‘Neighborhood mom’ relishes role as listening ear for kids
Published: May 17, 2006
When neighborhood children want to talk to a trusted adult, Lela Hughis lends a listening ear.
Hughis, a mom and neighborhood volunteer, has gotten to know many of the teens through the Lake Worth West Youth Advisory Council, a group she coordinated for two years.
She worked alongside the 11- to 17-year-olds during neighborhood cleanups and environmental projects, and she supervised them during field trips. She said the activities helped create a lasting bond with many of the teens.
“They’ve opened up to me and invited me into their lives,” Hughis said. “It’s so wonderful.”
Hughis stepped down as YAC coordinator last year, but she continues to serve as a chaperone and remains active in her neighborhood association, the Lake Worth West Resident Planning Group.
She also coordinates the Police Athletic League program for the neighborhood.
Some of the teens have logged more than 300 community service hours through their volunteer work, she said.
Kathy King, outreach coordinator for the neighborhood’s community center, describes Hughis as “irreplaceable.”
“She’s kind of like the heartbeat of the community,” King said. “She’s always willing to help.”
She and her husband, Jeffrey Hughis, have lived in the neighborhood off Military Trail for five years.
The two have a 9-year-old son, Jeffrey Jr., and she also has a 15-year-old son, Grant, who lives with his father and stepmother.
Jeffrey Hughis also has a daughter, Jessica, 18, who lives in New York.
Born in Hartford, Conn., Hughis grew up in the coastal town of Niantic.
“I always wanted to be a hairdresser, and I wanted to be a mom,” she said.
In 1986, she moved to Port St. Lucie and later to the West Palm Beach area. She didn’t pursue a career as a hair stylist, but she earned her real estate license and today helps her husband, a real estate investor and construction superintendent, with his business.
She said her priorities are her husband and children, but she enjoys being the neighborhood mom. “I always wanted a big family, and I have that,” she said.
What are your hobbies?
“I love to read. I like to garden. I’m very active volunteering in my children’s schools. We like to travel,” especially to Tennessee where she and her husband own property.
What do you do when you want to get away from it all?
“I go to Murfreesboro (Tenn.) to see my best friend, LaVonne Saracho. I also like to visit my sister in Connecticut.”
What would you do if you won the Lottery?
“I would take care of my family and my husband’s family, and I would build a really big home and make it a boys’ home.”
For what would you like to be remembered?
“For trying to be a good person and trying to set a good example.”
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