Lighthouse CEO and President Paul Haffner is a newsmaker! He talks with Local 12's Dan Hurley about the transition and what makes Lighthouse an exceptional agency.

"The number of neglected and abused children coming into the Hamilton County juvenile court system has skyrocketed in the last two years. In 2015, the number of new complaints filed by county social workers to remove children from their homes spiked by 34 percent and that number is on par this year. The heroin epidemic plaguing the region is a piece of the spike, but not the sole reason say those who work in the system."

Donate a new hoodie or gift card for a teenager in need at Nothing Bundt Cakes Bakeries in Mason or Hyde Park, the Corner Coffee Cafe, Ladder 19 or Uncle Woody’s. Thank you!

14 children officially became members of their forever families on Adoption Day, November 4. It was a day to remember for many reasons. " I want to be adopted. " "and are you adopted?" "Yes!" "Do you love it?" "MMM-HMM. "

President Nixon looked her in the eyes and asked her how much she needed. “$30,000,” was her answer. “I’ll give you $50,000,” he told her. That check led to Cincinnati’s New Life for Girls that ultimately became Lighthouse Youth Services, and that $50,000 was its first year’s budget.

Our summer newsletter highlights the work to end youth homelessness, the new Host Homes program, and the need for foster parents just like you!

It's hard to imagine a more horrific way for a toddler to die than the fate that 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel suffered back in 2006. He perished wrapped in a blanket, bound with tape and left inside a closet with no food or water over a hot August weekend. The foster parents trusted with caring for Marcus are still in prison for their role in his gruesome, lonely death. Even as Greater Cincinnati grieved a decade ago, professionals in child welfare and foster care services hoped the blue-eyed boy's awful end would inspire changes and improvements in Ohio's child welfare system. And Marcus did inspire changes, to be sure. So why are so many kids still dying?

Lighthouse Youth Services is proud to announce that its Board of Trustees has chosen Paul Haffner as the organization’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. Haffner will succeed Bob Mecum, Lighthouse’s current President and CEO, on August 22, 2016.

"It’s time for us to do more to ensure that all children have the family they need and deserve." Lighthouse Foster Care and Adoption Director Jami Clarke beautifully highlights the need for foster parents right now, especially foster parents for teenagers.