During our February Board of Trustees Meeting, we honored Luanne Cantrell, Support Services Coordinator. Luanne was a unique addition to our organization in 2016. We were looking to launch a chaplain program to provide relief, care, and support to our firefighters and those in the community who may have been impacted by sudden loss of a loved one or lost their house after a fire. Luanne was a perfect fit as she served as a Reverand for Peace Lutheran Church in Morris. Her background included interacting with people in crisis, counseling, and dealing with many other situations where emotions were high.
As our program progressed, Luanne was a student of her own craft. Overtime she refined practices that embraced more than a “fire chaplaincy”. She transformed the mission and vision of what started as a fire chaplaincy into an all-inclusive program we called “Community Support Services”. The program evolved into various community partnerships who could assist our residents with access to mental health services, senior services, and addiction services. Luanne also championed a post fire recovery program that included providing hotel vouchers to displaced families, partnership with Mallard Point Veterinary Clinic to care for pets after a fire, coordinating with the American Red Cross to connect a resident with disaster recovery services, and providing a family with basic needs after a fire including clothes, toiletries, and food. She would follow up with a family in the days and weeks to come ensuring they would get the assistance they required.
Luanne was brought on part-time to help manage the growing caseload we experienced through contact during fire and EMS incidents. It was a team effort as our firefighters were trained in how to recognize situations or circumstances where support services could be helpful to an individual or family. During her tenure she was able to provide support service connections to over 200 people. She took serving our residents to the next level as she was able to connect them with proper resources that would continue care even after the event had ended.
Luanne impacted many lives and families in the area with her ability to connect each with a necessary resource. From time to time, we all look to the rear and wonder if we have had an impact on those around us. With the utmost confidence, I can tell you Luanne’s commitment, care for others, and ability to walk a person or family through their darkest time left ripples that still resonate care, love, and support.
We will miss Luanne and her superpower as she moves on to her next chapter. She is moving out of the area to be closer to her beautiful grandchildren and enjoy their smiles and giggles.
Luanne, thank you for service to the residents of Channahon and surrounding areas. Your unwavering commitment to take their hands and walk with them into a place where they could recover, rebuild, and find a way back “home” is an incredible superpower. Thank you for sharing your kind heart and open arms with those who needed you the most. ... See MoreSee Less