We are grateful to have received a $7500 grant from the Madelaine G. von Weber Trust, $1000 from the Ann de Nicola Trust, and $4000 from the Mary Louise Billings Trust. These are all going toward replacing aging roofs and windows, to keep more of the weather outside where it belongs. Many thanks go out to all who have helped us creep closer to this goal.
Newsletter Winter 2020
Students as volunteers!
Our model is centered around having 8-10 live-in volunteers aged 18 or older, a perfect opportunity for students studying remotely!
THE LUKAS COMMUNITY
A residential community for adults with developmental challenges
- The Lukas Community: Who We Are
The Lukas Community is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit charity and a year-round residential community for adults with developmental challenges. It is located on 65 acres in rural Temple, NH and serves those in the greater Monadnock Region. It was founded in 1981 by a group of individuals who saw the desperate need for a place where adults with developmental challenges could live full and productive lives. Lukas Community has grown over the years from a single extended-family household with a handful of residents when it opened its doors in 1981 to become a vibrant community of four households, 16 residents, 6 house parents, 2 full time employees, 14 part-time employees. Lukas is both licensed as an assistive living facility and certified by the Bureau of Developmental services in NH.
In the spirit of building a community that fosters personal growth and development of its members, the Lukas Community continues to grow and change, adapting itself to meet the ever-evolving needs of its residents. At the Lukas Community, both “abled” and “disabled” persons live together as an extended family, sharing their lives and work. House parents are co-workers who have taken on the responsibility for the management of a household of individuals with disabilities and support other co-workers and volunteers while creating a supportive and nurturing home environment. The house parents provide training and guidance in direct care to part-time employees and volunteers, household duties and supervise a variety of programs. Our facility is therapeutic in our approach to supporting adults with developmental disabilities.
2. Our Mission and How We Fulfill it
The mission of the Lukas Community is to ensure that individuals, who are developmentally challenged, experience a high quality of life. Each resident is recognized as a unique human being with dignity, freedom and purpose, without distinction as to race, religion, color, sex, national origin or disability. The Lukas Community fulfills its mission by:
1. Developing an Individual Service Agreements (ISA)1 for each resident. This agreement ensures that each resident develops the life skills he/she needs to maintain healthy productive relationships with family, coworkers, neighbors, employers and other community members;
2. Helping residents with mobility issues so they can be independent to the best of their abilities;
3. Providing vocational services, as specified in an Individual Service Agreement (ISA), which may include but are not limited to job readiness training, language and social skills acquisition and improvement;
4. Finding volunteer opportunities for residents with local nonprofit businesses and agencies;
5. Providing access to therapeutic services, day activities, recreational opportunities, transportation, and services for personal needs;
6. Encouraging growth and development in the arts, music, dance, and crafts.
1. An Individual Service Agreement (ISA) is a document that tells about a resident’s services and supports. The agreement describes what the client can expect to be different in his/her life, as a result of receiving Medicaid supports funded by the Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD). The Individual Service Agreement is developed to articulate decisions and agreements made during a person-centered process of planning and information gathering. The general welfare and personal preferences of the individual are the key consideration in the development of all plans
3. Purpose of Request for Volunteers/Interns:
The former volunteers had typically come to the Lukas Community through foreign agencies in Germany and other European countries for a gap year of service. These agencies work with 18-year-old people who are required to perform a year of community service. The volunteers each receive $250/month pocket money. At this time, we have none of our traditional contracts with foreign agencies.
With COVID- 19 spreading so rapidly, many countries have closed their borders. Our volunteers have been recalled to their homeland. As of the end of March, 50% of the workforce departed from the Lukas Community. We have been able to hire some part-time employees, but we still need live-in volunteers. Filling the gap left by the seven departing volunteers has been challenging. This shift in the staffing model has already had tremendous impact on residents. Given the nature of their disabilities, any change in their daily routine creates long-term anxiety and stress. Since its inception in 1981, the Lukas Community has been a model organization for the disabled where its daily, weekly and yearly schedule creates an environment of peace and consistency. People with disabilities thrive in a highly structured rhythm of life. With the departure of all of volunteers, the daily rhythm has shifted. Although staff are working hard to maintain as much normalcy as possible for residents, they are seeing an increase in behaviors that are driven by anxiety of the unfamiliar. The Lukas Community is following Governor Sununu’s Executive Orders to keep all of our residents and staff safe.
4. What Lukas can offer Volunteers/Interns:
With many, if not most, Colleges and Universities offering remote learning, we are looking for volunteers locally. The Lukas Community could provide room/board/internet in exchange for hands-on learning opportunities with adults with developmental disabilities. This model has, for years, been very beneficial and valuable to the volunteers and interns who have stayed with us. We can offer a flexible schedule around the student’s course work, and can work with them to create an educational experience they can use post-graduation. Volunteers will be trained and supervised by our live-in staff, and experience a family setting while supporting the needs of our residents. We can track and document educational hours for the students to submit to the University showing the skills/knowledge they are learning.
The Volunteers/Interns would learn the resident’s unique gifts and challenges, while supporting them in a meaningful life.
Address: P.O. Box 137, 63 Memorial Highway, Temple, NH 03084
Executive Director: Kristen Stanton, Kristen.stanton@lukascommunity.org
Contact: Kate Dean, Administrative and Development Officer, kdean@lukascommunity.org
Telephone: 603-878-4796
Website: www.lukascommunity.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The –Lukas-Community
Thanks to the Samuel P Hunt Foundation!
We are so grateful to the Samuel P Hunt Foundation for their recent grant! It means we can repair the roof of our Birch House so it doesn’t leak when it rains. The work will start soon, and the residents of this house will be so much happier to have this problem over and done with! Thanks!
We are pursuing grants to repair other roofs and windows, including most of the newer windows in the newer houses, which were inappropriate for our climate and are falling apart. We are accepting donations in every amount to help with the costs of this big project, including crowdfunding of various sorts, and other creative fundraisers. If you’d like to help us, we would be grateful to you and everyone who helps you achieve your goal!
Thank you to the Oleonda Jameson Trust!
The Lukas Community has received a grant from the Oleonda Jameson Trust to help assemble a low-cost system to insulate and cool our produce storage room, repair our garden shed, and acquire a portable handicapped ramp to make our old buildings more accessible.
We are very grateful for their assistance. Our fees support daily life at Lukas but don’t stretch enough to cover repairs or renovations to our aging buildings.
Newsletter 2019
Dear Friends,
It has been a challenging year for the Lukas Community, and this is in no small way unrelated to the challenges facing the world community. Unrest pervades the world. People are being actively and publicly segregated by our government, and our sense of global security is shaken as a result of the
changes taking place around us, seemingly beyond our control.
At Lukas, one thing remains certain, the needs of our residents with developmental disabilities. Our residents need a great deal of support in their everyday lives, and they will need even more in the future
as they grow older. All need the support of a warm and caring environment at the best of times, but even more so during times of unrest. The Lukas Community provides this and fosters much more: a sense of accomplishment, purpose, and self-esteem, so important for all human beings. You can help us make a truly positive difference to the health and well-being of the Lukas Community, and all who live and work here.
Your donations support our lifetime work of serving the developmentally disabled adults in our care as well as being investments in society and the way it treats its less advantaged members: as equals, with
freedom, dignity, and purpose.Here are some of the ways you can help:
| – | Make a secure online donation through one of our secure portals at www.lukascommunity.org/support_us |
– Mail a check to: The Lukas Community, PO Box 137, Temple, NH 03084
– Your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. The Lukas Community is a 501 (c )3 nonprofit, Tax ID number 02-0358724
– Set up a legacy gift in your will
– Set up recurring donations through one of our online portals
– Make a donation of appreciated stock and/or donor advised funds through DAF Direct (the link is on our donation page)
Thank you in advance for your contribution, and we hope you enjoy this newsletter highlighting Lukas residents enjoying and engaging in the larger community we call home.
Sincerely,
Kristen Stanton,
Executive Director
Thanks to Cogswell Benevolent Trust and Arthur Getz Trust
We are very grateful to the Cogswell Benevolent Trust and the Arthur Getz Trust for their grants to help us transform a narrow old bathroom on the first floor of Crossroads into one that is accessible for wheelchairs and walkers, as our residents age in place, and for visitors to Crossroads and the Weavery on open studio and visiting days.
Cogswell Benevolent Trust – Thank you!!
Big thanks to Cogswell Benevolent Trust for their generous donation toward much-needed bathroom renovations! The bath is the only one on the first floor of Crossroads House, next to the Weavery where we hold many programs (in addition to weaving), near the kitchen where residents help with cooking, and serves visitors during open studio events. It is unusable by anyone who has mobility issues or needs assistance. The new bathroom will be reshaped to be fully ADA compliant, and will help our residents age in place and take full advantage of our materials, tools, and programs. Great start!
Fall Newsletter 2018
Read our latest newsletter here:
The Lukas Community
Every successful individual knows that his or
her achievement depends on a community of
persons working together. Rudolf Steiner
This past year, The Lukas Community has celebrated many wonderful changes, all while supporting
our residents to realize their full potential and pursue their dreams. We are a community that remains true
to our core values of respect and dignity for each human being. As we move through the seasons, I am more
thankful for the love, dedication and commitment our residents have to each other and to all of us. It is for
them we are together; and with them our lives are fuller and richer.
But we cannot meet the challenges of the future without your help. To those who have contributed
in the past, your support has made a positive difference to the health and well being of The Lukas
Community, and all who live and work here. Your donations not only support our heartfelt work serving the
adults with developmental challenges in our care, but are also investments in everyone who touches Lukas
and have their lives changed forever. We hope that you will continue your support this year. To those of
you who have yet to offer your help, please join our circle of support by making a contribution today.
Thank you in advance for joining with us in making the Lukas Community a special place for special
people. Your tax-exempt gift will be used solely for their benefit.
Enjoy the photos and musings on these pages; and I invite you to visit The Lukas Community to
experience our day to day celebrations.
Warmly,
Kristen Stanton, Executive Director
Fall 2018
The Lukas world is a little slower and
more predictable. It’s full of kind
people who have time – well – who
make time for John. At Lukas, John is
accepted as he is, and he is at peace.
When we talk about our brother, we
find ourselves telling people that he
is in the perfect environment.
Rather than asking him to change to
fit to the world we live in, it’s
Lukas who has changed the world
just a little for John.
Sarah and Becket, sisters of John
The Lukas Community Page 2
The care for our
residents, which is the
center of our work, is
deeply rewarding, as
each of them brings such
a wide range of beautiful
qualities, challenges and
gifts to our community.
To learn to work as a
team with the other nine
highly gifted, deeply
caring and dedicated
coworkers and leaders is
an honor and a great joy.
Mathias, houseparent at
Echo Farm
Daniel has grown and thrived at Lukas. This is his
home, and he is always looking forward to
returning.
When you visit one of the residences, you are
struck immediately by the “family” feeling that the
residents share. House parents, volunteers and
residents forge strong bonds and their affection
and concern for one another is abundantly evident,
as is the sense of comradery throughout the
community.
Herb and Arleen, parents of Dan
Wool is an amazing substance.
Uniquely warm, water-repellent,
and even anti-bacterial. When
formed by human labor into fabric it
creates a protective layer that
nurtures and sustains us, as it has
done for millennia.
As we work with wool in the
weavery at The Lukas Community,
transforming it into garments and
objects both useful and beautiful, I
think of these qualities and to me
they provide a picture of how a
group of individuals can be
transformed into a community.
Single strands of wool are thin and
easily broken; when spun into yarn
or worked into felt, tiny scales of
their surface enable them to lock
together into a web that is
impressively strong, yet still flexible
and malleable. Different fibers
contribute their own character to
the whole, beautifully
complementing and
completing each other. Our
weaving is symbolic to the
philosophy of Lukas, and portrays
how our residents, co-workers
and volunteers mesh together.
How appropriate it is, then, that
wool is the one material in our
weavery that we can experience
from its very beginnings, from
growing it on the sheep that graze
our meadows, through shearing,
sorting, washing, picking, carding,
spinning and finally weaving it
into the final products that we are
so proud to display. So if anyone
wonders why we still work with
such old-fashioned substances
and tools, I invite them to come
into our weavery and learn from
the residents. To have joy in
one’s work and do it in the service
of others, is the secret of life. The
products we create belong to all
of us, and we gladly share them
with the world.
Lory Widmer Hess, The Lukas
Community
Weaving Together at The Lukas Community
Page 3
The Lukas Community is a wonderful place for Rima. Happiness is a
task with a reachable goal when you find the right place and the right
people.
I think my daughter Rima has found both. The co-workers are kind,
they understand Rima and they constantly encourage her in doing
and completing the many activities offered there. This is helped Rima
to develop and mature into a stronger person.
Joseph, father of Rima
Phone: 603-878-4796
Email: lukas@lukascommunity.org
www.lukascommunity.org
I plan to work in a social profession in the future, and I
wanted to gain practical experience before beginning
my studies. The reason why I am came here is simple
to explain, but the experience that I have every day is
indescribable. There are challenges that ask for
solutions, but people can find these solutions
together. That fascinates me a lot. Here at Lukas we
share each other’s needs and special qualities. This
community is very warm and lovely, and I think that
there is no one who wouldn’t feel well here.
I experienced a wholeness of life.
Myriam (former volunteer)
Volunteers come to Lukas to provide a year of community service. Our striving is for them to receive, in
return, life lessons that will stay with them for a lifetime.
Online donations can be made by going to our
website: lukascommunity.org/support-us
and then click on the online donation site of your
choice. Donor advised funds, appreciated stock,
ongoing gifts and Legacy gifts are also appreciated.
Donations can be made by
sending a check to:
The Lukas Community
PO Box 137
Temple, NH 03084
A special thank you to the Lukas Board of Trustees:
Lloyd “Butch” Walker (President) James Potter Herb Zuckerman
John Kieley (Treasurer) Becket McNab Kristen Stanton (Vice President)
Arleen Zuckerman (secretary) Lincoln Geiger
St. John’s Day
St. John’s Day celebration, June 24, 2018. Everyone came into the circle for Eurythmy, after songs and poems and strawberry shortcake. Vadim, Michael, and Lory led us in a beautiful dance.