On Monday, January 21, 2019, Lighthouse staff attended the Paterson Youth Council’s 13th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition Awards Breakfast to see one of our youngest volunteers honored. While only four students were selected for the award, eighteen-year-old Maria Mazariegos was one of the outstanding youth nominated and recognized for their service to the community.
Maria, a high school senior at Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, has been volunteering at our Paterson Center since the summer of 2017. She originally came to fulfill her school’s community service requirement, however, she became so dedicated to the mission of Lighthouse that she continued volunteering long after her requirement was complete. In the past 18 months, Maria has volunteered for over 100 hours.
According to Lighthouse Center Manager Maggie Morales, Maria always goes the extra mile and has shown a great work ethic. Through her time at Lighthouse, she has cultivated her interpersonal, leadership and creative skills. “It has been a joy to watch Maria grow and we are so thankful to have her on our team!” shared Maggie.
Maria’s dedication reflects the commitment of all our Lighthouse volunteers, whose faithfulness makes our free services possible in three locations, open a total of six days per week. In 2018, over 100 women, men and teens donated a total of 8,100 service hours to Lighthouse. During 2018, the Center staffed over 6,500 appointments in Paterson, Hackensack and Wayne. Our volunteer team represents a diverse group of individuals from junior high school students and college interns to those with professional careers who volunteer evening and weekend hours, from retirees to stay-at-home moms who utilize babysitters to serve weekly as peer counselors. Our volunteer work force also include teams of students and church groups who come together to support special projects like our Baby Bottle Boomerang, or special programs like our YoungLives Paterson outreach to teen moms. We are so thankful for everyone who regularly gives their time and talents to bring love to life at Lighthouse! The Center’s life-enhancing services and ongoing parenting support would not be possible without the teamwork of our dedicated volunteers and staff.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities at Lighthouse, visit our Volunteer page!
As the leaves on the trees begin to mature and the spring blooms shoot from the ground, we are also celebrating new life at Lighthouse! We are blessed to report a record year of courageous choices by those who received our life-affirming support in 2016.
Mother’s Day is fast approaching and at 22 weeks and 4 days into my pregnancy, I am experiencing all sorts of feelings. This is definitely a Mother’s Day to celebrate and to reflect on God’s grace and his love for me. Mother’s Day reminds me of my three beautiful children and how precious they have been throughout the years. I remember all the things they’ve made for me, flowers they’ve picked for me, and cards they so carefully decorated. I’m happy to recount all of those great memories, plus the new ones that are being made every day when I feel my developing daughter’s kicks, and see my belly expanding. I’m also celebrating the fact that there are so many cool pregnancy apps out now, that they didn’t have 12 years ago. I get updates on her size, weight, and other milestones on my smart phone daily. I know that as of today, she is the size of a spaghetti squash, weighing in at approximately one pound. How cool is that?
“It takes a village to raise a child.” – African Proverb