Walter has been volunteering at The Light House for over 9 years, and for the last 7 years has been volunteering in our kitchen 5 days a week, every week, helping serve lunch to residents and community clients.

Walter, a life-long Annapolitan, retired basketball coach, and dedicated Light House volunteer, was also a Light House resident many years ago at our original shelter location. Before coming to The Light House, Walter had been working the same job for 25 years. He was approaching retirement when circumstances derailed his plans and he ended up struggling with homelessness. At The Light House he was able to receive food, shelter, and case management. His client advocate was able to place him in sustainable housing, resolve issues with his retirement benefits, and soon he was back on track.

With determination to make the most of his retirement years, Walter has dedicating much of his time to our Light House food programs. He has volunteered a total of almost 2,000 days, and has served over 118,000 meals to the community! A big thank you to Walter for being a light for our neighbors!

Our staff, volunteers, and clients have been loving these healthy and healing sessions. Thank you to instructor Leslie Gibbons, founder of Root To Rise Yoga, and to Nature Sacred for making this possible by generously sponsoring two yoga sessions per month!

Upcoming Dates:

September 12th at 12 PM
September 26th at 7 PM

October 10th at 12 PM
October 24th at 7 PM

RSVP to Kait Dawson at kdawson@annapolislighthouse.org, and be sure to bring your own yoga mat and water bottle. All are welcome!

Light House Celebrates Training Graduation

Mayor Gavin Buckley was the keynote speaker at The Light House Homeless Prevention Support Center’s graduation for their 19th Class of Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) students. The B.E.S.T. program is a 16-week job-training program for people impacted by homelessness and poverty that provides hands-on training in Culinary Arts or Facilities Maintenance and Landscaping. With this 19th class, The Light House has graduated a total of 309 students since it began in 2011. 100 percent of these graduates have passed their rigorous exit exams, qualifying them for gainful employment in Anne Arundel County and beyond.

During the ceremony, each student gave a moving speech about their personal journey, what they learned during their time in the program, and their hopes and plans for the future. The May 24th event at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis brought together Light House volunteers, donors, important city and county officials, and friends and family of the graduates. The sanctuary was filled with attendees eager to celebrate the positive path these graduates are now on, and their determination to overcome their barriers.

“The B.E.S.T. Program was the next step I took after going through treatment. I was determined to do something new and positive. At The Light House I was able to learn, grow, and start on a new path. Now I can build a better life for myself. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and encouraged me when I needed it most.” – Tim, Graduate of The Light House B.E.S.T. Culinary Program

The Light House is pleased to announce a grant award of $5,000 from State Farm for their Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Program, an entry-level workforce development program for people impacted by homelessness and poverty. To kick off this new partnership, State Farm representatives visited The Light House to meet with Light House staff, toured the facilities, and learned about the programs and services provided by the organization. During their visit, State Farm Agent, Debbie Hart, also dropped off 20 bags of pantry items that had been collected during their recent State Farm food drive, stating that “State Farm is here to help things go right and whatever I can do to further that mission, especially in my community, is my pleasure.”

The Light House is deeply grateful for State Farm’s significant investment in the B.E.S.T. Program and looks forward to building a lasting partnership. The B.E.S.T. Program provides rigorous job-focused, hands-on learning modules that include paid in-house training in Culinary Arts or Facilities Maintenance. Case management, addictions counseling, and social service support are also provided during the 16-week comprehensive skills training program.

The B.E.S.T. Program has trained over 300 people since 2012, with 100 percent of graduates having passed their rigorous exit exams, qualifying them for gainful employment in Anne Arundel County and beyond. The Light House provides emergency shelter, food, clothing, case management and other vital homelessness prevention and support services to over 2,000 community members in need each year. This important work is only possible thanks to the generosity of their community and companies like State Farm.

Photo: (L-R) State Farm Public Affairs Field Specialist – DC Metro, Delaware, Maryland, Dwayne Redd, Light House Director of Development, Jenny Crawford, Light House Culinary Assistant and Former B.E.S.T. Culinary Graduate, Liz Fleury, State Farm Agent, Debbie Hart, LTCP, RICP, State Farm Sales Leader for the Annapolis Sales Territory, Tawana Mensah, and Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Arts Training, Linda Vogler