Disability Pride Month – celebrate all year!
As Disability Pride Month comes to an end, we want to thank you for celebrating with us. This month has highlighted the unique gifts and contributions of individuals with disabilities, and we are grateful for your support.
L’Arche NC Anchor Spotlight
We are grateful for Gladys and Ben Whitehouse who support L'Arche each month because "Everyone deserves to live in a loving and supportive community." We continue to move closer toward our goal of opening the first L'Arche community in North Carolina and we cannot do it without you! At the beginning of this year, we shared our goal to have 10 new L'Arche Anchors commit to giving monthly. We have not only met, but have exceeded our goal! THANK YOU! As of today, we've had 14 individuals and/or families sign up to support L'Arche each month. With this in mind, we believe we can more than double our goal for this year... By the end of 2021 we hope to have 21 new L'Arche Anchors this year. Will you help us? Become a L'Arche Anchor today - click here (check the box "Show my support by making this a recurring donation") or email info@larchenc.org to sign up.
Our New Intern
We are excited to welcome Macie Bridge to the L'Arche North Carolina Team. Macie is a recent graduate from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and is coming to L’Arche NC for her service year with the Johnson Service Corps. As an undergraduate, Macie studied English and Religious Studies, and developed a love for ministry, leadership, and all things writing. She is excited to step into the nonprofit world with L'Arche for the year as she continues to discern her next professional steps. In her spare time, she can usually be found writing her novel, baking, or taking a nature walk. This is her first week working with L'Arche NC! Through this partnership, Macie will work with L'Arche NC for 32 hours each week. Her focus will be upcoming events, grant writing, and communications. We are grateful for her YES to L'Arche NC!
Welcome Aboard!
Welcome Aboard! This month, we have more opportunities to gather with friends online. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming virtual events. Join our monthly inclusive prayer and reflection event, "Y'all Belong Here: an inclusive sacred space" on Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00pm EDT. We partner with L'Arche Atlanta for this 30-minute gathering. Click here to join. Learn more about L'Arche at our upcoming book discussion! Next week we will begin looking at Henri Nouwen's book, "Adam: God's Beloved." Join us for one or both of the meetings on Zoom: September 16 at 12:00pm EDT (Chapters 1-4) or September 29 at 7:30pm EDT (Chapters 5-9). Click here to join (Zoom link works for both discussions). Are you ready for some fun? We are hosting a Trivia Night on Thursday, September 30 at 6:00pm EDT. There will be prizes! Zoom Link.
New Office Space
With your financial support and care, we hired our Founding Executive Director and Community Leader, Laura Steed Lorino, this past January. This was an important first step in establishing the first L'Arche community in North Carolina. As the Executive Director, Laura has been instrumental in creating virtual events to build community and friendships, researching and exploring possible L'Arche homes, and cultivating partnerships with local congregations and organizations. She has been doing this all from her dining room table until (DRUMROLL, please)... Today, we are excited to share that Laura now has an office! Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham has graciously leased L'Arche North Carolina an office space equipped with two desks and chairs. It provides much-needed gathering space for professional meetings and enables L'Arche NC to network with other local nonprofit organizations. We plan to have a Johnson Service Corps member begin an internship with us next month who will also be able to utilize this office (we'll share more about this in our September newsletter -- stay tuned!). We are looking for twelve individuals or families to sponsor one month of office read more
Update: Establishing the first L’Arche Community in North Carolina
In April, the Board of Directors met outside for a retreat with our new Executive Director/ Community Leader. With joy and enthusiasm, as we move forward with our mission to establish the first L'Arche community in North Carolina, we discussed where our focus in the Triangle Area should be as we begin searching for property. After discernment and conversation, we have decided to intentionally look and continue conversations in western Wake County. We believe a home in this area will be a strong anchor for all of our future L'Arche communities and programs throughout Triangle and beyond. What does this mean? We have two possibilities for establishing a traditional L'Arche community in the area. Mindful that this house would need to be 4+ bedrooms to provide a home for four core members and the potential to have live-in Assistants: We buy/receive a house that meets our needs and adheres to licensing regulations. We buy/receive land and build our L'Arche community. We welcome your insights on available property: If you (or someone you know) have a home or property for sale, please let us know. We would also gladly read more
To Gather – Together
Over the past month, we have had opportunities to virtually gather together. It has been wonderful to meet new friends and reconnect with old pals. Each program or meeting has provided moments to be in community and celebrate one another's unique gifts. For example, last week, on May the 4th, we joined forces with two other emerging communities, L'Arche Frederick and L'Arche Long Island, for a Star Wars-themed commUNITY karaoke gathering (see photo below). The event was out of this world! Community members and friends shared their talents online -- we had rock stars, talented dancers, and trivia champs join in on the fun. Don't worry, if you missed it, we have another karaoke night coming up next month. To provide safe and accessible opportunities to be with one another, we will continue gathering virtually in large groups over the summer. We hope to meet again in person beginning this Fall. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events on Zoom: Y'All Belong Here: An Inclusive Sacred Space (Wednesday, May 19 @ 2pm EDT) All are welcome to join us for a 30-minute interfaith virtual read more
A Note from our Executive Director
Dear Friends,It is with great joy that I write to you from Durham, North Carolina. Over the past two months, I have worked remotely from my previous home in California. On Sunday, my wife and I, with our two dogs, arrived in the Triangle area after a five-day road trip across the country. I am grateful for the opportunity to have begun this work while still living on the West Coast. However, I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be here! I look forward to social distanced gatherings, exploring potential properties in person, and working with the Board of Directors, volunteers, and future staff members to bring the dream of a L’Arche community in North Carolina into reality. In the meantime, I would love to meet with you. If you’re in the area and would like to connect for an outdoor coffee chat or socially distanced meeting, please email me (LauraSL@larchenc.org). If you’re not in the area or prefer to meet on Zoom, I would be happy to set up a call. It would be wonderful to connect with you!For those who celebrated, I hope read more
Welcome: Laura Steed Lorino
We are happy to announce Laura Steed Lorino as the founding Executive Director and Community Leader of L’Arche North Carolina. Laura’s first day at L’Arche North Carolina is today! Laura is originally from the Midwest and attended the University of Indianapolis, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministry. She then completed a Master of Divinity degree at Duke Divinity School. While at Duke, Laura was involved in several ministry opportunities and has since completed a Clinical Pastoral Education residency at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco. Laura is coming to L’Arche North Carolina from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, where she served as the Director of Religious & Spiritual Life and Multifaith Chaplain. In this role, she supervised the Affiliate Campus Ministers and Morris Chapel staff, providing opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to explore and strengthen their religious and nonfaith beliefs and traditions, while encouraging the campus community to build bridges amongst differences through organizing programs and events. Passionate about service and helping others feel heard, seen, and included, she also led numerous interfaith service-trips locally and beyond. Laura served on the Board read more
