Lutheran Family And Children's Services Of MO
Our core values of faith, integrity, and service help define the culture of our organization and the operating principles. They reflect the things we value most and are reflected through our processes and practices. -- God's love in Jesus Christ empowers Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri to help families, children, and individuals experience greater hope and wholeness of life. We are about "Growing Hope."
Description:
Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri (LFCS) provides pregnancy counseling to young women and teens experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy that include parenting options ( parenting the child, allowing a family member to parent the child, or making an adoption plan), decision making, parenting skills, medical and transportation assistance,job security, schooling, etc.. As a licensed child placing agency, we offer full adoption services when adoption placement is the plan. This includes selection of a family, meeting the family, and other areas of openness. Voluntary temporary foster care is available upon request giving birth parents time to fully assess their plan. Counselors have a degree in Social Work or a related field and receive continuing education on adoption issues annually.
LFCS provides services for both domestic and international adoptions: home study assessments, pre and post placement education and services. We assist in relative adoptions, providing assessments for custody cases and guardianships. Assessments are completed by experienced social workers who remain abreast of current adoption laws and other adoption related issues.
Adoption Power Hours are provided every other month on the third Tuesday begining at 6:00: January, March, May, July, September, November. Information is shared on the adoption process, costs, home study process for domestic, international, custody, guardianship studies, and much more. Call to reserve seating.
The agency also provides a unique Older Adult Counseling Program for adults 60 years and older. Issues addressed are loneliness, death and dying, anxiety, depression, other mental health issues. Appointments can be held in the office or in the client's home.
Parenting Classes are held twicea year with sessions during the day and one series in the evening.
Simply by calling, individuals and couples can register to attend. There is no fee for these sessions.
A monthly support group is available for parents, who have attended parenting classes. Any parent is welcome to attend. This is a way to continue strengthening parenting skills, exchange tips/ideas of handling difficult situations, discuss ways of having fun with childen-at low cost-and general support from one another.
An Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group is held the second Monday evening monthly at 6:30. If you are caring for a loved one in the home who has Alzheimer's, this group offers excellent support and education for you, allowing your loved one to remain at home as long as possible.
Memory Matters, an excellent opportunity for adults facing early memory lose, is weekly sessions held on Thursdays from 10:00-2:00. Various activities that help generate brain activity to keep it as alert as possible make up the four-hour session: mental exercises, group interactions, light physical exercise, and socialization throughout. A light lunch is served. Cost is $15 per day.
Sex Can Wait--Abstinence Education Classes are available upon request as well as Parenting classes--Survival Skills for Healthy Families. Call for more information or to schedule sessions.
Family Foundations is a new program that is a partner-ship between LFCS and local churches. It's focus is on support for single parents. Over 36 % of children born in the US today are born to single mothers. Single parents need encouragement, support, and acceptance. Church members provide services and support through providing a positive example, offering a caring concern as they provide help such as fixing a car so a client can get to work, a washer or dryer, or provide child care so parent can go to an interview, etc.
History:
The Cape Girardeau office was started in 1973. Currently we offer child welfare services and older adult counseling along with several support groups. We have offices in Springfield, Columbia, St. Louis and Cape Girardeau.
The Southeast office moved into a new building in 1983 which served well until 2008. Again, a new office was built this time at 3178 Blattner Dr., Cape Girardeau, giving opportunity for future growth.
The agency remains strong in providing child welfare services through the Pregnancy Maintenance Program,
Healthy Marriage Initiative, The Positives of Infant Adoption Awareness Trainings, and providing home studies for foster care, adoption, and kinship through the State Of Missouri Children's Division for placement of older children in state care. Our domestic and international adoption programs continue to grow.
Our Older Adult Counseling Program provides several services unique to Southeast Missouri: in-home and in-office counseling, adults 60 and over, as well as a Support Group for those caring for a family member in the home who is dealing with Alzheimer's. Meets the first Monday Monthly at 6:30.
A new group, Memory Matters, is offered weekly for those adults dealing with early memory loss which enables them remain in their homes longer. The sessions are from 10:00-2:00. Brain stimulus activities, small physical activities, socialization, and a light lunch are part of the day. Home work to stimulate the brain is assigned weekly. Cost--$15 weekly.
LFCS started in St. Louis as a Children's Home for orphans after the Civil War. In the 1960's, all children living in the children's home were placed into adoptive homes and the services of the agency changed faces. It continued to offer assistance to the poor and needy as well individual and family counseling adoption services, community outreach, operation of two licensed child care, one in North St. Louis, Hilltop, and the other in St. Charles, LFCS Learning Center. Fees are on a sliding fee scale.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (573) 334-7593
Address:
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3178 Blattner Dr.Cape Girardeau, MO 63703(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.lfcsmo.org
Directions:
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From I-55 take the Cape/William Street exit. Turn onto William Street at the stop light to cross the overpass. At the third stop light turn right onto Mt. Auburn Rd. Continue through next stop light. Turn. . . (more)
Nearest Bus Stop: Stop 51- Right across from LFCS office |
| Last updated on May 14, 2009 |
