College Prep Center at St. Marcus Lutheran School -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Joquori, a senior in high school, was devastated when his two closest friends were killed last spring. Lonely and despondent, Joquori nearly gave up on school. His 3.7 grade point average plummeted to a 1.9.  Read more...

"Strong Connections" Gives Foster Youth a Voice -- Chicago, Illinois
Plastic grocery bags bring back painful memories for April. They remind her of the many trips she took from one foster home to the next, all her meager possessions crammed into a plastic grocery sack. Although her 18 years in foster care weren't easy, neither was leaving the system.  Read more...

St. Luke's Ministry Immigrant Support Program -- Denver, Colorado
Taddy and her husband, Mengesha, are well-acquainted with new beginnings. The couple built a good life for themselves and their four children in their home country of Ethiopia. Taddy worked as a registered nurse. Mengesha was an air force pilot. But, the violent overthrow of the Ethiopian government in the early 1990s forced Taddy and her family to flee the country for their lives.  Read more...

Young Hurricane Victims Plant Giving Gardens -- New Orleans, Louisiana
They remember what it's like to be at the epicenter of a natural disaster. Five years after Hurricane Katrina and the resulting floods destroyed most of their city, students at St. Paul Lutheran School in New Orleans, Louisiana, grieved with the people of Haiti struggling to rebuild life following the January 2010 earthquake. The students' grief turned into action.  Read more...

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