LFCS Gives Young Women CHOICES
Private grant supports local life skills program

10/01/05

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 01, 2005 - Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri has received a $3,500 grant from the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to support LFCS' CHOICES program.

CHOICES is a weekly life skills program offered to young women between the ages of 10 and 17 in the St. Louis area. The program focuses on decision-making skills, cultural enrichment, educational growth, career development and self-esteem. To help with building individual growth, the program also collaborates with local community organizations and businesses to better meet the needs and interests of the girls. CHOICES is offered at six locations in St. Louis and currently over 200 girls.

The Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is a faith-based organization that seeks to inspire women to act on their beliefs in Jesus Christ. The ELCA is part of the 5.1 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church and has more than 500,000 members throughout the United States and Caribbean.

Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri is a non-profit, statewide social service organization providing counseling, adoption, crisis pregnancy assistance, day care and mentoring services to the community. With offices in St. Louis, Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Springfield, LFCS touches the lives of more than 22,000 individuals annually. The services provided by LFCS are open to everyone regardless of race, faith,national origin, gender or age. Although Lutheran based, more than 80 percent of families served are non-Lutheran. For more information, visit www.lfcsmo.org.

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Editor's note: Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri is located at: 8631 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. (63124) 401 West Boulevard North, Suite B, Columbia, Mo. (65203) 2911 Breckenridge, Cape Girardeau, Mo. (63701) 1400 S. Kimbrough, Springfield, Mo. (65807)

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