BEVERLY — Harborlight Homes has announced the launch of the next phase of a capital campaign to build The Lighthouse Center, an innovative facility on the Anchor Point campus in Beverly.
The Center will provide critical resources, including on-site child care, after-school programming, and adult education and job training for residents of the affordable housing complex on Sohier Road.
Two Beverly residents have stepped forward to honor their parents’ legacies of community service and education by dedicating classrooms within The Lighthouse Center, Harborlight Homes said.
Tracey Armstrong and Glen Johnston will honor Tracey’s parents, Ed and Jan Armstrong, while Gretel Seeley will honor her parents, educators Linda and Jim Seeley, by dedicating classrooms in their memories.
Ed Armstrong, a longtime Beverly resident, served on the Beverly School Committee from 1980 to 1987, including a term as president in 1983. He was also a member of the Anchorage House board of directors, which supports youths in crisis, and received a Community Service Award for his work with Project Rap Inc. in 1985. Armstrong also represented Beverly on the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School Committee from 2017 to 2019.
Jan Armstrong shared Ed’s passion for education and young people. She began her teaching career at Harborlight Nursery School and later became its director, designing innovative curricula tailored to each student’s needs. Her dedication extended to roles at the Endicott Nursery and Landmark School, where he creativity and commitment left an indelible mark.
“Education was extremely important to our parents,” Tracey Armstrong said. “Jan and Ed were committed supporters of Harborlight Homes and understood how Harborlight’s transformational model of housing plus services gives individuals and families the support and tools they need to break the cycle of poverty in a sustainable way.
“Our family is honored to have the opportunity to support Harborlight Homes, an effective and growing nonprofit, and to dedicate a classroom to the memory of our parents.”
Linda and Jim Seeley had a combined 70-plus years of dedication to education and had a lasting effect on the North Shore. Jim Seeley, a beloved English teacher at Salem High School and later a substitute teacher in Ipswich, believed deeply in the potential of every learner.
“All learners, no matter what age, deserve the chance to better understand who they are and how they can succeed and contribute,” she said.
Linda Seeley’s career as a leader in Montessori and peace education exemplified her belief in the importance of nurturing children in supportive environments. “Children are natural learners who require our respect and environmental experiences to grow,” she said. “The activities and the resources that The Lighthouse Center will provide match those needs exactly.”
Gretel Seeley said that when she learned about The Lighthouse Center and its planned programs, “I knew this was a legacy gift I wanted to participate in to honor my parents.”
“There is nothing more important to them than education, and this project will provide education and resources for decades to come, and has the potential to change countless lives,” she said.
To date, $7.8 million has been raised to create The Lighthouse Center, according to Harborlight Homes. The remaining $1.5 million will support programming, furniture and technology infrastructure.
“The generosity of families like the Armstrongs and Seeleys demonstrates the profound impact that personal legacies can have on shaping brighter futures for our community,” Harborlight Homes Executive Director Andrew DeFranza said. “Their dedication to education mirrors the mission of The Lighthouse Center, and we are honored to partner with them in this important work.”
To learn more about the capital campaign or to make a contribution, visit hhlighthouse.org or contact Bethany Blake at bblake@harborlighthomes.org.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.