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Applied in 2007

Lighthouse Community Center

Mariners Church Lighthouse Ministries

Program Facts

  • Paid (FTE) Staff Working: 6.5
  • Program Participants Last Year: 1085
  • Meets about 30 time(s) with each participant per month
  • Participants remain in the program for 36 months

Volunteers

Volunteers per month: 300

Volunteers are trained:

Volunteer Training
AlwaysRarely

Volunteers are actively recruited:

Volunteer Recruiting
AlwaysRarely

Board Activities

  • Formally reviews the performance of the chief executive officer at least once every two years.
  • Formally approves the budget.
  • Ensures that arrangements with outside fund raising firms are made in writing.
  • Receives information about the financial arrangements with such firms and, if applicable, the anticipated portion of the gross proceeds that goes to the organization.
  • Has formally approved a conflict of interest policy and regularly monitors it to ensure adherence.
  • Receives, at least quarterly, the organization's financial statement.
  • Receives, at least annually, an auditor's management letter and report.
  • Convenes an audit committee.

Outcomes & Measures: (self-reported)

Outcome 1
Reduced teen pregnancy and domestic violence. Improved social justice and health care and immigration statistics

Measure
Local government reports and participant surveys

Outcome 2
Improved reading comprehension

Measure
Computer pre- and post- assessments

Outcome 3
Improved math skills

Measure
Computer pre- and post- assessments

Outcome 4
Improved skills to increase rate of graduation and employment

Measure
Number of residents graduating from program English classes, high school, and college and securing employment

Outcome 5
Increase in US citizenship among immigrants

Measure
Number of residents becoming US citizens each year

Change Process: (self-reported)

A 2004 Rockefeller Institute study ranked Santa Ana as the hardest city in which to live (based on unemployment, housing, income, poverty, and education). On Minnie Street in Santa Ana, 12,000 people live within a 1/3 square mile area typically known for drugs, crime, and abuse.

In 1996 Mariners Church, partnering with local organizations, opened an after-school program on Minnie Street to help children with homework. Many of these children have become college students and graduates, and many have returned to serve.

Over the years, the programs have expanded to offer support to residents of all ages who are living with these harsh realities – almost 1100 in the last 12 months. Opportunities for tutoring, mentoring, field trips, arts and sports options, and summer camps bring hope, confidence, and reduce the sense of scarcity and isolation.

Thousands of volunteers (300 each month) from Mariners Church in nearby Irvine have contributed their expertise and resources to provide programs and services six or seven days a week. However, the most powerful life-changes have resulted from relationships – and ironically, volunteers realized they were changed as much as the people they served.

“In Christ, there are no boundaries between church and community. We strive for the day when He will break the cycles of poverty, ignorance, and abuse that ensnare people…We envision a time when those who have little will worship and serve beside those who have much, each recognizing that their worth and significance can be found in Christ alone.”

In 2008, Lighthouse Ministries and several community partners will open two additional Lighthouse Community Centers.