It’s been a big year for Lutheran Care and the work we do for vulnerable people in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Here are our 24 top moments of this year, in case you missed them!

24: Zoo adventures: The Lutheran Care All Staff Day at Adelaide Zoo was a roaring success  (see what we did there?), including a talk by environmental scientist, Arctic explorer and South Australian of the Year 2024, Tim Jarvis.

23. Kindness rolls out: Some of the local Greek Orthodox community partnered with Lutheran Care to roll out kindness through making sandwiches for homelessness clients living in emergency motel accommodation.

22. Fun day out for Families: More than 700 community members flocked to Family Zone’s Fun Day, featuring a petting zoo, jumping castle, face painting, games, and a magic show.

21. Tanunda office opens: Lutheran Care’s Tanunda Open Day attracted dozens of community members to celebrate the relocation of our Barossa office and find out more about our services.

20. Fashion Thrift Society: Taking part in one of Adelaide’s biggest fashion markets was a huge success for Elcies Op Shops with our boutique stall receiving high praise from young, savvy shoppers at the Fashion Thrift Society event.

19. Parity article: Lutheran Care’s work supporting people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Central Australia was featured in the nation’s leading homelessness publication.

18. Fringe magic: More than 1000 people doing it tough were able to access the magic of the Adelaide Fringe thanks to Lutheran Care and our partnership with the Fringe.

17. New family event: In a heartwarming initiative aimed at strengthening support networks and fostering meaningful connections, Lutheran Care recently hosted a first of its kind event specifically for the biological children of foster carers.

16. New artwork: Lutheran Care unveiled an unique piece of Aboriginal artwork visually representing our services and values.

15. Pernod Ricard Winemakers lend a hand: A top shelf effort from Pernod Ricard Winemakers staff at a corporate volunteering day in the Barossa last month has saved Lutheran Care’s volunteers up to five months of work.

14. New allied health staff welcomed: Lutheran Care were pleased to officially welcome our new team members following the acquisition of a local Psychology and Speech Pathology practice.

13. Salisbury site opens: Our allied health team in Salisbury are now working from a new building in the suburban city centre, which will help us reach more local people in the community who need support through our Psychology and Speech Pathology services.  

12. Brand SA tick: Lutheran Care is proudly South Australian born and bred – and we now have the tick to prove it! We are excited to announce we’ve been approved to use the Brand SA logo across our website, resources and sites. 

11. No Interest Loans (NILs): Lutheran Care expanded its services to offer No Interest Loans (NILs) to help get people through a financial rough patch without falling into a debt trap, in partnership with Good Shepherd.

10. Sausage (Dog) Stroll: Around 100 sausage dogs and around 150 humans were hot to trot in warm conditions at Henley Beach on Sunday, 4 February, for the first ever Sausage Stroll: Dachshund Day Out for Charity, a live Andrew Baines art installation in aid of Lutheran Care’s work.

9. Tomato worker support: Workers facing jobcuts following the detection of a virus impacting tomato growers north of Adelaide are being encouraged to attend a popup support hub manned by Lutheran Care and other service providers.

8. Swift Speech welcomed: Lutheran Care’s allied health service was bolstered by the integration of Swift Speech: Stuttering and Voice, the primary practice for stuttering in Adelaide and leading practice for cluttering treatment in Australia.

7. Better Self Psychology: Lutheran Care’s vision of a building a more connected and healthy community, where no-one is left behind, took a significant step forward with the acquisition of Better Self Psychology, one of South Australia’s largest psychology practices.

6. 12 Days of Giving: Schools, workplaces and families contributed to our most successful 12 Days of Giving campaign to date.

5. New report launches: Revealing new research looking at the drivers of poverty in Central Australia and what can be done to address them was released by Lutheran Care with the Batchelor Institute.

4. Be the Village lauded: Lutheran Care’s popular ‘Be the Village’ advertising campaign for its Foster Care program is a finalist in the Australian Marketing Institute’s prestigious Marketing Excellence Awards.

3. Christmas Hope: With support from our donors, sponsors, and volunteers, we helped over 350 families experiencing hardship have a Merry Christmas with donations of gifts and festive foods.

2. Elcies launches: Our growth this year culminated in the launch of elcies – your local allied health and disability service in South Australia. Our expert team of Psychologists, Speech Pathologists and Positive Behaviour Support specialists help people live their possibilities.

1. Winners are grinners: Our CEO Rohan Feegrade always says he has the best team in the business, but it was made official when Lutheran Care took out Not for Profit of the Year in the South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards. We were very proud and humbled to receive this prestigious award.

Thank you for your support this year – we wish you a happy and safe new year and look forward to more amazing moments changing lives and building communities together in 2025.