All posts by Lafayette Urban Ministry

About Lafayette Urban Ministry

The Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) is an organization of more than 40 Christian churches that serves as a social safety net for Lafayette, Indiana's needy children and families.

Purdue Crew’s Row-A-Thon — Benefits LUM

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Purdue Rowing Team presents “Row-A-Thon 2021” in support of the LUM Good Samaritan Fund. Row-A-Thon is one of the largest donations each year.

TENTATIVE DETAILS for the Purdue Row-A-Thon 2021 are as follows:

  • Saturday, February 13
  • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Tippecanoe Mall, 2415 Sagamore Pkwy S, Lafayette, IN

Each year, the Purdue Rowing Team sponsors “Row-A-Thon” in support of the LUM Good Samaritan Fund. Row-A-Thon takes place all day  in the Tippecanoe Mall (Lafayette). The co-ed team members row a marathon of 26 miles in three hours on indoor rowing machines while raising funds for LUM. Stop by the Mall on Saturday, February 13 and check it out. You may make a donation in person at Row-A-Thon or by mail. Please make checks payable to Purdue Crew Club and mail your checks to:

Purdue Crew—Row-A-Thon
500 Brown Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907

Thanks to Purdue Crew president, Kelsey D’Amico, Head Coach David Kucik, and the entire rowing team and coaching staff for their continued support of Lafayette Urban Ministry. Please note: the funds raised from Row-a-thon will be split 50/50 between LUM and Purdue Crew Team.

PHOTOS — Check out the photos from last year’s Row-A-Thon, click HERE.

Contacts:
Wes Tillett, Executive Director, Lafayette Urban Ministry
765.423.2691 | wtillett@lumserve.org

David Kucik, Head Coach, Purdue Crew
dwk@purdue.edu

More information:
The LUM Good Samaritan Fund is an emergency financial assistance program which provides our community’s neediest families and children with a strong and reliable safety net. Help is offered for utility bills, rent, and prescription medications. In 2020, the Good Samaritan Fund served 2,017 families; provided financial assistance in averting eviction, utility disconnects and other crises 1,393 times; and shared $229,833.82.

Volunteer Afternoon Receptionists Needed

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Daytime Volunteer Opportunity | M-F | Noon to 4:30 p.m.

If you’re interested in recurring, daytime service opportunity, consider becoming a Volunteer Afternoon Receptionist at Lafayette Urban Ministry.

A Volunteer Afternoon Receptionist is needed each weekday from Noon to 4:30 p.m. — and some weekday mornings.

Normally, Volunteer Afternoon Receptionists greet guests, answer phones and complete general clerical duties in the main office of Lafayette Urban Ministry (420 N 4th Street, Lafayette).

During COVID-19, the duties include answering the phones and assisting staff in general duties. LUM maintains strict COVID-19 protocols for a safe environment which requires face masks, hand washing, social distancing, plastic barriers, and no client contact.

Sign Up Today

If you are interested, please email or call Monica Casanova, LUM office manager (mcasanova@lumserve.org | 765-423-2691). If you need more information, click HERE.

¿Habla Español? Love Helping Others?

Executive Director Serves on MLK Day Panel

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Where Do We Go From Here?

Wes Tillett, LUM executive director, served on a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service community panel entitled: “Beloved Community Conversation: Where Do We Go From Here?” The event was sponsored by Beloved Community Lafayette, a grassroots group in Greater Lafayette with a passion for social justice. The group is led by the Reverend Annettra Jones, associate pastor at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, a LUM member church.

The topics focused on how our community leaders plan to create more unity and move forward after last year’s local Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The virtual, live panel discussion featured county & city elected officials, school corporation leaders and social service agency directors. Thanks to the moderators, which included the Reverend Dr. Bradley Pace (St. John’s Episcopal Church rector) and the Reverend Dr. Hilary Cooke (Chapel of the Good Shepherd chaplain), the conversations were lively, informative and transformative. Wes Tillett took the opportunity to share the mission, programs and aspirations of LUM as important initiatives about equity & inclusion are addressed. Thanks to Beloved Community Lafayette for sponsoring this meaningful event and inviting LUM to participate in the conversation.

Video – Beloved Community Conversation
LUM Outreach & Advocacy

LUM Solar Project – Second Year Savings

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Energy Savings So Far – 24 Month Report

The LUM Solar Energy Initiative was switched on two years ago. To date, the LUM Office building has generated…

  • Close to $10,000 worth of electricity, the equivalent of…
  • 66.7 megawatts of solar energy
  • 102,378.14 pounds of carbon dioxide were NOT emitted, the equivalent of…
  • 2,089.6 trees being planted

In addition to the environmental benefits of going solar, the savings to LUM should be close to $5,000 per year. These savings include a reduction in energy needed as well as revenue from trading Solar Renewable Energy Credits. This money will be reinvested in LUM programs & services in support of local families and children.

The amount of energy generated daily has been substantial. LUM is to expand our solar energy project in the future. Stay tuned.

Meet Nancy – New LUM Business Office Clerk

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Nancy L. Emig – LUM Clerk – Business Office

Nancy L. Emig is the new clerk, responsible for assisting the LUM business office and working directly with the Good Samaritan Program.

Nancy grew up in Valparaiso, graduated from Valparaiso High School, and lives in West Lafayette with her husband, Greg, daughter, Carly, and their three furry children (dogs), Zoey, Abbey & Bayley. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Supervision. Nancy enjoys being a mother, supporting her daughter’s activities, listening to music, traveling, golfing, watching Purdue sports and NFL games, loving her dogs, and helping her husband with their business venture/adventure. She is inspired by the quote,

As I look at my life, I would prefer to err on the side of GRACE rather than judgment,
To love too much rather than too little,
To believe in my sisters and brothers too much rather than not enough,
To believe the best and be wrong rather than believe the worst and be right.

Nancy started with LUM as a volunteer, serving more than five years, as an afternoon receptionist and with Jubilee Christmas, the Good Samaritan Program, and with her “reading” dog, Bayley, the After School Program. Nancy shared, 

I am here to serve and give back to the community that has welcomed and been so gracious to my family. I hope to bring the same joy, a smile or sense of peace to just one person, my day is fulfilled.

LUM is fortunate to have had Nancy Emig as a volunteer and is thrilled to have her join the LUM staff. Please join us in welcoming her in her new role with the LUM team.

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Good Samaritan Fund

Meet the New Officers of the LUM Board

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Thanks to 2020 & Congrats to 2021 Leaders

Sincere thanks to the outgoing 2020 LUM Board of Directors & Executive Council members, who served valiantly during the transition of a new executive director and impact of the pandemic. Congratulations to the incoming 2021 Executive Council members (pictured above L to R), who are as follows:

  • President – Cheryl Fowler, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tippecanoe County
  • Vice President – Chuck Anderson, St. Thomas Aquinas Center
  • Treasurer – Tricia Sembroski, At Large
  • Secretary – Penny Glotzbach, Congress Street United Methodist Church
  • Facilities – Allen “Buz” Grady, Our Saviour Lutheran Church
  • Personnel – Nina Morgan, Grace Lutheran Church
  • Program, Planning & Evaluation – Deb Parent, At Large
  • Executive Director – Wes Tillett, Lafayette Urban Ministry

LUM is governed by a Board of Directors — made up of one representative from each Member Church plus a few appointed individuals from specific community groups. Led by the officers listed above, the board meets each month to oversee and direct policy decisions, fiscal matters, and programming issues, and to ensure that LUM fulfills its vital Mission. The board members are passionate, hard-working, talented — and are well-equipped to serve during this difficult time.

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Meet Eli Heindricks – New LUM Intern

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Eli Heindricks is a senior at Purdue majoring in Political Science and Economics with a minor in Philosophy. He grew up in Fortville, graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School, and was a visiting student at the University of Oxford in the Fall of 2019.

This semester, Eli is serving as the LUM Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy Intern, and will provide outreach, advocacy and education, fundraising, marketing, and communication for the Immigration Clinic. Eli Heindricks shared, 

“I really enjoy helping people in my community. Working with LUM allows me to learn while serving those in need.” 

The Klinker-Alting Family Advocacy Internship is open to juniors and seniors who are enrolled and in good academic standing with the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue. The merit-based internship provides students with practical, hands-on learning of the political process. Included with the internship is a $500 stipend provided by LUM.

Meet the LUM Homeless Services Team

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Emergency Shelter | Winter Warming Station

LUM is excited to introduce the LUM Homeless Services staff members. The LUM shelter staff members manage the nightly operations of the LUM Emergency Shelter & Winter Warming Station. Led by Briton Weise, LUM Homeless Services director, these frontline workers are hardworking, caring and dedicated to keeping our shelters open and safe.

The LUM Emergency Shelter provides short-term, overnight shelter, meals, and showers in a safe and caring environment for up to 44 homeless adults each night of the year. The LUM Winter Warming Station complements these services from November to April. This year, due to COVID-19, LUM is also assisting in the management of the Shelter Annex, which provides an alternate day shelter during periods of quarantine.

In 2020, 614 individuals were provided overnight shelter at LUM; and so far in 2021, 62 individuals. 

Please consider investing in, volunteering with, or providing meals for the LUM Homeless Services – LUM needs you.

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Emergency Shelter

Meet the After School Program Team

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44 Students| K – 8th Grade | 3 Hours Per Day

LUM is thrilled to introduce the LUM After School Program team (not pictured: Tabatha Volpi, teacher). What a talented and caring team! Led by Kristi Hogue, LUM Youth Programs director, the LUM teachers are assisted each afternoon by volunteers.

The LUM After School Program provides safe, fun and enriching childcare for up to 60 children in Kindergarten to 8th grade in Tippecanoe County. The children are transported by the LUM buses from school to the LUM Ray Ewry Youth Center. For up to three hours each school day, the students work on homework, have a nutritious snack, and participate in craft projects, music, and other fun recreational and educational activities — enabling their parents to finish their workday. The program is staffed by professionally trained teachers, interns and volunteers, whose training exceeds State of Indiana requirements.

In 2020, 80 children were enrolled; and so far in 2021, 44 children are enrolled.

Please consider investing in or volunteering with the After School Program – LUM needs you.

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After School Program

LUM Chipotle Night – February 23

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App & Online Orders for Pick Up, Dine In, To Go, Catering
Dining Room & Patio Seating
Tuesday, February 23 – 5 to 9 p.m. – South St., Lafayette

Eat your favorite burrito bowl and support the LUM Youth Programs. Take a night off from cooking, go to Chipotle Mexican Grill (4030 South St., Lafayette) and LUM earns 33% of your order with the coupon below. Chipotle is also including “online orders for pickup” for the LUM fundraiser. This means YOU will be able to place your orders for pickup either through the Chipotle app or website, skipping the line and maintaining safe social distancing guidelines. Online orders will require a custom code to be used during checkout to be counted — LUM’s online code: 8YL3ZEF.

Join us at Chipotle (South Street, Lafayette, IN) on Tuesday, February 23 from 5 – 9 p.m. — and the LUM After School Program gets 33% of all orders, if you present this COUPON (pictured).

It’s easy! Print the coupon or show it on your phone, order your favorite Chipotle meal (burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, salads or kids meals), don’t forget to get chips, guac’, and a drink — and LUM gets 33%. So — plan to eat out on Tuesday, August 25 — all for a GREAT CAUSE — the students enrolled in the LUM After School Program.

If you can’t make it and wish to support the LUM students, click the button below to make a donation.