George Lingg, parishioner of Christ the Redeemer and longtime
volunteer for LINK, a local charity. (DAVE BOROWSKI | CATHOLIC
HERALD)
In 1989, George Lingg, a parishioner at Christ the Redeemer Church in
Herndon, experienced a life-changing medical event that made him think
of his school motto at Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown,
Pa. — “Be
doers of the word.” That verse from the first chapter of James — “Be
doers of the word of God, not simply those who hear” — was meant
to challenge a generation of Delone students to experience Jesus Christ personally.
It came back to Lingg as a call to fight the clinical depression affecting his
life.
Lingg wanted to be a doer and not someone who heard the word but ignored it.
He wanted to follow Christ who said, “you shall love your neighbor
as yourself.” What better way to express that love then through helping
your neighbor overcome financial hardship or, at a more basic level, sharing
food with them. Lingg is emphatic on this point, insisting that helping your
neighbor was not a suggestion. “Jesus commanded us to help our neighbor,” he
said.
Lingg decided to obey Christ’s command and channel his desire to help through
an organization called LINK (Loudoun Interdenominational Network for Karing).
Founded in 1972, its mission is to provide people in need in Sterling and eastern
Loudoun County with emergency food and financial assistance. That mission soon
expanded beyond Loudoun County to include Fairfax County and the city of Herndon.
With the expansion, the name now represents a linking of Christians together
to fight hunger and poverty. LINK now assists more then 7,000 people annually
providing them with necessary food and medical assistance. Lingg likes the ecumenical
aspect of LINK and the fact that it’s an organization run entirely by volunteers. “That’s
what attracted me,” he said, “It’s all volunteer.” This
heavy emphasis on volunteers keeps administrative costs at about 7 percent of
LINK’s operating budget.
LINK is supported by 15 area Christian churches, including Christ the Redeemer
Parish, and it is a key vehicle for supplying aid to thousands of needy citizens
in Loudoun and Fairfax counties. Member churches provide the donated food and
the necessary volunteer labor to distribute it.
“LINK is very important to Christ the Redeemer Church,” said Father
Donald Howard, Christ the Redeemer pastor. “It is our outreach program.”
Father Howard said all parish outreach services go through LINK and that Lingg’s
participation on the LINK board of directors and as the Christ the Redeemer liaison
since 1987 has been critical in providing the necessary services for those in
need.
Lingg’s health issues have been an impetus for LINK to find new ways to
help its clients. Several years ago Lingg suffered three retinal detachments
in one month. This unlikely series of medical mishaps gave Lingg another
idea to help his neighbors. As a fiscal analyst for the Fairfax County Public
School system, Lingg has health insurance that covered the majority of the costs
associated with these retinal detachments. But as the bills came in and Lingg
saw the costs associated with his medical crisis he thought, how can people without
medical insurance afford this? Spurred on by this medical epiphany he worked
with the office of Congressman Frank Wolf, R-Va., to get a $100,000 grant for
medical and prescription services. This grant helped fund the installation of
a computer and special software at the Herndon Free Clinic to help find discount
prescription services.
Lingg was also instrumental in establishing a program that supplied mattresses
and box springs to needy families. The program initially used donated mattresses,
but a new Virginia state law requiring only sanitized mattresses to be donated
forced LINK and Lingg to find an alternative to costly sanitizing procedures.
Lingg prepared a Request for Proposal that went to eight or nine mattress vendors
and resulted in a cost effective contract awarded to Mattress Discounters to
supply new mattresses and box springs. The program is helping two qualified families
a month receive new beds.
The association with LINK has been a continuing labor of Christian love for Lingg
who says his commitment is a very personal act of Christian faith. Lingg is very
proud of the work LINK and its volunteers do for the community. This commitment
to LINK prompted the town of Herndon to award Lingg the Distinguished Service
Award for 2008 during the mayor’s Volunteer Appreciation Night last month
in Herndon. The award is very prestigious, but when asked how he felt when he
received it Lingg said that he is a small part of LINK and that the power of
all its volunteers is what makes the program a success and what allows us all
to be “doers of the word.”
Dave Borowski can be reached at dborowski@catholicherald.com.
