March 15, 2025
You won’t find her in the history books alongside Harriet Tubman or Amelia Earhart. But volunteer Marianne Lannig is most definitely helping women change the course of their futures.
Marianne has been volunteering for LifeWay Network for 10 years. Working directly with survivors of human trafficking, she imparts skills such as financial literacy and the English language while the women are living in our safe houses, rebuilding their lives.
We spoke to Marianne for Women’s History Month to learn more about this critical and rewarding work.
JW: What was your role when you started volunteering for LifeWay Network?
ML: My job was twofold. I managed the online schedule of volunteers every month. There were roughly 60 women religious volunteers, and some lay people like myself who would serve by being present as a supportive person in the house. Presence in the house was required 24/7 so that there would be a consistent person in the house in the event of an emergency. A lot of the survivors are not English speakers, so that could be an issue in an emergency. And then COVID came along, and in-person volunteering ceased. They had to hire staff. I worked full time during the week, so I volunteered on Sundays to take a shift as well, which was nice, because a lot of the survivors didn’t work on Sundays so I got to know them in a very easy, casual kind of “sitting over breakfast and coffee in the morning” way. It proved to be very valuable and meaningful for all of us.
JW: So you were deeply involved, even though you were very busy with your family and career. What did you do before you retired?
ML: I’ve had two careers in my professional life: I worked 18 years as a social worker, and then I switched to teaching. So for 17 years I was an elementary school teacher here on Long Island,
JW: You really had almost the perfect background combination to come to this. How did you hear about LifeWay?
ML: A friend of mine who is a woman religious and I were having lunch one summer, and she happened to mention that they needed volunteers. I said, My gosh, I’d love to do that too. Do you think a layperson could do? So we went for the orientation and training, and the rest is history.
JW: And today you’re still volunteering, but in a different capacity, right? You’re teaching?
ML:Yes. So depending on the needs of the survivors in the house, I’ve done all kinds of things over the years in terms of workshops on financial literacy, workshops about personal emotional life, workshops about daily living skills, getting around the city. And then this need came up for one of the women to learn English. She was working fairly quickly after arriving at LifeWay, so her time was limited in terms of the classroom opportunities that are provided through New York City. So I said I would tutor her in English for a while.
The financial literacy workshops really arose from the women’s request to understand taxes and how much money gets taken out of their paycheck, and why, and where it goes. Banking, the importance of having a bank account, bank fees, the importance of choosing a bank that’s good for you, not necessarily the best for the bank … critical thinking is a big part of everything I do with the women.
We used to go out in the neighborhood and roam around a bit, stop for coffee somewhere or ice cream, even if we had to use Google Translate to talk to each other. I would take them out and teach them how to roam around the neighborhood, where the local stores were, how to get to them and how to behave on the sidewalks as you’re walking, etc.
JW: Tell us a little bit about the impact that you’ve seen in the lives of the survivors you’ve worked with over the years.
ML: I think every time I go into the house, it’s very important for me to speak and behave in a way that really helps the women appreciate who they are and their strengths, and that they not define themselves by what has happened to them. Because these are women who have survived. You’re not a survivor by accident — you’re a survivor on purpose. So one of my goals is always to help them fathom those depths, even within their trauma, because that is what will help them return to their best selves. That is who they are, not just a product of what happened to them.
I remember years ago, we had done a workshop on emotions and hopes and dreams, and one survivor the following Sunday said to me, “When we were doing that work on Wednesday night, you asked about our dreams.” And she was probably in her mid 20s at this point. And she said, “I have just totally let go of my dream. I used to have a dream to be a painter, and I am going to get that back.” LifeWay provides all the materials you could possibly want to begin to paint and explore that. And she did. And in fact, I have a painting here in my house she gave me when she left. That, to me, is how I can assist, how I can possibly help.
Because they don’t see it; obviously, being so traumatized, they don’t see how incredibly resilient they are. They’re there at that house. They’ve said yes. I take the word “survivor” seriously. They are smart, talented, creative people, and I believe in them. I really believe in them. And in some ways, it’s like passing it on. It’s like teaching. When you’re a teacher, you believe in children and your students, because you see in them what they don’t see in themselves. So I think believing in them and being with them, it’s really a ministry — just being present and being reliable.
JW: What makes you continue to do this work?
ML: Well, being retired is a great plus. Having seven days a week to do what you want with — that’s an extraordinary luxury. But more seriously, I think that there is nothing more important than spending your life for others. I have been very fortunate to be born a woman in New York. I’ve met women at LifeWay from all around the world, and it really opened my eyes, making me appreciate the opportunity that we just take for granted. So it’s really, really important to me to pay that forward. I’ve been very fortunate in terms of education, and I think all those gifts are not given to me for me — they’re given for others. I believe ultimately we are all connected. These women are my sisters and daughters. Their joys are mine. Their successes are my successes. I believe their return to wholeness benefits not just themselves, but the whole world.
It’s nothing short of a privilege for me to be a part of that.
The other reason I continue in this work is that I really love people. I do love people. I love meeting them and coming to know them. People are so interesting and so diverse, and it’s just a joy to be with them.
JW: That radiates from you. It’s evident. So I think that you are sharing that gift.
ML: I’m very very proud of the work done at LifeWay and so grateful for its existence because it’s a good start, but there’s a tremendous need out there. A tremendous need. I’m delighted to be a part of LifeWay’s service to the community, to women, and we need to do much more.
If you’d like to volunteer with LifeWay Network, please email contact@lifewaynetwork.org with your area of interest. We value support of all kinds, from fundraising to office help to work in the safe houses!
By Julianne Will, Marketing and Communications Specialist