OMAHA, Neb. (November 10, 2016) – Over 450 people attended Fandango® and Wicker & Wine® on November 4, 2016 to support the Children Services programs of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. The sports-themed event, which took place at the Hilton Omaha, raised more than $180,000 through ticket sales, sponsorships, auction item sales and donations.
The event featured Mrs. Nebraska USA Universal Amanda Reinert as master of ceremonies and guest speaker. During the event, Reinert shared her own personal story as a two-time survivor of child sexual abuse and highlighted how LFS programs were making a profound difference in the lives of children who have been traumatized.
“People didn’t talk about sexual abuse, it was something that happened to bad families and it was something that you would sweep under the rug,” said Reinert. “I believe that the only reason I was abused a second time was because a program like (LFS) RSafe® was not made available to my family and I.”
The highlight of the evening occurred when William Jones, age 16, a member of the Saint John Lutheran Church youth group in Council Bluffs, auctioned off a hug to two individuals for $500 each, raising $1,000.
The honorary chair couples were Lawrence “Chip” James II and Erin James of Omaha, John and Tracy Jerkovich of Council Bluffs, and Dan and Martha Peterson of Neola, Iowa. Quinn Texmo served as event chair.
LFS Children Services serves families across Nebraska and in Iowa through the Pottawattamie County Center for Healthy Families®. Funds raised support children receiving treatment for child sexual abuse, early intervention/prevention parenting programs, foster care and adoption programs.
This event is made possible through generous support from LFS sponsors including the Fandango® and Wicker & Wine® “All Stars” sponsor Lockwood Development.
Pictures and event videos can be viewed at https://www.lfsneb.org/2016/11/04/fandango-wicker-wine-2016/
About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.
Established in 1892, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is a faith-based, not-for-profit, multi-service human care agency with locations across Nebraska and an office in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The LFS mission is to provide human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life.
As a multi-service organization, LFS demonstrates its mission through three broad service areas:
- Behavioral Health Services, including mental health counseling, sexual abuse/incest treatment, substance use treatment, and specialized counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families;
- Children Services, providing infant, international and foster care adoption services and searches, foster care, pregnancy counseling, maternal health care and family support services; and
- Community Services, providing refugee resettlement services, immigration legal services, AmeriCorps and other education and employment services for new populations.
About Amanda Reinert
Amanda Reinert is Mrs. Nebraska USA Universal 2016. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and daughter. Her pageant platform for Mrs. USA Universal is “Let’s Talk About it”: Education, Awareness & Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse,” for which she won the Best Platform award.
Reinert is a certified facilitator with Darkness to Light, a national organization committed to the education, awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse. She is also a spokesperson for the LFS RSafe® program, one of the largest child sexual abuse treatment programs in the Midwest.
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