Sterling Group Home for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities

On June 30th, I visited LSSI’s Sterling Addiction Center, Sterling Group Home, and the Nachusa Lutheran Home campus, and I could not be more grateful to have the day trip that brought a lot of perspective to what I have been writing about. It would be no surprise to anyone that non-profit organizations can struggle, even in the simplest ways. But when you start to see these struggles in application, it really changes what you thought you knew.
On July 14th, I visited Bethel Christian Church in south Chicago, delivering new and exciting books for LSSI’s Visits to Mom program where families of incarcerated women are taken on a 3 hour drive to their moms, friends, and daughters. I talked to the main coordinator and he opened up about his passion for the job, staying connected with the community, and being excited to push his innovative ideas further.
Something that has really, pleasantly, stood out to me about this experience has been the staff camaraderie and endless amount of support they provide to one another. Behind each other’s backs, they say how wonderful individuals are doing, giving credit to the work that they are doing, and are in awe of the capacity to do their jobs well. I am starting to understand how noticeably powerful this mindset is to any occupation, but more importantly, for this non-profit organization that is constantly providing services to a wide variety of people. 

My visit to Bethel Christian Church to deliver books for the visits to mom program.

The Nachusa Lutheran Home is a large part of LSSI’s history. Originally built as an orphanage in the 1800s, this building was turned into a group home before having to be shut down due to city codes.

As a psychology and sociology major working in communications, I have discovered a new perspective for the position I never could have realized until becoming fully immersed in the experience. I have learned so much about myself in the office life, but more importantly, the professional characteristics I value. Honesty. Trust. Hard work. Support.
In addition to my fellowship experience, I have been doing a lot of soul-searching. A navigation through the thick weeds, daunting questions at the forefront of my mind: who do I want to be? But also, what do I need to do to get there? Time and time again, I am reminded that life doesn’t always turn out the way that you planned. Cheesy, I know. And as much as a planner as I am, I can see something beautiful in that. Something beautiful in the idea of things happening naturally, perhaps not the way your tedious mind had expected. I thought I would be at a minimum wage job, dealing with a variety of interesting customers until I couldn’t see straight this summer. And then that beautiful thing happened: this fellowship. I’m working for a non-profit that I believe in, that I see helping real people with extraordinary stories. I see its employees going above and beyond supporting one another and going forthright with their tasks to do the programs justice. The clients justice.

At Valpo, the students are highly ambitious and it can be intimidating to go on your own path. There is so much value in the soft skills that we don’t celebrate enough, don’t talk about enough. At the end of the day, we have to be ourselves to its full capacity. We deserve that, whatever that looks like. Pursuing and standing up for things that we believe in, and building connections with people that make us better. We have to question our perceptions and embrace the things that make us unique. I say these things as a reminder for you, but also to myself. I’m trying. I’m soaking up every moment that is to learn from, and finding myself along the way.

I was given a tour of a normal looking office building, with tall grey cubicles and sounds of fingers steadily typing in the distance. With the pandemic, only a handful of employees are actually in the office. My lovely supervisor brings me around, introducing me, and I try not to show my nervousness. Amongst the chaos of this year, this is the most new people I have met in a really long time. At one point, I say thank you to someone after introducing myself, and I think about it for the next few days hoping she doesn’t remember how awkward I was. I have to remind myself this is part of the process, and it is okay. 

At this point in my experience, I have been with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) for three-ish full weeks, but it feels so much longer. I have the mission statement stuck in my head, and remember to consider it in everything that I do (hence the title). I have met everyone and no one at the same time. I have conducted interviews, written articles, and created flyers and social media posts that will be then sent to the rest of the company. I feel useful. I feel connected in what I’m doing. There are times where it’s difficult to feel like I’m a part of something bigger, working half at home and half in the office. But as soon as I hear a “they really liked what you did” or being mentioned in a staff meeting, I realize how worth it it is. Everyone I have met at LSSI so far has only admiration for their place within the organization and their fellow employees. It’s inspiring. It’s a great work environment to be a part of. We have weekly coffee chats in the morning, my preferred choice of drink is apple juice, and it’s an informal way to get information out to the team. This has been especially important during remote working, and it has been a great way for me to put some names to faces over emails. 

Last week I visited one of the facilities that they are shooting a Youtube virtual tour of, and it was great. After talking with our tour guide, I recognized what sacrifices non-profit organizations have to make in order to do their job well, consistently well. My supervisor took note of some things that need fixing, hoping to bring it to her people and get a donor who could contribute. I loved seeing that initiative take place. Constantly thinking of others and potential solutions. 

With COVID-19, facilities are a little more hesitant to offer tours or meet and greets. Working with the communication and advancement team is exciting because I get to talk to lots of different people across the organizations, taking the time to learn about many different programs, as opposed to being in one branch. Throughout this experience, I’m recognizing how much I like being backstage to the operation, versus being completely hands-on. There’s potential for opportunities where I could be a little more hands-on and compare, that I’m looking forward to. I’m very grateful for the social media and graphics experience I am receiving, because it lets me explore my creative side in a productive way. 

There is so much potential to be had and I can only gain new and exciting learning experiences from here.