Hope Speaks

Issue: # 1

Fall/2013

What's Inside

Did you Know?
According to the U.S. Census, out of 24 million Children in America -one out of three live in a household without a father.

Amanda Finds Healing

Amanda knows what it's like to feel alone and hopeless. She suffers from bipolar disorder and finds herself struggling with the emotional ups and downs that plague her mind. Her abusive past is also something that she deals with on a daily basis. The memories of her childhood haunt her and bring many days of depression and anxiety.

Amanda knew that she needed to get help. After a year of searching for a trustworthy counselor, a good friend referred her to Gloria Baxter at Lighthouse of Hope. Right away Amanda knew she had come to the right place. She instantly felt a connection with Gloria and was relieved to finally meet with someone who could help her address her issues.

After a year of meeting with Gloria, Amanda is in a much better place. With Gloria's help she has come to a place where she has dealt with her past abuse and is no longer letting those events define her life. Gloria has also given her the tools to deal with her mood swings and depression. "She's been a role model. She's guided me step by step through whatever I'm dealing with," Amanda gushes. With renewed hope and self assurance, Amanda looks forward to a brighter future.

-Melissa Burdsall

Harvesting Hope

Meet and Greet

Be my guest! Come and learn how you can help Lighthouse of Hope be "a part of the solution" in our community!

When: September 12, 2013

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Where: 1515 Partridge Ave

Sunnyvale CA 94087

There is no charge for this event, just come and meet your neighbors and learn about Lighthouse of Hope Counseling center.

Lighthouse of Hope Counseling Center has an unwavering commitment to ensuring that every family in our community has access to a full range of services needed to grow and become healthy. We are passionately

committed to community based services that break the cycle of absent fathers, abuse, addiction, divorce, single parenting and juvenile delinquency.

You will get an opportunity to meet your neighbors and business owners in your community. You'll also get to enjoy some refreshing snacks with us.

Lighthouse of Hope Launches TV Show!

Lighthouse of Hope is very proud to re-launch an exciting new TV. season! The first series titled "A Journey in Fatherhood" airs on September 2, 2013 at 10:00 PM. The show will air Monday nights at 10:00 PM and will continue to run year round.

This series will lead off with Mr. Steve Ashley discussing this troubling issue. The show will be hosted by our CEO Gloria Baxter. Throughout the series we're going to be interviewing a panel of individuals who have been negatively impacted by father absenteeism.

We'll wrap up the end up the series with a section on solutions to these problems. Many of our services here at Lighthouse will also be highlighted as a way for individuals to come receive help.

We hope that you will join us and tune in every Monday night at 10:00 PM as we strive to bring healing and hope to our viewers at home.

Click Here Let us know you are coming!

Harvesting Hope Meet and Greet - Lighthouse of Hope

From the CEO

"Today, 1 out of every 3 children in America live in a home without his or her natural father. One out of every 3 children in America will go to bed tonight without a father to read them a story, bring them a glass of water, kiss them good night, or comfort them if they have a bad dream." Wade Horn, PhD, Past President of the National Fatherhood Initiative.

Many statistics about children without fathers are dated back to 2001 and even a few site issues and trends dating back to 1988. Some might say those statistics are too old, things have changed now. Why Services for Fathers?

How did this become a problem? Why is it a problem? Not every child who is raised without a father becomes a substance abuser, or a juvenile delinquent or a pregnant teen however, one child loss to substance abuse, or one pregnant teen, is one too many!

Children don't ask to be born. Consenting adults decide to bring children into this world. Today, many women make choices to be artificially inseminated to bring a child into the world. That be may good for the parent, but what about the child? Does the child not have a right to a father and a mother? I firmly believe that every child born has the right to two parents. He/she was not conceived without a father, why should he/she live without one. Wondering always would my life be different if I had a father?

I have been providing therapy to adults and teens for more than 30 years. Many clients both male and female were raised without knowing their father. Others had fathers who were not involved in their lives even though they knew where he was. I have found that these adults now have issues of low self esteem, feelings that something is missing in their lives or have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, making poor decisions and on and on. The women tend to make poor choices about men in their lives because they have no knowledge about men and think they are just like women. The men often are physically and mentally abusive to women, because they had no man to teach them about loving women.

So as an agency Lighthouse can impact the thinking of young men and women while they are impressionable teens. Fewer boys will be physically or mentally abusive to their girlfriends and later their wives because they learned coping skills and other ways to express their anger over not having their dad involved in their lives. Our goal is to help young women feel empowered to make choices for themselves based on knowledge about their own needs and not on the fact that they are looking for their dad in every boyfriend. It is a lofty goal, but a needed goal if we are to have an impact on the future of children without fathers in their lives.

-Gloria Baxter

Fall Family Fun

Oktoberfest by the Bay

September 20-22

Come on down to Pier 48 to enjoy music, dancing, and plenty of ice-cold adult beverages to celebrate this German tradition with a San Francisco twist.

http://www.oktoberfestbythebay.com/

Boo at the Zoo - October 26-27

Celebrate Halloween this year at the Oakland Zoo! This kid-friendly celebration is held during the daytime hours and is completely free with the regular zoo admission. Wear your costume, ride the Boo Train, and get a few treats while enjoying the animals!

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Calendar_Item.php?i=539

Halloween Haunt- September 27- October 27

California's Great America eerily transforms for its 6th annual Halloween Haunt. Complete with spine-tingling haunted mazes, themed scare zones, head-turning live stage shows, plus the park's collection of world-class thrill rides, Halloween Haunt is Northern California's biggest and scariest Halloween event!

https://www.cagreatamerica.com/things-to-do/special-events

Wish List

Thank you for considering donating to Lighthouse of Hope. We value our donors and volunteers so much. You are the backbone of our organization. To help you make the most of your gift, here are some suggestions of items we particularly need:

Computers
Office supplies: printer paper, 8x10 writing tablets, highlighters

Click Here to Donate Today!

Get to Know Gloria

Executive Director: Gloria Baxter LCSW

Gloria was asked by her home church, Raynor Park Christian Church, to start an onsite counseling center. She was ecstatic to take on this new opportunity and thus Lighthouse of Hope Counseling Center was born. The agency was named in memory of her father, an artist who worked on Lighthouse Blvd in Seaside, California. After only one year Lighthouse became an independent Non Profit agency.

Gloria's passion for helping others was born out of her personal experience as an abused teen and later as a teen mother in the 1950's. She felt alone and powerless until a friend's mom stepped up to the plate to help her.

Because of that one person she was able to rise above her situation and get the help she needed.

Gloria soon met and married the love of her life Nordean S. Baxter in 1958. Once her children were a little older, Gloria began her secondary education, graduating with a Bachelor in Social Welfare from UC Berkley and a Masters in Social Work from San Jose State. She received her license and has practiced as an LCSW for almost 30 years.

After going through such traumatic experiences as a teen, she has been inspired to help others. Although she loves helping anyone in need, serving teens is her passion. Her greatest joy is watching the transformation one takes from the time they enter her office until their case is closed. Gloria's vision for Lighthouse of Hope is to offer affordable counseling and services for all individuals in our community.