Local News / Charity Go to a Section ------------- News Sports Weather Trivia Entertainment ------------- Home Message Boards Guestbook History Top 10 Pages Sitemap

Friday, 4 February, 2011 2:17 AM

Priscilla Perkins named Chief Development Officer of Lighthouse in Oakland County

Photo credit: www.lighthouseoakland.org. Priscilla Perkins, wife of Fox 2 News anchor Huel Perkins, is the new Chief Development Officer at Lighthouse in Oakland County.

by Garrett Godwin ggodwin82@yahoo.com

|

PONTIAC, Mich. -- Though she grew up poor in the south, Priscilla Perkins was raised by hardworking parents and the belief that no one is supposed to be a failure, which is part of the reason she became a volunteer, a board member, and now the new Chief Development Officer of Lighthouse in Oakland County. There her responsibilities include making sure the non-profit organization keeps their good name and making sure others are living out the American Dream. Besides her new position, she has been an active member of various charitable organizations for the past two decades that includes The United Way, and as president for The Community House and the Junior League of Birmingham Michigan, Inc. from 2000-2001.

"It's a real belief in the mission," states Perkins, the wife of Fox 2 Detroit anchor Huel Perkins and a long-time advocate for Lighthouse. "We're trying to help people find their own way."

Since 1972, Lighthouse offers everything from family, foreclosure, and employment counselings to alternative programs for one-third who never sought help before and teenage mothers seeking to complete their education in the purpose of aiding low-income, working and middle-class families receive the tools needed to not hold their hands, but take them out of the inner darkness and into the light of the world.

For instance, Lighthouse PATH gives these teenage parents and women like single mother Alisha Giovanni a surrogate family, strength, and inspiration.

Giovanni, a former Pontiac resident, is also a domestic violence survivor that knew about Lighthouse through a friend when she was seeking a place for herself and her children following her divorce from her husband. Thanks to Lighthouse PATH, she has develop self-confidence, self-respect, and self-assurance. After getting her degree at the Art Institute of Michigan, she has her own bank account, a house in Oak Park, and plans to open a pastry business.

"I see a bit of myself in every woman," Perkins added. "The drive within us is to figure out what to do what. We provide the support you need, but you must be motivated; the program is you."

Last year, Lighthouse provided assistance to families and individuals in need on 70,000 separate occasions through three key subsidiaries: Lighthouse Community Development (LCD), which rejuvenates communities through affordable housing and educated homeowners; Lighthouse Emergency Services (LES), which provides emergency food, housing, medical, utility and other services to people who need immediate help; and Lighthouse PATH (PATH), which provides long-term housing and support to help women with children achieve self-sufficiency and a healthy family environment.

For more information about Lighthouse in Oakland County, visit www.lighthouseoakland.org.

Related Story: Lighthouse of Oakland County helps to turn lives around in a positive way

 

Photo credit: cdn-aki.vmixcore.com

Alisha Kiovanni stands in front of her new home in Oak Park, Mich. after receiving support from Lighthouse of Oakland County.