Announcements

We are excited to share the below announcements. If you have any questions or would like to participate in any of our events, we would love to have you!

05 October

WE ARE HIRING – OFFICE POSITION

Open Office Position – Our office helps to manage all of the administrative needs of Lighthouse for Life’s various ministries, including our awareness program, residential program, and survivor care program.

Assistant Controller

This is a part-time position for 20-25 hours a week. Our Assistant Controller will manage and improve our organization’s financial performance and assist in directing accounting operations. Minimum of 3-5 years of accounting experience and Quickbooks experience are a must.

If you are interested in any of these positions please email us humanresources1@lighthouseforlife.org and we’ll be happy to get you the full job description

05 October

WE ARE HIRING – KARIS HOME POSITIONS

Open Positions at Karis Home –

Karis Home is our long-term trauma-informed residential home for female survivors of sex trafficking between the ages of 12-21.

Night Caregivers

We are looking for a Part Time caregiver to cover Wednesday and Thursday nights between 7:30pm-8:30am each night.

If you are interested in any of these positions please email us humanresources1@lighthouseforlife.org and we’ll be happy to get you the full job description

23 September

Fund The Fight Presenting Sponsor Shares Personal Testimony

It is with great delight and joy we share with you the news that our Fund The Fight event is being presented by Leading The Wise Way. Lorraine Wiseman is the President and CEO of Leading the Wise Way, a South Carolina-based executive consulting firm specializing in strategy and change management. She is also a Vistage Chair, CEO Coach, and keynote speaker. Lorraine equips CEOs and executive teams with tools to build their strategies for growth and plans for execution through people. With executive roles in seven companies across six countries, she brings a wealth of experience to her clients. The following is a personal testimony written by Lorraine expressing her personal celebrations and personal connection with this cause thus leading her to become the Presenting Sponsor.

First of all, I say THANK YOU all for your blessings and birthday wishes. I am so grateful that I have been truly blessed to have had such an amazing year in my life. My daughter has completed all of her academics for her Masters in Psychological Counselling. My son has been promoted to Criminal Investigator and got engaged one year ago. So much to celebrate! My Clients have done extremely well during the pandemic, they endured me even when I gave the que to hit the gas and not the brakes! Leverage your strengths! Now is the time to show your GRIT (growth mindset, resiliency, instinct and tenacity). The most humbling experience of my 56^th year, Yes I am 56 and earned every year, is the fact that so many have read my book, Eat While You Dream. You have humbled me in a way that you cannot know. Thank you.

So the next year to come… Yes I have BIG dreams and short terms plans. My biggest dream of all is that You, those who have chosen me as your friend, will hear about my cause. Neeshali, Andrew, Arun and Sydney have dealt with this in their daily lives. Lisa and Jen(Lighthouse for Life), you deal with it every day.

If there is one gift all y’all ( yes I LIVE in South Carolina J) could give me, that would be making yourself aware of the incredible crime being committed in human trafficking. Read the books, In Our Backyard, Nita Belles, and The White Umbrella, walking with survivors of sex trafficking, Mary Frances Bowley. And, for those of you who love fiction, A Walk Across the Sun, Corban Addision ( a little too real for my liking). I have been truly blessed to travel the world, including India. Please, let’s make this next year an opportunity to heal yourself and others. I have been blessed for which I am incredibly thankful.

Short term you ask…. Just a small thing on the list call Ironman (to celebrate my 57^th).

With Love and Gratitude,

Lorraine

#Lighthouseforlife #grit #supportthecause

01 September

Manage your gifts easier than ever!

In March of this year, we switched our giving platform to Kindful. We have been very pleased with the ease of use of this system in many ways.

We chose this system for you. Truly. Kindful is very user friendly and makes managing your gifts easier than ever.

Do you have your own account set up yet? CLICK HERE AND LETS GET YOU SET UP RIGHT NOW.

Questions: info@lighthouseforlife.org

25 August

Karis Home Update

We just had our DSS site visit as well as our DHEC site visit and both went very smoothly, for which we give God praise! We are conducting interviews to fill the role of our Resident Care Coordinator, so please continue to be in prayer with us over this vital role. Lastly, we are in the beginning stages of opening up the remaining Caregiver positions we need to fill before opening Karis Home. Caregivers will be responsible for the day-in and day-out care of our residents, including meal preparation, activities, taking the girls to appointments, doing regular check-ins during night hours, etc. The only educational prerequisite for this role is that you have a high school diploma, and it is a requirement due to the nature of this role that Caregivers are female and at least 23 years of age. There are full time, part time, day, and night positions that will need to be filled, so please stay tuned on these job opportunities! We covet your prayers over our staff and residential program as we move forward with being able to open our doors, as the Lord wills.

15 July

Meet Our New Volunteer Coordinator!

It gives us the greatest joy to introduce our new Volunteer Coordinator! Please welcome DeeDee to the Volunteer Leadership Team. Here is her story in her own words.

I am a native of the Irmo/Chapin area. I have been here most of my life except for a few years around college. I have worked in the restaurant/food industry for most of my career owning 2 small restaurants at different times and also overseeing the catering at a small conference center in the Columbia area. Currently I am in the sales side of the food & beverage industry. I grew up in a Christian family but like many others around college I starting moving away from my church family and doing things my own way and not really focusing on any relationship with God. After going through a divorce & finding myself a single parent, a friend of mine re-introduced me to Christ & showed me the relationship I’d been missing for a while! That became really important to me and I saw where God had been protecting me and guiding me even though i wasn’t necessarily aware or in tune with what He was going. Through that process I found a really great church home at Faith Presbyterian in Ballantine, SC . I’ve been there since 2005, it’s been a great place for me personally to have some very godly influences and a great place to raise my son so that he has a solid foundation with some wonderful godly men as mentors. Through being involved at the church I’ve been to several missions trips to Honduras and Dominican Republic. While I was in the DR we encountered the human trafficking industry and saw how thriving it was in that third world country. It really tugged at my heart how all these children were being exploited and sold as sexual slaves. Shortly after returning from that trip, our church had Jen & a team from Lighthouse for Life come out to give a presentation to our congregation. I was shocked to hear just how common human trafficking is here in our own backyard. I went to several more L4L awareness events and just kept being nudged to doing something to help. It came about through a mutual friend that Jen was looking for someone to help with the volunteers at L4L so I called to talk with her about it helping out.
Shortly thereafter I came onboard to help out as the Volunteer Coordinator. I just want to help in some small way to raise awareness in our communities about human trafficking, protect our children, help those who have been victims regain their lives and become restored.

This is a tremendous global problem but it’s a middle class American problem too! Way too many children are being lured into the sex trafficking industry. We have to raise awareness, offer help and hope to those who have been victimized. Lighthouse for Life has a great team of people who strive to educate the public and empower them so that they know the signs & how to respond. Ultimately helping victims become survivors and restore their lives by offering services, support & the unconditional love of Christ.

15 July

What’s with Wayfair? Are They Involved in Human Trafficking?

“We have received many inquiries over recent days from our community regarding the recent suspicions of the Wayfair child trafficking ring.

At this time the information appears unfounded. However, the idea of an organized trafficking ring through large companies or people of influence is not a surprise to us and a scenario like this could be reality. We also know that many big box retailers who give very big discounts could be outsourcing their work in a way that is promoting labor trafficking.

What we want to encourage our community to understand is that trafficking is happening every single day here in our community and throughout the world. Often, we become drawn to cases like Epstein and possibilities like Wayfair, but please remember organized trafficking rings are happening all around us.

It’s also important to remember that the stories you are hearing in the media are not the only forms. Everyday we deal with familial, peer, survival, and other forms of trafficking that are happening right here in South Carolina and are as equally detrimental and horrifying.

Let’s not let one case be the focus but let’s all become more informed and aware of the prevalent issue that is happening everyday. Most cases are not making headlines or social media posts. This does not mean this issue doesn’t need all of our attention. Let’s lock arms, be educated, and do what we can do fight trafficking in our own backyard.

If you are interested in learning more, feel free to reach out to us for an awareness talk. We are able to do those both in person (with covid-19 precautions in place) or via zoom. We love to help empower our community with the right information in helping you make a difference.”

Credit for this well written and informative announcement goes to our dear friends in ministry in Greenville, SC – SWITCH We simply couldn’t agree more!

16 June

Lighthouse for Life is Hiring!

We would like to thank you for your support and care for Lighthouse for Life and our various ministries! As you know, one of our ministries is Karis Home, our long-term safe home program for female survivors of sex trafficking ages 12-21. This program provides comprehensive therapeutic care for our residents in meeting their individual physical, emotional, social, educational, and spiritual needs. We are very eager to welcome these residents into our home! Our next step is to hire a social worker to be our Resident Care Coordinator for Karis Home. This person’s role would be to support these residents in this program. They would help the girls enter the program, set up their individualized care plans, monitor and support their progress towards their goals, advocate for them, assist Caregivers in relating to them, and support them when they are ready to leave the program. Would you help us find this Resident Care Coordinator for our team?

If you, or someone in your congregation, network, or sphere of influence would be interested in this position, please contact Donna Coffin, our Director of Administration at humanresources1@lighthouseforlife.org for a copy of our job description, Statement of Faith and application.

An applicant for this position would need to complete the following and return to Lighthouse for Life as soon as possible:

● Read and sign the Job Description.

● Sign an agreement with our Statement of Faith and Code of Conduct.

● Fill out the application and attach a resume.

Items can either be mailed to:

Lighthouse for Life

Attn: Human Resources

7320 Broad River Rd

Ste K 247

Irmo, SC 29063

Or emailed to: humanresources1@lighthouseforlife.org.

We can also provide a copy of each that can be signed electronically if provided with an email address.

If you have any questions about this letter, the position, or how to proceed, please don’t hesitate to ask!

And again, thanks so much for your support!

04 June

Meet Our New Program Director

It is with the greatest joy we introduce to you Ms. Linzy Laird. Linzy has joined the L4L Team as the Program Director for Karis Home. We have asked her to introduce herself to you in her own words. Please enjoy!

Hello, everyone! My name is Linzy Laird and I am the newest member of the Lighthouse for Life team. I am serving as the Karis Home Program Director and could not be more excited for this opportunity! A few things about me… I am a member of Three Rivers Baptist Church and one of my favorite things to do is discipling younger women and teaching them how to study the Word of God; I have a baby niece who I absolutely adore; and on my time off you can catch me gathering with friends to laugh, discuss theology, play games, or have a movie marathon (long live the King of Gondor 😉).

For the last 10 years, I have been heavily involved in the pro life community, the last 4 of which I served as the Director of Client Services and Community Engagement at Daybreak Ministries. I met Jen through this venue and my eyes were opened even more to the heartbreak of people’s identities being lost in a world of sin and sexualization, and the great need for victims of exploitation to be restored to wholeness. I believe the Lord has placed a calling on my life to always be involved with calling out for justice for the voiceless— whether unborn or born—and caring for widows, orphans, and “the least of these”… all for His Kingdom. I am excited about how I can continue to live out that calling by being a part of the mission of Lighthouse for Life!

I count it a great honor to now be a member of such an incredible team and to have the opportunity to be a small part of continuing to impact our community for the Kingdom by loving others into Light.

08 April

Guide to Online Safety for Children

We definitely do not believe human trafficking has slowed down even due to the current pandemic. It is our belief traffickers and predators may be busier than ever due to people being bored, social distancing, distance learning for students, and remote working for adults. In response to what we believe is a greater need than ever to exercise online safety for adults and children, we partnered with the Lexington Police Department last week and recorded the following Safety Guidelines for Parents. Here is the link to this very relevant and practical conversation between Lexington Police Department Victim Advocate Dee Cochran and Lighthouse for Life CEO Jen Thompson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANHBCpbFbxY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0iR-XvWeBcwNOX57_Bxcqg4iK_zSZZkAcWhAx-Rg-I4gc3pnjIM6pGth4

08 April

Welcome New Financial Church Partner

We are so excited to announce, thank and celebrate our newest financial partner! The best part is that we’ve been journeying with Rusty Rabon and the family at Grace Chapel for two years now. They also moved forward with church wide awareness and youth worker training. They are fighting the battle in their sphere of influence as well as empowering us to continue to bring light to others across South Carolina! To learn more about them click here.

08 April

Volunteers Needed For 2 Specific Projects

We need prayer more than ever before. We have a volunteer prayer team that receives specific celebrations and requests weekly. If you’d like to be a member of that group please email Volunteer@Lighthouseforlife.org and put “prayer team” in the subject line.
Midlands Gives is coming up and in order to reach our fundraising goal we need a team of at least 20 volunteers who will intentionally help us spread the message, make Champion Pages on our behalf and intentionally engage you sphere of influence. If you’d like to join this team please email Volunteer@lighthouseforlife.org and put “Midlands Gives” in the subject line.

08 April

Upcoming Online Fundraiser – Midlands Gives

There is one online fundraising event coming May 5th that we will be participating in as scheduled called Midlands Gives. We’ve seen tremendous generosity from our supporters via this event for the past 3 years. More info will be coming from us about this event in the coming weeks. However, it is our top priority that you understand how thankful we are for support we’ve already received from the community, that we are not in need of emergency funding at this time, and that we are making any and all cuts we can to save money and steward our resources with the highest efficiency.

24 March

New Donor Software “KINDFUL” Now Active

We have been working for several months to switch our online giving platform to KINDFUL. That transition has now taken place fully and we are no longer receiving any donations from Authorize.net or PayPal. Many of you have already taken the time to visit the web page to set up your accounts with this new, much more user friendly software and we are greatly appreciative. If you haven’t set up your new account or would like to make a donation you may simply visit click on the donate button OR mail a check to our mailing address:

7320 Broad River Rd. St. K #247 Irmo, SC 29063

24 March

Our Response to COVID-19

OUR CURRENT OPERATING STATUS

Despite COVID-19, Lighthouse for Life is still operational. Human Trafficking hasn’t stopped and we can’t either. Our physical offices are closed but we are working responsibly and taking necessary precautions. Our office staff is working remotely as are our caregivers. We are learning along with the rest of the world how to implement some new technology and move forward in ways that are still meaningful and relevant. We’ve been thrilled to have the opportunity to donate some Freedom Bags to Lexington Police Department for their use in serving local vulnerable community members. We also were able to provide a days’ worth of individually wrapped snacks for 100 Lexington County Public Safety Workers. These first-responders as well as many others are required to still leave home and serve. They definitely are still encountering victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. AT this time we continue to seek out and engage in socially responsible ways to support, encourage and equip those who are literally on the front lines more than ever.

21 November

Nov 28 – Bodyshop Athletics Turkey Trot – proceeds benefit Lighthouse for Life. Register Today

https://www.runhard.org/pages/race-turkey.php

21 November

Giving Tuesday – December 3 – Please give today so they may live free tomorrow.

http://www.lighthouseforlife.org/donate

17 October

New Office Hours. Our office at Radius Church is now open M-Th 9:00 – 4:30

17 October

5th Annual 5K Run For Her Life Glow Run February 29, 2020

17 October

4th Annual Holiday Market November 16th at Radius 10:00 – 2:00

19 April

Take Away These Chains – a concert of hope and freedom

The Magnolia Chamber Singers present a wonderful selection of songs of Hope and Freedom in support of Lighthouse for Life on May 5th at St. Stephens Lutheran
Church at 3:00 p.m.

Please come out and join us for this wonderful and inspirational musical presentation.

19 April

Midlands Gives is May 7th!!!

What is Midlands Gives?

Hosted by Central Carolina Community Foundation, Midlands Gives is a 18-hour online giving event that brings the region together as one community,
raising money and awareness for local nonprofits in 11 Midlands counties.

When is Midlands Gives?

Midlands Gives will take place online on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, from 6:00 am to 11:59:59pm, Eastern Time.

How does it work?

Central Carolina Community Foundation has set up an online giving platform at MidlandsGives.org with searchable profiles of participating nonprofits. All donations will be processed through this website, which allows nonprofits and donors
to track the giving on May 7th via the site’s leaderboards.

How do I donate?

To participate, simply log on to MidlandsGives.org on May 7th, complete the giving form, select your charity or charities and make a donation using your credit or debit card ($20 per organization
minimum). Your credit card statement will reflect a donation to Midlands Gives, which we in turn forward to your charity of choice. Donors may
also schedule a donation beginning two weeks before the giving event, which will then be processed on May 7. Please note, however, that scheduled
donations do not count toward prize incentives.

19 April

Kids Day Lexington

Stop by and see us on Saturday April 27th from 10:00 to 2:00 at the Lexington Town Hall. We will have free water and snacks, face painting, and a photo
opportunity with none other than the wonderful Doc Mcstuffins! Parents please take time to enter our drawing for our drawing for a free set of children’s
educational books on safety and age appropriate awareness and prevention.

18 December

Karis Home Update

Recently a concerned community member asked, “Why are there still no residents at Karis Home?” Thats an excellent question and perhaps others of you
are wondering the same thing.

Over the past four years, you have faithfully partnered with us and we have come so far. We first completed renovations to the home bringing it up
to state and county codes specifically in place for group homes for children. We then aquired licensure from S.C. Department of Social Services.
The next step was to pursue and obtain a contract with them as well. It has been a long and somewhat tedious process with multiple steps, BUT WE
ARE ALMOST THERE.

The ONLY THING needed for survivors to be able to come live at Karis Home are our Caregivers. The home is completely paid for, the beds are made, the
pantry is stocked, and DSS is on standby to send girls our way. So once we have our entire staff hired and trained its Go Time!

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the caregiving positions, please reach out to us at info@lighthouseforlife.org or call
803-900-0907. We’d love to talk with you more about it.

Please believe us when we say nobody wants Karis Home occupied more than we do. As we enter in this holiday season please continue to support, pray
and partner with us in the ministry. We believe 2019 promises to be our best year yet.

18 December

Community Awareness Event in Lexington SC January 23rd

Come out to Radius Church at 300 Main Street Lexington at 6:30 pm and join us for an event unlike you’ve ever attended before. The Economics of Human Trafficking
in SC. For more details visit the “Events” Tab.

26 August

Save the date! October 20th – Living Real Conference! For more details visit our Events Tab

26 August

Meet our Board of Directors

23 May

Welcome new Board Member – Mr. Reggie Gaymon

Visit the “Who We Are” tab to see Reggie’s bio along with all the other members of our Board of Directors.

23 May

Lighthouse for Life is partnering with The Great Inflatable Race on September 8th

For more information visit the Event tab at the top of this page.

18 May

08 November

Tickets for our Comedy Night Fundraiser can now be purchased online.

The headliner comedian is Mike Goodwin

http://www.comedianmikegoodwin.com/

And tickets can be bought here for $20 apiece.

https://www.lighthouseforlife.org/events

08 November

Registration for the 3rd annual run for her life is now open! Let’s Get Glowing!

Here is the link to register

https://runhard.org/pages/race-lighthouse.php

08 November

Lighthouse for Life is honored to welcome Beth White as our newest Board Member.

Here is a link to her bio as well as all the other members of the Board of Directors. Just scroll to the bottom of the page.

https://www.lighthouseforlife.org/who-we-are

20 June

How To Spot Human Trafficking Victims

Laramie Gorbett of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault details how to spot a modern day slave.

20 June

Housewarming Party for Karis Home.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the Housewarming Party for Karis Home.

If you would like to purchase any of the few remaining items needed please visit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/Q7KON2J5DFIO?ref_=cm_wl_list_o_1&pldnSite=1

25 April

Save the date!! The 3rd annual Run for Her Life will be March 10, 2018. This time, it’s under the lights!

25 April

Please be sure to stop by our booth at Kids Day Lexington for free water and helpful information on keeping your children safe.

25 April

In 2016 the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 259 tips and 73 confirmed cases of Human Trafficking in South Carolina.

01 March

Welcome to Shelly

We are very excited to welcome Shelly to our team! She is joining as a part-time administrator and we are so blessed to have her organized, detail-oriented, hard-working, joyful self on our staff!

01 March

Welcome to our newest Board member!

Join us in welcoming Matt Cogdill to our Board! Matt is a V.P. at Lexington Medical Center and a partner at Radius Church.

He is married and a proud father of three. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Board and we are so thankful to have him join our team.

01 March

Sheetrock is up at Karis Home!

It’s great to see continued progress with Karis Home! As of now, sheetrock is up, detail work is being done, and we’re looking forward to getting paint on the walls!

01 March

New Office Space

We are currently settling in to so new office space! We are looking forward to it being a drop off and pick up space for materials/resources as well as a place to get to meet you! If you’d like our address please send us a note.

14 November

Richland County Anti-Trafficking Task Force Mtg Open to the Public

Richland County Anti-Trafficking Task Force is holding their next meeting on Friday November 18th. If you’d like more information about how to attend please email Vicki Jackson, the Chairman of the Task Force at jacksonv3@rcgov.us.

14 November

Grace Wins T-Shirts for Sale – $10

Great news!! We are now accepting pre-orders for adult T-shirts! Here’s how it works:

*Email us at Tshirts@lighthouseforlife.org with your color, size, and quantity. Your color choices are Cardinal Red, Black, and Light Gray. in your email, also include your phone number and address (if you request shipping).

*Pay for your shirt. They are $10 each. An additional $4 charge will be added if you request shipping.

– You can send in cash or check to 7320 Broad River Rd, Suite K #247, Irmo, SC 29063. Just make sure we know what your payment is for. Checks can be made out to ‘Lighthouse for Life’.

– You can click on the donate button to pay using visa or debit card or PayPal. Just make sure you leave a note saying that it is for your T-shirt(s).

*When we have your shirt we’ll either notify you of a day and location you can come pick it up, or else if you paid for shipping we’ll send it to the address you provided in your email.

If you have any other questions regarding these shirts, please reach out to Tshirts@lighthouseforlife.org and we will be able to provide you with the information you need.