Louis J. Prues of Grosse Pointe, director of strategic planning and business development at Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, has been named by Governor Rick Snyder to the Michigan Board of Medicine as a representative of the general public. He will take the oath of office January 25. Board members serve for eight years.

The Michigan Board of Medicine is responsible for regulating the entry of physicians and surgeons into practice in the state, for requiring continuing medical education of licensed physicians and for the disciplinary action against those who violate the public health code.

Prues previously served on the Michigan Board of Nursing as an appointee of Governor John Engler.

Home Care Assistance of Michigan, Lutheran Social Services’ private duty home care provider, has begun a Hospital to Home Care program, providing resources for families managing the difficult transition home after hospitalization. The program helps families prepare for discharge and manage their post-hospitalization needs at home.

“The program is anchored in the belief that patients can recover and rehabilitate at home following a hospitalization,” said Rob Louis-Ferdinand, executive director of In-Home Services. “Our clients benefit tremendously from a familiar home environment and their families enjoy peace of mind knowing that trained professionals are on hand to support their loved ones.”

A free 16-page PDF guide to the discharge and recovery process is available at www.hospitaltohomecare.com.

Jean Skiver, 85, just never got around to being baptized. She attended a Baptist church with her first husband, and became close to the pastor’s wife. Her second husband was an active member of a Lutheran church, and she attended worship services with him but never formally joined.

Jean moved to The Terraces in Grand Rapids, which offers catered independent living for active seniors, 13 years ago. She says it’s a very caring community.

“When I moved here, I met a man who is still a friend and who was active in the chapel. I would also attend his Lutheran church in the community,” said Jean, who spent her working years as a housekeeper in a hospital and a college.

At MapleCreek, Jean enjoys the wide variety of social activities that offer fellowship with other residents. She started going to a volunteer-led Bible study Because Jean has some health problems that it hard for others to understand her, she doesn’t like to speak in group settings. She relies on her friend, Barb Bell, who also lives at MapleCreek, to be her voice, helping her to participate in activities she formerly avoided. She also began talking to MapleCreek's chaplain, Rebecca Ebb-Speese, known as Pastor Becky, about spiritual matters. Jean says she enjoys exploring issues of faith.

Early in the new year, Jean told Pastor Becky she wanted to be baptized. “I want to accept God and to feel more connected to church,” she said.  “I had my children baptized and now it’s time for me.”

Pastor Becky officiated at the ceremony and Barb Bell served as Jean's sponsor.

“My quality of life has changed since I moved to MapleCreek and started attending spiritual activities,” Jean said. “I know these are good for me. I feel better about my life.”

After witnessing Jean’s baptism, another resident came to Pastor Becky and said she’d never been baptized either, and she wanted to do it too. Her ceremony was held the following day, with all the residents in attendance serving as sponsors.

 The Lansing office, Services for Children & Families, held a door-decorating contest for staff. The doors were decorated between Thanksgiving and the first week of December. Jill Peck, director of Quality Assurance, was the guest judge. First place was awarded to Bobbie Harden and Danielle Guty for their snowman door. Second place went to Michael Banks for his Naughty and Nice door (with lots of debate around the office about who was going on which list). Honorable emtnions wen to Andrew Martineau and megan Karinen, who used a Twelve Days of Christmas them, Jill Frame, Ashley Hayden and Nichole Hoerner for their door decorated with stockings, and Paula Bashore, who used a penguin/winter wonderland motif.

Thank you, Holy Trinity! In honor of their 50th anniversary, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Livonia will help our foster care program in Southeast Michigan. The church presented a check for $500 to Audrey Williams-Burton, director of Services for Children & Families in Southeast Mcihigan, to buy winter clothing for the children they serve. The church will also hold an foster parent appreciation event at the church on March 24.

Lutheran Social Services is now providing foster care in Tuscola County, through the Saginaw office of Services for Children & Families under the direction of Cheryl Sibilsky. The staff are currently working with 15 children under a contract with the Tuscola County Department of Human Services.

As they have since 1984, the families of students at Cedar Crest Academy in Clarkston will “adopt” some of the families being served by Lutheran Social Services of Michigan at Christmas, providing them a bounty of gifts. This year, the Cedar Crest families will travel to Lutheran Social Services’ Refugee Services training center in Madison Heights on Saturday, Dec. 10, laden with gifts for seven Iraqi refugee families. The school families will meet the families they’ve “adopted,” share a pizza lunch and then deliver the gifts to the refugees’ homes.

“We bring one wrapped gift for each of the children with us to the party and leave the rest of the gifts in our cars, because there’s a lot,” said Karen Jbara, whose three children attended Cedar Crest Academy, an independent private pre-K – 8th grade school. “Before you know it, the kids are kicking around a soccer ball or working on a puzzle or game together. It provides an opportunity for the children to bond and have something in common.”

The Cedar Crest families enjoy learning more about the refugee families, sometimes with the help of an interpreter. “It’s especially educational for the children,” said Jbara. “It’s humbling for them to realize that these people have needs for things like sheets and pots and pans that are very basic.”

Cedar Crest has been adopting families for Christmas since the school opened. “The opportunity to share our blessings with local families is valuable to us,” said school director Bette Moen. “How proud our students are of the mounting heap of needed items in their classroom, which will disappear into good hands. For the youngest of us, it is an unknown story to learn the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants.’ Oh, the lessons to be learned!”

MapleCreek, Lutheran Social Services' senior living community in Grand Rapids, has a new option for those who want to live in independent living apartments but who need some extra care. Called "Catered Living Plus," the new program is available in nine Garden Level apartments at The Terraces. With the introduction of Catered Living Plus, a couple with differing needs can move in together and won't have to be separated because one of them requires more care than is usually offered at The Terraces. A new kitchen/dining room and a lounge are being created in the Catered Living Plus section. Resident aides are available around the clock to meet the residents' personal needs, supervised by program coordinator Gwen Melton, LPN.

Today is National Philanthropy Day, and three of our volunteers will be honored at the annual dinner of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Detroit Chapter. Jean Schluckebier is the volunteer manager of the ACTION Thrift Store in Saginaw. She took a floundering enterprise and made it profitable once more so that it can support programs for people in need all over the state. She freshened the look of the store, improved the merchandise mix and helped start a statewide system of donation drives. Matt and Richelle Pedersen "adopted" a room at the Wayne County Family Center homeless shelter so that it could be renovated and refurnished. They donated a truck through our Motorvation Drive vehicle donation program. And they introduced 30 of their friends to Lutheran Social Services at a reception in their home. Matt served as a trustee for the LSSM Foundation and is now a member of the Lutheran Social Services of Michigan board of directors. Congratulations to our Distringuished Volunteers!

Our Kalamazoo office, Services for Children and Families, is once again selling their famous Cookies in a Jar. These kits were created by volunteers from SWELL (Sharing With Everyone Lutheran Love), and they make great holiday gifts for only $5. Add your own butter or shortening, eggs and vanilla -- the jar has everything else you need to make two or three dozen tasty chocolate chip cookies. Supplies are limited. You can pick them up at our Detroit administrative center, 8131 E. Jefferson Ave., or at the Kalamazoo office, 1803 Whites Road, Suite 5. Proceeds from the sale are used to help foster children and families in Southwest Michigan.