Last Week at Rotary - January 4, 2024

David Lee, the Advancement Director at LIA, told us his immigrant story. His family moved to the US from South Korea when David was 6 years old. His dad attended New Brunswick Theological Seminary and is a Reformed Chuch pastor. His parents modeled service while he was growing up and this influenced his eventual interest in non-profit work.

 

David graduated from Hope College with majors in English and Music. He went on to receive a Masters in Viola Performance from Northern Illinois University. After performing in the Chicago area he decided to come back to Holland to figure out his next move. He accepted the job of directing the Holland Area Youth Orchestra. David started volunteering at Community Action House and ended up working there for 7 years before joining Lighthouse doing marketing in 2021.

 

The Mission of Lighthouse is to bring stability to West Michigan immigrants through legal services, education, and advocacy. The organization grew from its attorney founder giving legal services to a multi-lawyer practice of 10. Soon after David joined Lighthouse changes to DACA and the influx of Afghan refugees caused them to pivot in their services. David took over as interim director in 2023 and now is one of 3 people who share executive responsibilities.

 

Lighthouse receives 70% of its funding from the community with the remainder from service fees. They have a fixed fee for each service, which is on a sliding scale according to income. Most immigration lawyers charge hourly and Lighthouse's fees are about 10% of the market rate. Clients often require help in acclimating to the culture and many have been scammed by people claiming legal expertise. The average time working with a client on a case is 281 days.