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Bartlesville
Posted: Apr 24, 2025 10:19 AMUpdated: Apr 24, 2025 10:29 AM
Lighthouse Outreach Center Seeks Donations for Operations
Tom Davis
A Bartlesville non-profit with a long record of success with those down are their luck are finding themselves budgetarily challenged heading into summer.
Appearing on COMMUNITY CONNECTION, Errol Hada, Executive Director of Lighthouse Outreach Center, and Lou Anna Allen, a volunteer at Lighthouse and a donor, spoke with us about their need for funds and some stats to tell you what Lighthouse does and how well it performs
"First of all, Lighthouse has been going strong for a 33 years. Now, we kind of need a little pick-me-up,' said Hada. "This is something I've never done before, which is going on the radio asking for funds for the Lighthouse."
Hada continued, "I'm on the Homeless Task Force here that City Council appointed this last few months ago. According to the police report, there's 35 to 45 homeless people outside of the lighthouse that are not being sheltered. But we have 80 there at the Lighthouse. They get three meals a day, place to stay, warm bed, laundry facilities, transportation to and from doctors and appointments."
According to an impact report Hada provided, 96 of our people that last year found work; 52 obtained housing; and 23 reunited with their family.
Last year, it cost The Lighthouse $1,786 a day to operate. Hada said that now they have a budget shortfall of $10,000 to $15,000. The organization has about $50,000 left. If they take out $15,000 to $20,000 a month, the next two or three months, that will all gone soon.
Hada said, "I'm sure there's somebody right now listening that could write a check for $100,000 and solve that problem. But that's not what we're asking for, because if one person pays the whole amount, only one person gets blessed. But if four people, we gave $25,000 apiece, there'd be four people blessed, because the Bible says it's more blessed to give than receive. And then you take it a little further, if 100 people gave $1,000, 100 people get blessed. So when you break it down into, I believe people in Bartlesville want to give their money where lives are being changed."
Lou Anna Allen, a volunteer at Lighthouse and a donor made her case for The Lighthouse Outreach Center saying, "God has just given me such love and compassion for the residents that it's just been such a blessing to go there and be with the residents, to visit with them, to hear their stories, help with lunch. Helping with lunch, each person that goes through the line, I get to see them face-to-face and speak to them, and I think that's really important for them to be recognized as a person, not being transparent, but being seen and loved. And that's what I see at the Lighthouse is love every day being manifested through the employees. And I know what God has done for me in the time that it's just been such an overwhelming, I can't even begin to express what it means to me.
Lou Anna continured, "I totally believe in the support financially because I see the change that has happened in people's lives. So if you want to give your money someplace that is really being used, I can promise you we are using it for God's glory to help people, to minister to them, to meet the needs that they have, to get them back out into society. And so I just really ask you to help us, and God will bless you beyond your wildest dreams the way He has blessed me."
Errol said, "There are a variety of ways to help. You can write a check and mail it in. Our mailing address is Box 124, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. You can come by, bring the check in person. We'd love to visit with you. Or there are options through PayPal and some things like that." He added, "Just call the office and ask if you want to do it over the phone. There's ways we can do that also. But whatever can be done, maybe you want to, in your Sunday school class, take an offering for the Lighthouse this Sunday, just something like that, just a spontaneous thing like that."
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