On Jan. 16, Senior Research Specialist Sarah Ernst at Hopkins School of Medicine was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for her work building “Maryland Lighthouse,” demonstrating this year’s theme – “Impact: The Power of Communities.” “Maryland Lighthouse” focuses on providing emotional and financial support to families dealing with pregnancy loss, infant loss and child loss.
Ernst co-founded the Maryland Lighthouse chapter with Katie Benden in January 2024, wanting to provide care for Maryland families. Despite it not being discussed openly, pregnancy complications are very common: miscarriage impacts roughly one in four pregnancies, and more than 20,000 families in the US experience stillbirth every year. Moreover, having experienced four pregnancy losses, Ernst understands first-hand the pain of losing a child.
"Even though they're common occurrences, these losses are often met with silence when it comes to support from family and friends, just because if they haven't experienced it, they don't know what to say or how to support,” Ernst said.
Maryland Lighthouse sends out surveys to families as well as labor and delivery units to understand the needs of the Maryland community. They have spoken to labor and delivery bereavement coordinators, NICU bereavement coordinators, and social workers across multiple hospitals such as Franklin Square, Hopkins, and Mercy, connecting Maryland Lighthouse directly with families. In October 2025, Maryland Lighthouse was able to donate 200 bereavement packages to Hopkins labor and delivery, allowing families to take home something tangible to remember their child.
Maryland Lighthouse also offers financial support to families mourning their children; their website has applications for financial aid, giving families the opportunity to hold funerals and properly honor their children. They also collaborate with funeral homes to lower burial costs, decreasing the mental stress and financial burden of pregnancy loss, providing resources to allow families to focus on grieving and healing in light of an unexpected loss.
“Even as an older adult, you don't plan to have to bury your child," Ernst noted.
In addition to these direct contributions, Maryland Lighthouse is also involved in raising awareness for families experiencing pregnancy loss. On October 15, 2025 Baltimore city landmarks, including the M&T Bank Stadium, Camden Yards and the Hopkins Dome lit up pink and blue for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
While Maryland Lighthouse is an organization that focuses on helping Maryland families, it exists as a chapter of a national parent organization called “Reflections Grief & Wellness Care,” directed by Margaret Pilon, a certified grief specialist and bereaved mother who is currently training to become a licensed mental health counselor. Reflections Grief & Wellness Care helps Maryland Lighthouse and other regional chapters obtain and verify funding, as Pilon ensures that funding goes solely to funeral homes, hospitals and the families in need. Additionally, as a mental health social worker, Pilon provides training for Maryland Lighthouse members to hold support groups for families, helping broaden Maryland Lighthouse’s impact.
Despite this support, Ernst and her co-founder, Benden, faced some difficulties in running Maryland Lighthouse. Fundraising and establishing connections are always major challenges that non-profit, volunteer-led organizations face. Grants and donations are hard to come by, and it’s difficult to find the “right person” at hospitals and funeral homes with values and principles that align.
"You can't do it all by yourself, and you can't do everything all up front,” Ernst argued. “Starting small and building as you have the resources, I think, is what really leads to a successful organization."
Ernst’s connection to Hopkins as a Senior Research Specialist at the Hopkins School of Medicine not only helps her in connecting with families needing help, but also in understanding how to speak to these families. Ernst works in the Department of Pathology, and she often speaks to patients with serious, metastatic prostate cancer.
"All of a sudden, your whole world just comes crashing down when you hear the words that you have cancer because you don't know what the future's going to bring,” Ernst said. “And very similarly, when you're experiencing a pregnancy or infant child loss, that future that you've planned for yourself all of a sudden comes crashing down."
Learning compassion with these patients has taught her how to address sensitive topics and unknowns, helping her better emotionally connect with the families she’s supporting through Maryland Lighthouse.
Moving forward, Ernst hopes to increase the outreach of Maryland Lighthouse, focused on obtaining more funding by spreading awareness about the organization’s goals. As always, their projects will evolve to best fit the needs of the Maryland community.
"We exist to help change that by providing compassionate support, community and space for these families to honor their children and their grief."
