By Jim Hagerty
Contributor

ROCKFORD — Urban Equity Properties donated $5,000 to Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) Tuesday.

“We value and appreciate the work LSSI does across Illinois and especially in Rockford for at-risk children and families,” UEP attorney Jeff Orduno said.

A nonprofit organization, LSSI provides foster care and adoption services throughout the state. Its funding comes from a variety of sources, including the State of Illinois and federal government. And with constraints at both levels, Tuesday’s donation was a timely one.

“We are very pleased to have this check from Urban Equity,” Children’s Community Services Director Kathy Reese said. “We’re a bare-bones operation doing the best we can to provide quality services. And with our other budget pieces, we haven’t seen an increase in our rate in several years, so we are always trying to provide the same level of services as costs increase over time.”

Reese said the money has not been earmarked for a specific project but will be allocated once officials evaluate where it’s most needed. She said donations like UEP’s are typically used for extras–things they cannot afford in their normal budgeting process, like foster parent appreciation events.

Based in Des Plaines, Lutheran Social Services has been serving Illinois since 1867. It is one of three Illinois synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the largest statewide social services provider, reaching about 50,000 people each year. The Rockford office is in the Talcott Building, 321 W. State St. R.