The 12th annual Candles & Carols holiday service at Trinity Lutheran Church was “a tremendous success,” according to Mark Berg, the church’s music and arts director.
“Well over people were there, and we fed 250 at the turkey dinner that followed,” he added.
“That was our best ever attendance - we even had to put in extra seating. It was a full house.”
The 26 adults and 14 student volunteers who helped serve the turkey dinner that followed the Candles & Carols service also made sure that there were no slipups in ensuring that everyone enjoyed their holiday feast.
“It was just run really, really well,” Berg said. “Hats off to those folks for the wonderful job they did.”
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And the proceeds from the dinner, along with donations from those attending the service, ensured that the children served by the Lakes Crisis & Resource Center will have a happier, healthier new year.
“All the proceeds from the night went to benefit the Lakes Crisis & Resource Center’s children’s programming,” said Berg. “We raised about $2,600, and Thrivent kicked in another $1,000 in matching funds.”
Which means LCRC will be the lucky recipient of a $3,600 holiday gift, courtesy of Trinity Lutheran Church and Thrivent Financial.
“We were honored that they selected LCRC as the beneficiary of the funds raised at their event,” said LCRC Development Director Anna Sellin. “It was completely unexpected and a great holiday surprise! They put on a great event.”
The gift is particularly appreciated because, as Sellin noted in a story earlier this fall, “Our children’s services are something for which we don’t receive any (state or federal) funding.”
The children’s services provided at LCRC include support groups in Becker County schools, for everything from healthy relationships and anger management to “good touch, bad touch” and dating violence.
“We go into the schools and provide support groups for everyone from elementary up through high school age,” said Sellin. “We also work with children who are living here in our shelter (Mary’s Place, which is adjacent to the LCRC offices), and if we don’t provide the services or resources they need here, we can connect them with the agencies that do.”
LCRC’s children’s programming also incorporates one-on-one advocacy services for kids suffering from the effects of abuse, neglect, divorce, etc.
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The newest part of LCRC’s children’s services is Kinship, a mentoring program that pairs kids between the ages of 5-16 with caring adult volunteers “for the purpose of promoting stability, support, friendship, and community,” Sellin said.
“This program is for the community of Detroit Lakes and surrounding areas. The mentor and mentee spend time together at least two times per month for a couple hours. We are looking for adult volunteers to become mentors and referrals of children that would benefit from having a mentor.
“If anyone is interested in becoming a mentor and becoming a positive role model in a child’s life through our Kinship program, please contact us at 847-8572,” she added.
