Social Policy Students Lobby at State Capitol                                                           Each year students in the social policy class go to the State Capitol in Des Moines to lobby the legislature. They meet with legislators, attend committee meetings and learn lobbying skills. They advocate for bills on issues such as: requiring photo IDs for voting, mental health system reform, and the placement of convicted sex offenders in care facilities and nursing homes. 

Crisis Line Training                                                                                                             Students, faculty and staff at Luther participate in the Victim Counselor Training with the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Resource Center.  After completing the 24-hour training, participants volunteer with the agency in a variety of capacities including  answering the 24 hour crisis line, providing temporary safe homes for individuals or families and transporting individuals or families to safe places.  Participating in volunteer programs with the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Resource Center is one way that social  work students get direct practice experience applying social work knowledge and skills in the community.

The next volunteer training is scheduled for February 21, 23, 28  and March 1, 6, 8, 2012 from 6-10 PM.  For more information contact Britt Rhodes, Assistant Professor of Social Work at rhodbr01@luther.edu

Luther trio presents at Lutheran youth leaders gathering
College Ministries representatives Aaidha Majdhy ’11, Campus Pastor Amy Zalk Larson ’96, and Alma Gast ’10 presented on interfaith engagement at the 2010 annual gathering of the Council of Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Presidents (CSLYOPs), held at Camp Carol Joy Holling in Ashland, Neb., Oct. 28–31. 

Gast, a social work grad, lives in Jersey City, N.J.,and volunteers at an after-school/safe-haven program for youth living in public housing.

Their presentation addressed the need for more respectful appreciation of—and bridge building with—persons of diverse religious commitments in a pluralistic world.

Meeting with Summers ’67 sparks Ea ’12 trip to Cambodia
Sally Ea ’12, a social work major from Maplewood, Minn., and her father, Houkling Ea, toured the ancient temple Angkor Wat during a nearly monthlong trip to Cambodia last summer. It was Ea’s first trip to the Asian nation—and her father’s first return trip since immigrating to the United States from Cambodia 30 years ago.

“I was overjoyed to finally meet my dad’s family—cousins, nieces, and nephews I never knew he had—and to see my culture firsthand,” she says. “I also got to see the towns where both my parents grew up.”

Ea and her family had discussed visiting Cambodia for some time, but it was a conversation she had on campus with Sense of Vocation program visitor Eileen Summers ’67 last April that inspired Ea and  her father to finally book the trip. 

“When Eileen came to campus last spring, I was surprised to learn that she had spent such a significant amount of time working in Cambodia,” says Ea, who met Summers for coffee while she was on campus. “I told her about my goal of working in international social services, and Eileen shared with me her story and how she landed in Cambodia.”  Summers put Ea in contact with a colleague—Ellen Minotti, director of Social Services of Cambodia. “We were able to meet while I was in Cambodia and talk about the work of the agency and my future goals,” says Ea.

Alumna Christine Meling '10 awarded Clinton Global Initiative University grant
Luther alumna Christine Meling '10 has been awarded a Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) Outstanding Commitment Award grant for $5,000 to fund her commitment titled "Sewing for the Next Generation." Meling will oversee the production of school uniforms for families that can't afford them in the village of Yari, Boma, in southern Sudan. <more info>

Jane Addams Hull House in Chicago
Sarah Devine, Angela Katrichis, Diane Balfany, Allison Ruud, Alma Gast, & Barbara Eisenmenger

Chicago Center Interns
(Left to Right back:) Barbara Eisenmenger, Diane Balfany, Steve Broadwell, Kevin Zabel, Amy VanBecelaere, Angela Katrichis, Isaiah Lewis (Front:) Alma Gast, Allison Ruud, Sarah Devine

Fall 2009 Student Intern Appreciation Brunch
Lori Egan, Craig Mosher, Britt Rhodes, Jack Lob, Ginger Meyette, Lee Zook & Chelle Meyer