A Lighted Path | Incubator

Jeff McParland is the Executive Director of our Strong Start Initiative and he is dedicated education enthusiast and a passionate advocate for children. Since 2021, he has been at the helm, orchestrating the efforts of St. John the Divine team of parishioners in their commitment to education. In the realm of education and child advocacy, Jeff is an influential figure known for his dedication, strategic leadership, and unwavering commitment to making a difference. Thank you Jeff and our Strong Start Team for all you do in our community! If you would like to be a Strong Start Volunteer, click the link! https://lnkd.in/g22Q-ZGz

🧡🩶Be an ALP Volunteer!🩶🧡 As we near the upcoming school year, there are new opportunities to serve and we need people like YOU that want to make a difference in our community! If you can give 2 Hours a Year, a Quarter, a Month, or a Week, you could make a tremendous impact in the life of a child or youth in our community. Click the link to become a Volunteer! https://lnkd.in/g22Q-ZGz

Calling Business Professionals to come and lead a Business Training for owners and directors of low income childcare centers in Houston! What business expertise do you have that you can share with other volunteers and workers in our city? This would be a one time commitment to prepare and lead a course in one of the following topics: Human Resources and Leadership, Instructional Support, or Center Operations and Management Risk. Click on the link if you would be willing to lead a training! https://lnkd.in/g22Q-ZGz

Loving Lamar is focused on students and teachers of Lamar High School with Larry Lawyer being the Executive Director. Larry has a true passion for raising up the next generation by providing amazing opportunities for the students of Lamar High School and caring for our dedicated teachers! Larry prefers to be behind the scenes and has done an amazing job raising a team of volunteers that have provided a multitude of opportunities for our teachers and students. These opportunities have ranged from teaching students how to write resumes, found local businesses that have provided jobs and internships, provided prom dresses and suits for at-risk students, appreciation gifts and lunches for our amazing teachers, and special trainings for our teachers! Thank you Larry and all of the volunteers of Loving Lamar that have made our teachers and students a priority!

🙏🏼Loving Lamar Prayer Walk🙏🏼 Come out and join us for a Prayer Walk to pray for our students, teachers, and the upcoming school year! We will meet on July 20th at 8:50 am in front of the old building on the Westheimer side at the flag pole. Bring yourself, a prayer spirit, and a Bible if you feel so led. Water bottles will be provided!

✨Volunteer Spotlight!✨ This month, we would like to spotlight our very own Ethel Hutcheson, a long-time volunteer with Loving Lamar, and the work she has actively been pursuing in bringing training from Neuhaus Education Center to the teachers of Lamar High School. Ethel has dedicated time and effort in researching dyslexia. She has been an amazing supporter of raising funds and resources for dyslexic students in order to better their education and help them thrive academically! Recently she attended a luncheon with Neuhaus Education Center and was moved to try and bring their literacy instruction training to Lamar High School teachers. Through her passion and dedication, Loving Lamar and SJD have quickly raised funds to train two Lamar High School teachers through their Structured Literacy Modules. Her vision is to raise additional funds specifically for the tutoring of dyslexic students and the training of more teachers. Through Ethel’s passion, our teachers and students of Lamar High School will continue to learn and have additional resources. Ethel, we are SO thankful for you and encouraged by you! Thank you for your dedication to ensuring our teachers and students have additional resources to grow and thrive academically! Click in the link to GIVE so more opportunities can be provided with ALP! https://lnkd.in/gdh__AXk

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our incredible President of A Lighted Path Lori Gobillot who is also the Executive Director of the Adults in Training Initiative. Help us celebrate Lori who is a retired lawyer, airline executive, and corporate board member. She has worn many hats throughout her successful careers, and we are beyond thankful that ALP is an extra hat she chose to wear! Lori delights in thinking about her "Back 30" and thinks of A Lighted Path as her Passion Project for her back 30 years! Lori is a HUGE JOY to everyone she meets and truly brings her passion to A Lighted Path in making it what it is. Lori is dedicated and brings 100% to every facet that has a need. HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU Lori for everything you do!! Click here to GIVE to ALP: https://lnkd.in/gdh__AXk

This week we had our 2nd Annual Milestone Celebration!👏 We gathered with our AlT Family and celebrated all of the milestones over the last year. The milestones achieved that must be celebrated are new jobs, new apartments, drivers licenses, getting cars, graduating, and birthdays! There were fajitas, games, prizes and we had such a joyous time celebrating each other!🎉 We are proud of our AlTs and are so thankful for times we get to celebrate them and for time to have some fun!🤩

Strong Start’s Quarterly Business Meeting sponsored by Collaboration for Children is back around on July 13th! Breakfast will be provided and you will have the opportunity to meet with 30-40 directors and owners of low income childcare centers in Houston. During roundtable discussions, you will have the opportunity to learn more and discuss the problems they face. All SJD church members or anyone interested in volunteering with Strong Start is welcome to attend! The business meeting will be conducted in the Scout Room at SJD from 10am-2pm. We hope to see you there!

We are actively engaged in looking for our next Initiative!🤩🧡 ALP’s mission is to identify and support community initiatives to support children and youth in the city of Houston. It is time for us to start adding a new initiative to A Lighted Path. To do so, an advisory board is being created and we need people committed to supporting and volunteering to help us find what our next Initiative could be! Would you be interested in joining our advisory board? Email Lori Gobillot at lgobillot@alightedpath.org if interested in joining our wonderful team!