation, age or national origin. Headquartered in Tampa, the
agency has more than 60 programs located throughout Florida. Since it was
established in 1982, LSF has helped more than 850,000 children and families.
LSF’s mission is to bring God’s healing, hope and help to people in need.
Photos: Above, residents at Lippman Youth Shelter plant flowers in the Peace Garden. At left is a sign on one of the plantings. Below are some of the volunteers from Nova Southeastern University who helped with the project.
L U T H E R A N S E R V I C E S F L O R I D A