Light of the World Charities, Little Lights Dentistry

“Friends and neighbors, you’ve done it again !!” Give yourself a standing ovation, a pat on the back, and a thumbs up for another successful fundraising campaign. Together we were able to raise an estimated $275,000.00 for the less fortunate of Martin County. Our volunteers did an amazing job against internal and external challenges. As is true every year we learn what works and doesn’t. We will attempt to make it fun and easy to be a part of this community effort to lend a hand to our neighbors in need. The work isn’t complete until the Grants Committee determines what will be given to each of the eight Foscus charities. This is based on the charity's requests and available funds and when our Board votes on their recommendations. We have a lot to be thankful for being a part Mariner Sands. You should be very proud of your community’s charitable tradition. Charity Week 2024 Board of Directors

A struggling teen who was once told he wouldn’t amount to anything, is using his newly acquired carpentry skills to help build a cottage home that will provide transitional housing for a local homeless family. A young woman who had to drop out of school to support her 3 young siblings walks proudly across the stage to accept her high school diploma. At Project LIFT’s Pathway Academy High School program, she was able to finish school while getting paid to learn a trade. A licensed therapist peers under the hood of a car in the auto shop and chats with her young client as he is taught engine repair by a certified mechanic. If you’ve visited Project LIFT’s headquarters in Palm City, you’ve seen these stories unfold in real time. The non-profit was founded in 2010 by licensed psychotherapist Bob Zaccheo, who believed there was a better way to reach troubled adolescents than standard counseling. His innovative approach combines evidence based mental health and substance abuse services with paid vocational training, instilling dignity, work ethic, and hope for a promising future. Project LIFT serves approximately 800 teens and young adults annually, in its Martin, St. Lucie, and Palm Beach County locations. There is no charge for any of their services, and in fact, students are paid for their skilled trades work as long as they test clean for drugs and alcohol and meet behavioral expectations. By removing the stigma associated with vocational training and empowering teens to cultivate the dignity that results from mastering a skilled trade, Project LIFT creates opportunity for teens who aren’t college bound. Job placement assistance is offered upon program completion, through strategic partnerships with local businesses who hire program graduates.  Mariner Sands’ support of Project LIFT’s Cottage Home program has enabled the non-profit to train its students in building tiny homes that will impact both the student and families in need in Martin County. It’s truly a win-win!

Love And Hope In Action, Inc. (LAHIA) has been operating as a faith-based 501c3 not-for-profit since 2007, and is located at 1760 SE Salerno Road in Stuart, FL. LAHIA is a unique day center where individuals experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty can receive a wide variety of social services from nutritional assistance, showers, laundry, clothing, bedding, camping supplies, bicycles for workers, replacement identification, mail service, transportation, financial assistance and referrals to partner agencies that provide medical, dental, optical, and mental health care, rehabilitative and recovery housing, job referrals, Gospel services, Bible studies, counseling, friendship and more, 6 days a week, all year through. Our staff of 11 and a healthy volunteer base of over 100 individuals, work well together to provide a personal and compassionate experience for everyone, no matter their circumstances. There are over 3000 individuals enrolled in LAHIA’s database that have received one or more services since 2019. In the first 5 months of 2023, 248 brand new people have come through our doors. All of this is made possible through the grace of God and the generosity of a community that heartily believes in this mission and ministry. Charity Week funding continues to have a dramatic impact on the lives of those struggling in our community, changing lives from poverty to possibility, homelessness to whole – in a safe environment where all who enter are valued equally.

Charity Week 2023

Together we will end childhood homelessness in Martin County

Cherished Members