Volunteer Spotlight: Jackie Ruiz

Jackie Ruiz is an extra special Family House volunteer.  She just finished 
a semester at University of San Francisco – part of her studies included service hours at the 50 Irving Street office.  Not only is she very easy going, smart, reliable, and friendly - Jackie dedicated extra hours (beyond the 100-hour university requirement) helping at Family House to ensure that the holiday card was sent out on time to important supporters, ensuring that critical services are funded.

Jackie decided to volunteer at Family House because she wanted to be a part of something that would make her grow as a person and help others.  She really wanted to give back and support a cancer organization. Her personal connection? Her own mother just celebrated being cancer-free for 5 years.

Thank you so much Jackie for all of your help this semester. Your thoughtfulness is truly touching, and we appreciate everything you have done to help keep Family House running smoothly. We adore USF volunteers and we were very excited to have your help this semester! Thank you for everything!

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

 

Wishing you Peace, Love, and Hope

Manuel spent the first 10 weeks of his life in the hospital and at Family House. This 5-lb miracle baby was born with leukemia, and at only six days old, he underwent heart surgery to close a hole in his heart. This was followed by chemotherapy to treat his cancer. The day after this photo was taken, his parents, Patty & Rosendo, would bring him home for the first time.

Please donate today so that parents like Patty and Rosendo can focus on what matters most - their baby's health:  https://familyhouse.ejoinme.org/holidaymiracles

Giving Changes Lives

Below is the text of a letter we received from a donor who is participating in the Family House "Adopt a Family" or "Secret Santa" program. It's so wonderful to hear from a family that demonstrates how giving can make such a huge impact:

Hello Amy,

Thank you for allowing our family to take part in the Family House Secret Santa. Family House took such great care of our family while Natalia was undergoing treatment at UCSF from April 2008 – March 2009. I will never forget being emergency airlifted to UCSF just before Christmas 2008. Natalia was released from the hospital the afternoon of Christmas Eve and was allowed to return home for Christmas. When we arrived back in San Francisco 2 weeks later for another hospital stay, Paul delivered presents that Santa left for Natalia and our youngest daughter Sophia. It truly filled them with the wonder of Christmas. No matter what stress our family had go through, knowing we had a place to stay where people cared tremendously was always a comfort.

I hope that we can help bring a smile to another family. Merry Christmas!

Best Wishes,
Roni V

For information on the Secret Santa program, please contact Karen Banks at kbanks@familyhouseinc.org or (415) 514-6663

Click here to read the details about the Family House Secret Santa program: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/events.html#communityevents

Volunteer Spotlight: Raissa Bump

Raissa Bump has volunteered as the Family House Yoga instructor for the past 3 years. She heard about Family House through a previous volunteer. Raissa is dedicated to providing monthly yoga sessions to the families at Family House.  Each month she sets up a yoga class and offers the service to families and staff. She is able to teach all levels, from beginner to advanced, and takes extra caution when working directly with the patients. 

Yoga helps relieve some of the emotional, social, and physical stresses that our families are going through. Yoga practices breathing techniques, behavioral guidelines, and physical posture improvements that can be incredibly valuable.

Besides donating her time by volunteering with Family House, Raissa has a thriving business selling amazing jewelry, handmade knit items, and gorgeous clothing.

Raissa, we love your energy and dedication to the families each time you visit Family House. Thank you!

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

Saint Veronica Student Council Serves Sensational Family House

by Diego M., Kyle McA., Tory P., Alex M., and Maya McG

On Friday, November 15, St. Veronica Student Council visited Family House in San Francisco. Family House acts as a “home away from home” for families with children that have terminal illnesses. Family House provides a place where they can take a break and live their normal life in a less hectic way. These families’ original homes are at least 50 miles away from UCSF Children’s Hospital. Being that far away from the hospital and having to drive back and forth everyday can exhaust the families. Staying at Family House brings them much closer to the hospital, and it models their lives back at home.

Once we arrived at Family House, we were taken aback at how much this organization does to support the families in need, and we were excited to work as its partner. At Family House, Student Council members were split up into three teams to stock the food pantries with donations we bought with money from our Haunted House and with food we received from our Bake Sale. Each group put the donations we collected as a school on the shelves for the families to take and eat. The groups wiped down the food packages to keep bacteria away and organized the pantries so that in the future, families can find food quickly and easily. Each floor also received new pillows and towels (donated by S.V.) that Student Council helped to put away. We did this because after a long day, some of the families just want to eat dinner and prepare for the next day of treatment. Family House is clean and organized so the families’ lifestyles won’t be chaotic.

Our experience at Family House changed our perspective on exactly how an entire family is affected when one member is sick. We take our health and our homes for granted, while these families wish they were at home in good health. In the future, we would love to help Family House even more.

Thank you Family House for our great experience!

From all of us at Family House, thank you, St. Veronica students, for being outstanding volunteers and giving back to your community!

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

University of San Francisco Volunteers

Love this new University of San Francisco video featuring Family House CEO (and USF Alum) Alexandra Morgan:

Read the full article here: http://www.usfca.edu/Newsroom/Equipped_to_Lead_and_Succeed/Alumna_is_Chief_Executive_in_the_Fight_Against_Cancer/

Time Lapse Construction of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House

Check out this fun time lapse video of the start of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay! We broke ground on September 17, 2014, and will open our doors to 80 families per night in January, 2016! Read more about the project here: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/mission-bay.html

Volunteer Spotlight: Paul & Leslie Radcliffe

Family House volunteers are some of the most dedicated, understanding, and caring individuals there are! Two amazing volunteers who have come to Family House are husband and wife Paul and Leslie Radcliffe. Paul and Leslie have become regulars several times a month at Family House by hosting monthly family dinners, helping on Saturday volunteer days, and providing event support at Family House fundraisers.

Leslie Radcliffe began volunteering with Family House when she took over managing an online group called Giving Tree through the website Meetup.com. Leslie plans and organizes different volunteer opportunities with non-profit organizations throughout the city. In addition to helping at Family House with dinners and Saturday activities, she and Paul have volunteered at Family House’s Young Professional Advisory Council’s 1st Annual Shipwrecked boat party in 2012. With volunteers such as Leslie and Paul, the event raised over $17,000 for Family House. Leslie will also be volunteering at the Bubbles & Bling event in November 2013.

Thank you so much to Leslie and Paul for your dedication to the families staying at Family House. You thoughtful meals and help at events and on the weekends enable Family House to continue to provide the services we offer! We are so lucky to have such amazing community support!

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

Volunteer Spotlight: Tricia Redor

Tricia Redor first heard about Family House through the Psychology Practicum class at the University of San Francisco, as do many of our USF volunteers. She was moved to help families and their children going through serious illness.

Tricia started helping Family House through managing group projects for the Volunteer Program, such as showing new volunteers where all the supplies are kept, and training them on setting up donations during our monthly give-away days. She has been instrumental in helping the Operations staff with house projects that include laundry, painting, cleaning carpets in bedrooms, and other necessary tasks to make sure the house is a clean and safe environment for immune-compromised children and their families.

Tricia has also given her time to working as a tutor, mentor, kitchen helper, office aide, and research assistant. She has experience working with children and homeless populations: she has volunteered at Glide and Project Open Hand, where she helped prepare and serve meals to those in need.

She spends her free time drawing, painting, running outdoors, listening to music, and going on adventures with her family and friends.

Thank you Tricia for caring for the families of Family House all semester!

Learn more about volunteering at Family House at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Giving Comfort

Family House is a proud distribution partner of Giving Comfort, a program that provides free "comfort kits" to cancer patients nationwide. These wonderful kits are tailored to the needs of cancer patients, with goodies like a warm blanket, a stuffed animal, games, crayons, and animal crackers - items designed to help the physical and emotional comfort of patients while they go through the unpleasantness (and boredom) of cancer treatment. Thank you, Giving Comfort, for sharing love and coziness to kids in need!


Sign up to learn more about Giving Comfort at: http://www.givingcomfort.org/

Family House Partners with Coach Art

Family House is very excited with our new partnership with Coach Art - this program is great in so many ways - it offers an ongoing experience for talented volunteers who want to help sick kids and their siblings in recreational activities. This is an opportunity to work with a child over a long period of time, rather than a one-time volunteer experience.

Coach Art gives volunteer teachers an opportunity to see their students grow and thrive, and to see how they are really impacting the students' lives. On the flip side, it gives students a regular opportunity to do something creative that interests them; it's dedicated attention, and something to look forward to each week.

We love that Coach Art includes siblings, too, since the whole family is affected by one child's illnesses.  For longer stays at Family House, families are away from home for months at a time. Kids are pulled away from their regular community of school and friends (and teams and art and music classes), and may not have this kind of outlet available to them through Child Life Services at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.  Child Life provides a wonderful complement of services to patient families, but they simply can't recreate all the comforts of home.

Thank you, Coach Art Mentors for helping to bring a bit of home to Family House kids!

http://www.coachart.org

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

Volunteer Spotlight: Joey Jordan

Family House has a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with the University of San Francisco. We have had a number of volunteers come to volunteer each semester through Service-Learning classes, as well as community clubs on campus.     For the first time, Family House has its own ACE student for the 2015-2015 school year. ACE stands for Advocates for Community Engagement, and is focused on “developing socially responsible, civically-engaged student leaders who facilitate quality service-learning experiences for all stakeholders and advocate for the common good of the community” per the USF ACE website. During the 2015-2013 school year, ACEs managed and led reflective activities for over 200 service-learning students.

Family House’s amazing ACE student, Joey Jordan, will be working with 14 USF students this semester, as well as providing his own service hours to help Family House at events, manage volunteers, and even TEACH Zumba lessons to the families. Joey is very inspired by Family House and is excited to support in any way he can.

He was drawn to Family House as he can understand how hard it is for a family going through treatments when they are so far from their own families.
       
When Joey is not volunteering or working on school work, he enjoys running in Golden Gate Park, spending time admiring the scenery, as well as volunteering at various non-profits including Project Open Hand, St. Vincent de Paul, and Raphael House.

Thank you Joey for all of your help this year at Family House!

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

Ronin, Warrior Princess

Watch the latest Family House Family Stories video: Ronin, Warrior Princess

See all the Family Stories videos at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/videos.html

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! Family House supports families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses being treated at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.  With your support, we provide comfort, community, courage, and dignity, cost-free to all families.

http://www.familyhouseinc.org

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

Family House Short Video

This video features Family House staff and families, and doctors from the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, and is a great look into the mission of Family House.

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html  

More Than a Hat, an interview with Brenda Orr

How did you first hear of Family House, and why did you decide to get involved?

I first heard about Family House when one of the teachers at Toro Park School (in Salinas, California) asked the staff if they could donate caps in the month of December to give to Family House.  When I went shopping, I could only afford 1-2 caps; [but I realized] I could pick out a pattern and sew caps a lot cheaper.  That was the start of my fleece cap campaign.  I’ve been making them ever since.

Fleece hats are your signature, how do you come up with the patterns and designs?

The pattern is from a pattern book.  There are only 2 pattern pieces.  They’re easy to cut out and easy to sew.  I buy fabric from a store in Morgan Hill that gives me discounts.  I buy fabric about once a month.  I love the old town Morgan Hill, so I treat myself to a trip downtown and visit my favorite shops.

When I make my caps, I usually make 20-30 or more.  I try to make an equal number of boys and girls caps.  I also make various sizes.

What do you do when you’re not making hats for Family House?

I am currently trying to get involved with the “Look Good, Feel Better” program through the American Cancer Society.  I like to make hats for ladies.  I have 3 different styles that I sew.

I am newly retired from teaching.  I am able to sew, swim, hike, read, take small trips, volunteer, and update my condo.

Last thoughts?

I’m real impressed with Family House.  The way they treat their patients and families is wonderful.  They’re organized and inspired.  Keep up the good work!

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

Staff Spotlight: Paul Goold

Interview with Paul Goold, Director of Operations

How did you come to be at Family House?

My wife, Megan, was the Resident Manager here at Family House and that was in September of 1997 or 1998. Then in 2001 I became a Weekend Manager. And in 2002 I became the Resident Manager.

How has Family House changed since you first started?

When I first started, Megan and I were living in the manager’s unit at the 50 Irving Street house – we had only 10 bedrooms available for families, and at the time, this was the only building Family House had to work with. It was light and lean; a wonderful small nonprofit serving families primarily in the oncology department. We had three rooms for patients receiving chemotherapy, three rooms for bone marrow transplant patients, and three rooms for radiation patients. There was an unfortunate limitation of families served due to our limited resources. Then in 2002, when we opened the new house on 10^th and Irving, we were able to help house the entire out-of-town pediatric oncology patient population. We went from ten rooms to thirty-four rooms, and that was very exciting!  

What are some of your favorite Family House memories?

Definitely giving guitar lessons to kids, singing songs with the kids, and Christmases are definitely a highlight. I will always remember being Santa Claus on Christmas Eve - putting presents outside families’ doors and giving them just a little jolt of good Christmas cheer while they are all so far away from home. Nothing is as satisfying as being able to give these families a little bit of happiness while they are going through such a difficult time in life.

Learn more about the caring staff at Family House:  http://www.familyhouseinc.org/staff.html

Thanking the Community

Family House is fortunate to have such wide community support - everything from Inner Sunset neighbors who solicit donations on our behalf to international companies who rally hundreds of employees behind us for donations and volunteer hours.  We truly could not provide the services of Family House without the support of every member of our community!

Recently, we were contacted by Golden Gate Pedicab company - they wanted to know what they could do to help.  After some discussion, it was decided that they would give free rides along the Embarcadero to families from the Ferry Building to Pier 39 - a perfect "tourist" experience for families who are otherwise disabled and distracted by medical treatment, and can't take advantage of visiting San Francisco.

Then our volunteer coordinators, Greg and Karen, put their heads together, and said, "Who else do we know downtown who has offered to help Family House?"  Pier 39 donated VIP passes for the day, and Ben & Jerry's provided the ice cream for our special guests.

It is through the efforts and kindness of these special people in San Francisco that we were able to help families forget about their troubles for an afternoon.  Sunshine, ice cream, and a tour along the San Francisco Bay - what could be better?

Thank you to Golden Gate Pedicab, PIER 39, and Ben & Jerry's for this special day, and for all you do for Family House families!  Love!

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

Volunteer Spotlight: Jordan Phan and Justin Azar

How does one define an amazing volunteer? Family House defines this as dependable, friendly, outgoing, and motived, with a strong desire to help families. With that being said, we have had the pleasure of having two amazing and devoted summer high school volunteers - Jordan Phan (graduating class of 2014) and Justin Azar (graduating class of 2015). Not only did they volunteer for the program last year, they have also stepped it up to lead an entire team of high school volunteers during the summer of 2013. Jordan and Justin were introduced to Family House at the 2012 St. Ignatius Volunteer Fair, where they received information about the Family House Summer Volunteer Program. Their creativity, drive, and ideas were key in completing the summer project to make a Thank You video for the band Train.

What makes these two so special is that they came back to Family House to lead the next year’s class of summer volunteers. They planned and managed activities for the incoming sophomores and juniors for the summer 2013 Program. They have brought their own special talents to Family House as well. Justin isn't just the top swimmer at his school; he also loves to bake, and has led some tasty activities including baking cakes, cookies, and other treats for the families. (He plans to return to Family House in 2014 to lead the next group of Summer Volunteers!) Jordan, who will graduate high school this coming school year, has plans to attend medical school. She has participated in another service learning project at Habitat for Humanity, and currently attends undergraduate anatomy classes at Stanford University.

Thank you so much to Justin and Jordan for your amazing abilities, your creativity, and the care you give to the Family House mission. Family House adores you both, and we look forward to seeing you succeed in your future endeavors!  You have both worked so hard over the past year and half, and Family House wouldn’t be the same without you!

To see the photos from the Summer Volunteer Program, click here: http://www.facebook.com/FamilyHouseSF

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