After recently finishing many years serving on the Lund board, it seems to me that the essence of Lund Family Center is family. Over more than a century, the continuing good of bringing together children with their adoptive parents; of supporting, nurturing and educating young mothers and their babies to help them to find the path to a better future; of providing mothers who are incarcerated, and their children, with the opportunities to maintain their family connections during that time and afford them the best chance to change the trajectory of their futures for the better; of these and so many other endeavors; all of these have touched on and improved the lives of countless families, and made the community at large better and stronger. The people who work at Lund are amazing -- effective, compassionate, thoughtful and strong -- and complete professionals; it was a great and humbling privilege to have been associated with them. The Lund Family Center is a treasure.
I have been on the board of Lund for 3 years. Lund helps children thrive by empowering families to break cycles of poverty, addiction and abuse. Lund offers hope and opportunity to families through education, treatment, family support and adoption. I am so proud of this organization and so honored to serve on its board.
I have been on the board of Lund for 5 years. Lund does extremely important work in bettering the lives of at risk children and their families statewide in a multitude of ways whether through residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment for women while living with their children; adoption of both babies and children in the foster care system; working with incarcerated women and their children; and providing high school education to women who left to have bables. Lund is the organization that the state of Vermont turns to as an answer as to how to effectively ensure that at risk kids and their families get the important services they need.
I have been on the Lund Board for many years. Not to sound like a cliche, but I am confident that the experience has given me more than I have given it! While I have a rewarding "real" job - being on the Lund Board just fills a spot in my soul. I love hearing from clients how Lund has made a difference in their lives, and it makes me proud to have played any small part in it. There are few boards or organizations as committed to their cause as Lund is. The challenge is describing Lund's services in a succinct manner - from adoption, to childcare, to residential services and more - if it helps advance the cause of families and children - you can be sure Lund is involved!
Lund has a program called Kids-a-part which helps incarcerated mothers stay connected to their kids. They work with the families on the outside, and help mothers on the inside stay connected by recording stories for the kids, and hosting visits and events like easter egg hunts. I ave volunteered for both the visits and the storybook project. I was honored to witness the relationships between the Lund staff and the kids, mom, and the family relationships. It is challenging work, but so important, and the Kids a part staff do it with grace and humanity.
Years ago my husband and I delightedly adopted two children through the Lund Center services. Currently I have been able to serve as a respite caregiver for some of the women living at Lund. There I witness firsthand the talented, dedicated staff who assist residents to overcome extremely daunting circumstances and go on to lead successful lives. The center represents the finest in staff, and their mission and values are second to none. My husband's and my life were changed through Lund, and I cannot think of an organization more deserving of support. We are happy and proud to be supporters of the Lund Family Center.
I have volunteered here as a tutor, helping the young women get ready to earn their high school diplomas. The girls are bright, interesting, and dedicated mothers. The staff are friendly, approachable, very appreciative of their volunteers, and make it a real pleasure to spend time here helping out. Lund does very valuable work!