Helping all faiths

Ron Wahlers, owner of Wahlco/DW Tool, and his wife, Virginia have twice been recipients of Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Mid-Missouri adoption services. Their daughters, Anastasia, 10, and Alexandra, soon to be 10, were adopted five years ago and it is in honor of the girls that the Wahlerses have donated $25,000 to LFCS. They have donated that amount for the past three years. He said, "I'm just lucky we can do it. Hopefully some day we can do more."

Virginia Wahlers feels the same way. Her husband said she was the one who did all the work in making arrangements for the adoptions. "We heard about LFCS by word of mouth. They came with great credentials and we plan to support them for as long as we can. It's a great organization. We feel really blessed to have two sweethearts like this," she said.

Wahlco/DW Tool has been named the premiere sponsor of the upcoming LFCS golf tournament, "Hope Fore Families." The event will be held May 9 at the Dalhousie Golf Club. Last year the event raised $39,020. This year's goal is $50,000.

Along with its adoption service, LFCS also offers abstinence education for teens, birth parent counseling, case management, foster care, and more.

Regional director Melody Anderson said, "Our services are not limited to Lutherans only. We serve individuals of all faiths. LFCS began as an orphanage built in 1868 with the mission to protect and nurture children without a home. Today the agency continues the mission of helping families, children and individuals in Missouri experience greater hope and wholeness of life. We still focus on adoption, both domestic and international. Plus Women in Need Growing Stronger is a program to help women who have unplanned or crisis pregnancies achieve stabilization for themselves and their children."

More than 80 percent of LFCS clients are not of the Lutheran faith.

For more information about the LFCS golf tournament, call Anderson at 334-5866.