WASHINGTON, D.C. – Associate Vice President for Quality Management Patty Leonard represented Lutheran Services Florida for “LSA Day at the White House” on October 28.

Lutheran Services in America partnered with the White House Office of Public Engagement to present the event as part of the White House Community Leaders Briefing Series. Jill Schumann, President and CEO of LSA in Baltimore, shared LSA achievements and goals. Agency representatives had a chance to learn more about how the federal government responds to community needs and how they could work together to identify ways to cooperate and collaborate.

Topics ranged from affordable housing to the aging of family farms and farmers, according to Ms. Leonard.

Nearly 180 representatives from 60 Lutheran social service agencies representing 44 states across the U.S. participated. They were joined by representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Lutheran World Relief and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Other guests represented Lutheran seminaries, other faith-based organizations, Lutheran Volunteer Corps members, and LSA staff.

LSA creates opportunities with people in thousands of communities throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean as an alliance of the ELCA, the LCMS and their over 300 health and human service organizations. Working neighbor to neighbor through services in health care, aging and disability supports, community development, housing, and child and family strengthening, these organizations together touch the lives of some six million people each year and have aggregated annual incomes of $18 billion.

“One in 50 lives in the U.S. is touched by LSA each year,” Ms. Leonard said.

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. Areas of service include Refugees and Immigrants; Children, Youth and Families; Elderly/Guardianship/Adult Services; Homeless/Housing; and Disaster Response. Since it was established in 1982, LSF has helped more than 850,000 children and families. LSF’s mission is to bring healing, hope and help to people in need in the name of Jesus Christ.