The Lutheran SGO of Indiana is celebrating “10 years of Making the Dream of a Christian Education a Reality for Families through Scholarships since 2012.” The Lutheran SGO started in 2012 with the K-12 schools in Northeast Indiana and soon expanded to all 50 LCMS Lutheran schools in Indiana with the help of former District Education Executive Dr. Jon Mielke. Current District Education Executive Dr. Kevin Brockberg continues the district support by ensuring the Lutheran SGO is a part of every District conference, new principal training, etc. “The Lutheran SGO is a Win-Win-Win. For ten years now students have received scholarships to further their education at a Lutheran school, donors receive a tax credit for their philanthropy, and more children hear the Good News of Jesus Christ every day in classrooms across the I Diana District!’
As administrator and founder of The Lutheran SGO, Jon Dize, notes, “Having raised less than $300,000 in that first year, it is through God’s grace that we raised over $4 million this most recent year! When the SGO program was developed by the state and led the way for School Choice across Indiana, we knew that we could manage the program for our schools at a lower cost with a better focus on the unique needs of Lutheran schools than what was available.”
As the 10th Anniversary Committee brainstormed ways to celebrate this milestone, the group decided on a Branding focus, an Impact focus, and a Legislative focus. The organization first refreshed its logo (see above) and webpage (see www.lutheransgo.org), as well as updated the dozens of existing promotional materials available to its 54 schools to use to promote SGO giving.
The Committee next created a 10 Year Impact Report (see below): over 20,000 students have received over $24,000,000 in scholarships in 10 years. God is good!
For the legislative focus, the Committee is planning a “Lutheran SGO Day at the Statehouse” on January 24, 2023, with a “Why I Love my School” contest eligible to any K-12 student in its family of schools. Nearly 200 essays were submitted; students with winning entries in several age categories, their families, and their sponsoring teacher will receive a prize and a paid trip to the State House. The visit includes a tour and a Thank You lunch with all 150 state representatives and senators invited. Other activities include the following:
- A Business Donor Matching Challenge from a business donor to encourage other business owners to support SGO scholarships.
- Matching SGO scholarships will be available for schools to encourage enrollment of families coming from stand-alone Lutheran preschools not attached to a K-8 school.
Ultimately, it all points back to the Cross. As The Lutheran SGO board chair Karl Davis explains, “We have SGO scholarships… so that more students can afford to come to our school… so that more students will receive a great education… and most importantly… so that more students can hear about the love of Jesus every single day!” Contact The Lutheran SGO of Indiana at 260-203-4509, at info@lutheransgo.org, or visit the website at www.lutheransgo.org for more information on The Lutheran SGO, on the SGO program, and how to reduce or eliminate Indiana state taxes by supporting scholarships to Christ-centered schools.