Meaningful Moments with Miss Dee
When Miss Dee, Program Supervisor for Lutherwood Emergency Shelter Care, leaves her house every morning, she takes a moment to say a prayer when she locks the door of her house. “Thank you for my beautiful house, thank you for the beautiful world, thank you for my beautiful car, and thank you for my beautiful job.”
Miss Dee works with the young residents at Lutherwood, running activities like arts and crafts and life skills workshops, providing them with structure, and bringing much-needed normalcy into their lives. She gives them opportunities to eat out at restaurants, go to the movies, and makes sure they celebrate every single holiday—even Groundhog Day!
When I had the opportunity to sit down with Miss Dee, who has worked with youth in trauma for 30+ years, she shared with me some of the meaningful moments from her time at LCFS that show the love and compassion she has for all of the children at Lutherwood, and how she lives out that “love is the key that can unlock every door.”
From one resident to the next. The kids at Lutherwood love painting! Miss Dee took this love of art and offered them a unique project: to create artwork with messages for the kids who come after them. She let them write from the heart, whatever they thought the next residents in their rooms would need to hear. And now the walls of Lutherwood are covered in heartfelt messages, such as, “Relax, you’re going to be just fine.” and “It’s okay to not be okay.”
How to make your bed. It might seem obvious to us how to make a bed, but Miss Dee knows that some of the children she serves never had a bed to make before. Because of the difficult situations these kids come from, they often lack skills that we take for granted, skills that are essential for adult life. Learning how to make their beds, get up on time, and have structure in their days is very important to Miss Dee. “I would tell the kids, you’re going to grow up one day and get a job, and you need to be able to get up on time and make your bed.”
Just a stop on the journey. When she’s not at work, Miss Dee can be found proudly singing at her church. Prayer, Gospel music, and her relationship with God uplifts her and gives her the energy to go into work every day with compassion and love. “These kids are here of no fault of their own,” she says. “There is a lot of neglect, especially in their mental health, when their parents are just not around.” Miss Dee has a long view of the children's time at Lutherwood. “We’re just one stop on their journey.... They could be the next doctor, the next astronaut. This is not the end of their stories. Every child deserves love.”
We are so thankful to have such wonderful members on our team, like Miss Dee, who come to work every day ready to support the children we serve with care, love, and hope. Because of them, our residents’ journeys are just beginning.
