Lauren Becker: How I Got Involved with Family House

Even though she lived just one block away from Family House, it took a chance interaction on Muni with one of our families for volunteer and YPAC Board Member Lauren Becker to find out about Family House.

“I thought it was a large apartment building conveniently located right across the street from UCSF - a perfect location for nurses, doctors and other hospital staff.  I did not know that 50 Irving Street was one of two houses where thousands of families have called home since 1981.”

One evening, on her way home on a crowded rush-hour N train, Lauren noticed a woman sitting with a sick child and several suitcases.  The woman placed her son on her lap and offered the seat next to her to Lauren.  Though she tried to decline, the mother insisted that Lauren take her son’s seat.

Once they were sitting together, Lauren asked the woman where she was headed.  The mother said that she and her son had been travelling via train for several hours from Northern California so that her child could receive cancer treatment at UCSF.

“Living so close to the hospital and having a car in the city, I asked her if she needed help with anything, and said that I’d be happy to go grocery shopping, or whatever else she needed. To my surprise, the mother declined my offer. With a huge smile and a small sense of relief, she told me she was being taken care of.  I asked where, and she said Family House.”

That fall evening in 2009, Lauren went online and signed up to be a volunteer.  Not only has she been a tremendous asset to Family House as a volunteer (she started with house cleaning/organizing tasks, then moved into working in the office with the development team), she is also a member of our Young Professionals Advisory Council.  Through YPAC, Lauren helps to organize fundraising events for Family House, as well as in-house activities for families, like arts & crafts and family dinner nights.  Thank you, Lauren, for being a caring part of our community.  Your love and compassion helps make Family House a home!

To learn more about volunteering with Family House, please click here: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html