20th Annual Jordan & Kyra Memorial Golf Tournament

 Perfect weather, good friends, and a great cause: the 20th Annual Jordan and Kyra Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, October 18th. Picture getting together with 150 of your golf buddies for your annual day-in-the-sun, all benefiting the Jordan & Kyra Memorial Foundation.  The Jordan & Kyra team went all-out with decorations at the Seascape Golf Club in Aptos, California - including photo boards with pictures from the last 2 decades.

The Jordan & Kyra Memorial Foundation was created in memory of Jordan Stuart and Kyra Pillsbury, and raises money for brain tumor research, and to provide free housing at Family House in San Francisco. Both Jordan and Kyra, along with their families, were guests at Family House before they lost their battles with cancer.  This annual event is a great way to cherish their memories, and keep their playful spirits alive through hope, dignity, and comfort of families currently undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

Congratulations to the Jordan & Kyra team for putting on such a successful event, and to all of the donors, volunteers, and attendees - this event shines because of you!

To see more event photos, visit:
http://on.fb.me/1dEjHpP

To learn more about the Jordan & Kyra Memorial Foundation, visit: http://www.jordanandkyra.org/

Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival Recap - September 14th and 15th

The sun was shining, the chocolate was flowing… well, it was a little melty, anyway (see the previous comment about the sun), but that didn't stop anybody from having an amazing time at the 18th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival on Beach street.

With the America's Cup racing boats behind us on the water, the foot traffic was better than usual this year. We talked with hundreds of chocolate fans - Bay Area natives, chocolate enthusiasts from across the country, and even visitors from as far away as Canada and Europe! (Now, these folks are REALLY dedicated to their chocolate addiction!)
 

Family House volunteers and staff were invited by our friends at Personality Hotels to share their booth on Sunday. The event's proceeds benefit Project Open Hand, a San Francisco nonprofit that is dedicated to feeding people with life-threatening illnesses; and so we were excited to have an opportunity to tell event attendees about the Family House mission - providing free, temporary housing to families of children with life-threatening illnesses. It was a great way to tell LOTS of people about Family House, and make new friends.

We talked with everyone who came by about Family House, and about Personality Hotels' new "Save Me, San Francisco" hotel package.  Personality Hotels came up with this great idea to help support Family House. When you stay at one of their fantastic boutique San Francisco hotels, you can add on the "Save Me, San Francisco" package, which includes a bottle of Train's award-winning Soul Sister Pinot Noir, two wine-pairing bars of Ghirardelli/Save Me, San Francisco Chocolate, late checkout (after your night on the town!), and a direct cash donation to Family House.

 This package brings together support and love from Personality Hotels and from the Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company - what could be better?  Chocolate Festival VIPs had a chance to taste some Save Me, San Francisco Wine in the Cadillac Wine and Chocolate Pavilion - and event volunteers there were able to tell the story about how rock band Train found Family House and how they've been incredible supporters ever since!  If chocolate equals love, man, this day was one serious love fest!

Big shout outs to Personality Hotels, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Train, and the Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company, and to all our friends that we saw at the chocolate festival - Three Twins Ice Cream, the San Francisco Bulls, and of course, Project Open Hand and all our new friends that we made that day!

Ready to book your stay at a Personality Hotel? Click here to add a Save Me, San Francisco package! http://info.personalityhotels.com/blog/bid/187364/Save-Me-San-Francisco

You can get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Volunteer Spotlight: Lauren Kahn

Lauren Kahn has been an invaluable asset to the Family House business office this semester. As a Volunteer Lead, she has been spending 8 hours a week helping the business office with event planning, processing donations, and writing thank you letters to our donors. Lauren has been experiencing the behind-the-scenes action of how a non-profit runs. She was also instrumental in coordinating volunteers at our annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs event in February.

Lauren, however, is no stranger to working with children, as she has volunteered at Children's Hospital of Orange County, volunteered in the ER of Garden Grove Hospital, and will volunteer at St. Mary's Hospital in the skilled nurse department. She hopes to go into a career involving children and medicine.

In her spare time, she loves baking, cooking, yoga, and zumba. Lauren has taken the role of being the bright, shining face in the office, welcoming families and helping them navigate the city, or answer questions about the house. Lauren, we love your dedication to our families and the work you do at Family House! Thank you, we wouldn't be the same without you!

You can get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Best of the Bay

Good food, good music, and good people came together once again for our 11th annual Best of the Bay Fundraiser. After more then a month of preparation the big event finally took place on June 30th. We spent two long days setting up the venue at the Metreon...With the help of co-hosts San Francisco Magazine, Dominic Phillips Event Marketing and our twenty-one sponsors we pulled together another successful event.

There were fourty-four of San Francisco's finest Restaurants featured at the event, three sweet treat specialty shops, and seventeen different beverage venders. Seven different DJs and artists played throughout the night, insuring that there was never a dull moment.

Family House held a Silent Auction at the event with 110 items for guests to bid on, of which 100% of the proceeds went directly to Family House. The items ranged from stunning jewelry to luxurious bottle of wines, weekend getaways, and gift certificates  Once again our volunteers stepped it up, with almost 200 individuals showing up over the course of the event to help make sure everything ran smoothly.

2,000 individuals came out the night of the 30th to make the Best of the Bay a huge success.

Its been two weeks since the event took place and we finally got all the auction items and thank you letters sent out. The Best of the Bay is one of the largest events Family House participates in, but we couldn't do it alone.
So a big thanks must go out to our Sponsors, our hosts at San Francisco Magazine, our Volunteers, all of the Vendors, Restaurants, and Artisits who participated in the event...and of course all of the Individuals who purchased a raffle ticket, bid on an auction item, or just came out to support Family House and enjoy the event. The event wouldn't have been the same without any of you.

So THANK YOU ALL for making our 11th Annual Best of the Bay a Night to Remember...
And until next year keep enjoying good food, good drinks, and good company!

Genentech Pays It Forward

For the last two years the company Genentech has been holding a NonProfit Expo. The Expo this year invited twenty different non-profits from around the Bay area to come and participate in the event. Family House was one of the organizations lucky enough to be chosen. The event held a raffle, silent auction, and a live auction from which the proceeds went to one of the non-profits featured at the event. Whomever won the auction item got to choose which charity their winnings went towards.

Family House was choosen to be the beneficiary of a number of the auctions items...including a signed World Series Baseball, and an all-inclusive weekend trip for two to Miami, FL. 

 

The week following the Expo was filled with volunteer projects at the various organizations that attended the event. That following Friday a group from Genentech came to our house on 10th ready to be put to work. They did a bunch of onsite projects that we had been needing to get done. No job was to big or small. They did whatever we asked with a smile on their face.

It is generous companies like Genentech that help make Family House run. Genentech is truly a company who cares about giving back to the community they are a part of, and here at Family House we are ever so grateful for their time and support.  

High School Family House Sweethearts

Every week here at Family House we try and plan activities for the Families to distract them from their Hospital Routines. It is only because of our amazing group of volunteers that we are able to do as much as we do for the Families that come here. Without them we would not have been able to grow or help nearly as many families as we have.

We get volunteers of all ages and backgrounds...but one of our most recent Volunteer Days was run by a group of high school students. They came in and made cupcakes and played videos games one afternoon about a week ago. This may not seem like that much but to the kids staying at our 10th Street House in meant the world. It helped them forget about being sick and just be a normal kid again, overloading on sugar and Play Station 2 like all the rest.

This group of High School Students may not know how much their visit meant to us and the families here at Family House... But everytime they show up they open their hearts to these kids and help show us how its the small things that really count in life.

Summer BBQ

Last friday was a beautiful summer day, and here at Family House we celebrated by throwing a BBQ for all of our families. A group of thirteen volunteers from Salesforce came in to help us put on the BBQ their company sponsered. They brought with them a positive attitude ready to be put to work, and a number of fun activities for the kids to play. There was face painting, basketball, bouncy balling creations, a beading station, and a mural project all going on throughout the afternoon. 

It is always hard when planing events for the families with volunteers just because all of our families have such different and busy schedules that are completely dependent on their appointment times and the hospital's availability. This past friday though we had an amazing turn out as multiple families were able to show up to the BBQ and enjoy the Hotdogs and Hamburgers grilled by our Volunteer Grillmaster Paul.

It was a fun filled afternoon in which the volunteers and families got to talk and play, and forget about any of the normal worries that fill their days. We always try to encourage our families and volunteers to intermingle and talk because it helps build a community of support for the families as they are all going through simirlarly difficult and trying times.

Here at Family House we want to be more then just a place to stay, we want to be a becon in the dark, a community anyone can turn to for love and support. Celebrating a Sunny Summer day with a BBQ and friends and family is just one more way Family House tries to go the extra mile.

Best of the Bay

2011 marks the 11th anniversary of San Francisco magazine’s Best of the Bay Area party—the City’s biggest bash of the year. Known for its premier food and drink, chic crowd, and amazing entertainment, the 11th anniversary party promises to be the biggest and best yet! Join San Francisco magazine and Family House as we toast the best people, places, and things making the Bay Area the very best place to live, work, and play.

WHAT: San Francisco magazine’s Best of the Bay Area Party
WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 2011 VIP: 6—11 p.m.; Main Event: 7—11 p.m.
WHERE: City View at Metreon, Fourth Floor, 101 4th Street, San Francisco
WHY: It benefits Family House

Buy tickets at click here through Monday, June 6, and save!
VIP $175 advance / $200 at the door YOU PAY ONLY $160 (PROMO CODE: FAMILYHOUSEVIP) MAIN EVENT $100 advance / $125 at the door YOU PAY ONLY $90 (PROMO CODE: FAMILYHOUSE)

Sitting down to dinner with family and friends.

Playing a game with your brother or sister.

Getting lost in your father's hug.

Waking up to your mother's voice.

When a child in the family is facing a fight with cancer, small comforts mean more than ever. At Family House, we work to provide families with children undergoing treatment at UCSF Children’s Hospital a place they can feel at home - a place of comfort, community, and courage.

Jessica Schroeder: How I Got Involved as a Volunteer with Family House

 In September 2009, Jessica Schroeder was hired at Triage Consulting Group, one of the companies that frequently participates in group volunteer projects at Family House.  With Triage, she participated in "done in a day" volunteer projects that included painting and deep-cleaning bedrooms and common areas.

"I fell in love with the organization and the mission immediately," says Jessica, and she contacted our volunteer coordinators to find out how she could get involved outside of work.  That's when she started as an Event Volunteer in her free time, helping out with various fundraising events such as Cabernet for Connoisseurs and San Francisco Magazine's Best of the Bay party.

Jessica wanted to be a bigger part of Family House, so she joined the Young Professionals Advisory Council in January 2011. As a YPAC member, Jessica was able to take on the role of Volunteer Captain at events, organizing as many as 70 volunteers for a single event.  As Senior Associate Consultant at Triage, she is now also the liaison between Family House and Triage, and is one of the leads for bigger volunteer projects like Triage Founders Day, where a group takes the lead on renovations of bedrooms by painting, installing closet organizers, and adding wall art "to make the rooms feel more like home."

When she's not at Family House, you can find Jessica running, cooking, reading, or traveling.  She'll be starting at Darden School of Business (University of Virginia) this fall.

To learn more about YPAC or volunteering with Family House, please visit our website: http://familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy Chang

 Great volunteers make their way to Family House through all sorts of different channels. Wendy Chang first heard about Family House through our very own Social Media Coordinator, Joey Kotfica. Wendy and Joey volunteer together at Project Open Hand in San Francisco. Wendy has dedicated a majority of her time to volunteering at various organizations including: Hand on Bay Area, Aidswalk SF, AIDS Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Wendy has been an extraordinary help to Family House both in the Business Office as well as at our Thanksgiving, Christmas parties and at our largest fundraiser of the year, Cabernet for Connoisseurs where over $1 Million dollars was raised.

In addition to volunteering, Wendy works part-time as an exam proctor for city and state government jobs and as a theater usher. She also enjoys reading, gardening and walking around San Francisco.

Wendy, you provide tremendous support to help events and projects run smoothly and always have a smile on your face! Thank you so much for your support at Family House!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html