Thursday, July 30, 2015

Rockstar Volunteer: Anna Vidovszky

Volunteer Leaders during the summer semester take on responsibilities above and beyond the duties of the Leaders in the Fall/Spring semesters.  They supervise weeknight Family Dinner nights hosted by various community groups, they manage the Summer High School Volunteer Program (with up to 15 students at one time), and also work summer fundraising events that provide additional income to Family House.

A very special Volunteer Leader this summer is  Anna Vidovszky. 
She has gotten to know Family House very well by helping in almost every department of Family House.  She has been a key volunteer this summer - helping to manage over 15 corporate groups!  With each group,  Anna explains the Family House mission, discusses the day’s volunteer project, and shows the volunteers where all the supplies are.

Anna has been a huge help to the Volunteer Program, as well as to other staff members by helping out with office projects.

Not only does Anna volunteer at Family House, but she also has volunteered for the CCHAT center in Sacramento, and the Emotion, Health, and Psychophysiology Lab at UCSF in the past.  She is currently volunteering as a Research Assistant in the Neurology Department at UCSF.

When Anna has a spare moment, she loves reading, writing, cooking, traveling, playing piano, and horseback riding.  Anna has gotten to know a lot of the volunteers and families, and is a huge help to the Volunteer Program. Thank you Anna for being amazing! Family House wouldn’t be the same without you!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Summer Volunteering

Skip the beach one day this summer and spend a day warming your heart and soul by volunteering at Family House!

There are so many easy ways for families, community groups, and corporate teams to help our community of families going through a medical crisis. Now is a great time to introduce Family House to a friend or find out if your company has volunteer matching hours.

Find the volunteer project that suits your schedule best: spend a few hours rolling up your sleeves on maintenance projects at the 10th Avenue House; drop by our office with gas cards or gift cards for families; organize a garage sale or lemonade stand to raise money; or plan to host a family dinner; volunteer opportunities can fit into any busy summer schedule.

Family House is for everyone, and summer is a great time to get involved. Reach out to Greg Mora (gmora@familyhouseinc.org) or Karen Banks (kbanks@familyhouseinc.org) at (415) 514-6663 to learn more. Community involvement is the bedrock for creating a strong network of support for all of our families in need. We hope to hear from you soon!

http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Monday, July 20, 2015

Healthcare Hospitality Week

Family House is proud to celebrate Healthcare Hospitality Week, celebrating our families and Healthcare Hospitality Houses nationwide!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Staff Spotlight: Tyler Scurr

Meet Tyler Scurr, the "newest" Family House staff member!

How did you come to be at Family House?
In 2010, I was home from college for the summer and was looking for a job. I knew about Family House through my mom, Kim Scurr, who is a Family House Board Member and Executive Director of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Family House was looking for a summer intern, so I interviewed with CEO Alexandra Morgan, and then spent the summer at Family House. I worked on and off since then, and around March of 2014, I joined the regular Weekend Manager staff. I’ve been working at Family House an average of 2 weekends a month (plus holidays!) since then.

How has Family House changed since you first started?We have more new people on staff than before, and the scope of the organization was a lot smaller. Of course, the fact that there’s a new building going up in Mission Bay is really cool and exciting. That’s the main thing that’s changed - we’re getting bigger - but we’re providing the same kind and quality of service that we have since I started here.

What are some of your favorite Family House memories?
There were 4 families staying at once that all had little kids, around 6 or 7, and every day that I came in, I got to play with the kids all day. They needed a lot of attention, but I was happy to give it to them.

I also got pretty close to one of the dads, Daniel, because he and his family were staying with us for a while. He and I made a bet, and I lost, and he got to shave my head.

Getting to know the families is the best part of my job.

Click here to learn about how you can get involved at Family House.