FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS/NCA)
Contact Person: Saara Amri

Program Name: Refugee & Immigrant Services Program
Telephone: 703.698.5026 ext. 118 / Fax: 703.698.7121 / Email: amris@lssnca.org

www.lssnca.org

Area Churches to Receive LSS/NCA Recognition Award for Outstanding Service to Refugees Resettled to Northern Virginia

Springfield, VA Saturday July 29, 2006 -- Lutheran Social Services will present special awards to representatives of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and their mission congregation, Grace Ethiopian Church in recognition of their collaborative work in the resettlement of Ethiopian refugees resettled to the National Capital Area this past September. The awards presentation will take place at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield, VA at 5:30PM.

Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS/NCA) is a nonsectarian, multi-service, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1917. For more than 89 years, LSS/NCA has served hundreds of thousands of families in need through community-based human and social services regardless of religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, or ethnicity. LSS/NCA serves the National Capital and Baltimore metropolitan areas through refugee and immigrant services which include refugee resettlement, orientation to living in the U.S., information and referral, intake and assessment, pre-employment training, case management, workforce development, legal services, ESL classes, financial literacy, and women’s empowerment. The program assists nearly 2,000 refugees annually in Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, District of Columbia, and Baltimore. In addition, LSS/NCA facilitates adoption, foster care, volunteer services, youth development, and an HIV/AIDS Youth Camp.

LSS/NCA relies on the help of local faith-based communities to be able to successfully resettle refugees to the National Capital Area and to provide a welcoming community to these new arrivals.

“The group in Yemen has suffered deeply for 15 years and they are in need great need of help. It was a rewarding experience in being able to help them come to America.” said Clyde Hohenstein from Prince of Peace. The refugees fled the Ethiopian navy over a decade ago when war broke out between Eritrea and Ethiopia. They were in limbo for a decade while they faced discrimination, harassment, lack of employment, and separation from family and loved ones. Now they have a chance to change their life and we are committed to helping them get started off on the right track.

With the help of Lutheran Social Services, Prince of Peace and Grace Ethiopian worked together to resettle five of these refugees. They ensured that the five refugees had everything they needed including a place to live, employment, adequate health care and most importantly, a better quality of life and prospects for a successful future.

###