Become a Family House Volunteer Leader

Do you have what it takes to be a Volunteer Leader? 

Family House Volunteer Leaders have the unique opportunity to manage volunteer groups that visit Family House to host meals and other activities which are important for the families staying with us. The leadership role will include training new volunteers, welcoming and orienting group volunteers, completing house tasks, managing volunteer projects, and spending time with the families we serve. 

Interactions with families are essential to our organization and we need your help to lead events that foster impactful moments. Becoming a Volunteer Leader is a fantastic way to meet families, create friendships, learn leadership skills, build your resume, and give back to the local nonprofit community. Volunteer Leaders will have the opportunity to manage volunteer groups and activities during the mornings between 7:30am - 10:30am for breakfast; or evenings between 4:00pm - 7:00pm for dinner. 

We are asking Leaders to commit to 1 shift per week for 6 months (or longer). Ideal candidates are independent, self-starters, flexible, and determined to improve the lives of Family House families.

Volunteers are critical for the success of Family House and your leadership could be crucial to the support we offer our families. Consider becoming a Volunteer Leader and make a lasting impact on our children and families. 

To volunteer at Family House, applicants are required to complete a volunteer application, background check, photo release, and submit immunizations. We work with immunocompromised children and our requirements are for the health and safety of our families.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Tarence Dixon at tdixon@familyhouseinc.org 

Rockstar Volunteer: Jillian Wong, Intern

Meet Jillian Wong, a recent Family House intern. Hear why volunteering at Family House is so important to her and her entire family, and about the difference you can make by volunteering at Family House.

Rockstar Volunteer: Caroline Mierzwa

Caroline Mierwza is a senior at Carmel High School who interned at Family House during the summer of 2016. She has always had a passion for volunteering, and it showed through her extraordinary service. She plans on being a pediatrician, and from our time with her, we know she will be incredible.

During her time at Family House, she mastered multiple roles, including conducting orientations with new families, guiding tours with visitors, leading volunteer groups, and even directing her peers in our Summer High School Volunteer Program.  She became so skilled in each department of Family House that we began to view her as part of the staff.

Caroline loves to cook, paint, draw, read, and hike, and she brought those talents to Family House. She even hosted a Family Dinner for our families, preparing the entire meal from scratch. She developed into such a reliable asset that we all (families included!) came to depend on her. Caroline’s service was invaluable - thank you, Caroline!



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

The Intern's Look Back...

It has been exactly a month since I left San Francisco and my work family at Family House. 

I can still remember my first day at Family House...I was so excited, but nervous. I really wanted to make a good impression. Its crazy how fast time flies. Those three months went by in the blink of an eye, but there was time enough for me to see what a special place Family House really is. 

Looking back I remember starting this blog as a fun side project. I wanted a way for Family House's extended family (patients, parents, siblings, volunteers, donors, staff, board members...everyone basically) to be kept up to date about what Family House was doing. It didn't take long for this blog to become so much more than that. I remembering writing one of my first weeks about the Family House spirit, about how inspired I was by the people I worked with, and how blessed/lucky/spoiled I was to be able to work with them. It definitely was the best first job after Undergrad I could have ever asked for.
The people who work at Family House are a special group of individuals.
One of the families I interviewed said, "It is like everyone here is doing exactly the job they were meant to be doing."
I can relate to that grandmother's sentiment as I saw more compassion and heart in the people I worked with then I ever thought humanly possible. They were always willing to go out of their way to help out any family in any way that they could...sometimes even pulling money out of their own pockets to try and help. They took me in as one of their own from day one, and made me feel as though I was at home. We were more then just coworkers... we were a FAMILY.
Its honestly kind of weird how much I have thought about each of them since I left...but when you are part of something great you can't help but miss it I guess.
And Family House really is a special place...it is the type of place that brings anyone and everyone in with a warm embrace. It is there if you need a shoulder to cry on...a joke to make you laugh... or a person to remind you that you are important and loved.

To my Family House work family... I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of the Family...I miss you all everyday...but I find comfort in knowing that you are doing exactly what you were meant to...you are all using your wonderful light to touch the lives of everyone who finds their way to Family House. They are all so lucky to have you.

So Until We Meet Again...I am sending you All of My LOVE!
Miss you all the way beyond the stars and back!

<3 Jill

Its True..

It's your friendly Intern Jill again...and I just wanted to give you an update on how things are going.

I cannot believe it has been almost a month since I started working here. Time has just flown by. I have been really busy helping Jessica out with our Annual Best of the Bay fundraiser. But in between all the hustle and bustle of sorting through auction items, I have become a part of the life here at Family House. I have become a part of the Family House "family". I call it that because that is what its like working here. My boss Alexandra is the Greek Mother I never had always making sure I get something to eat who wears her big heart on her sleeve. Susan and Jessica are part supervisors, part teachers, part moms, and part friends. They make sure not only that I understand the jobs that they give me, but that I get out of the office to walk around and explore the city...and they listen to all of my crazy ideas (like this blog). On Fridays when Susan isn't here or when Jessica comes in late, I definitely miss their presence.

The first couple of weeks Alexandra made fun of me for being too serious and all work, because she thinks work should be fun. She wants us to be more then just coworkers, she wants us to be a family so that we can celebrate together when we get a donation, or when a volunteer does anything, and especially when a child overcomes an obstacle. She wants us to be empathetic and be emotionally invested so we know what we are working for. And after three weeks working here I am beginning to get how much of a home away from home this really is, not just for the Families who stay with us, but for the employees who work here. This is a place that will always be waiting with open arms for anyone and everyone who needs a place to give them hope and comfort...at least that is what I have found, and I am so glad I have two more months with my new work family.

Monthly Yoga

Once a month Family House has a Volunteer Yoga Instructor, Raissa Bump, come in to teach a class for the families and staff here. Yesterday I had the opportunity to join the class. We set up our yoga mats in the fourth floor living room, and for an hour escaped the "To Do" lists and stresses of the day to enjoy the calming power of Yoga. It was the smallest yoga class I have ever been to, and probably one of the most relaxing. The teacher spent extra time on each one of us insuring we got the most benefit out of each position.

An avid yoga practitioner myself, I strongly believe in the healing power of yoga. After five years of going to yoga classes on and off, I can tell you first hand how beneficial Yoga is for your peace of mind and health. The fact that Family House provides such a service to the families living here and the individuals who work here just goes to show what an amazing Organization they really are. They try to provide every amenity so the people using their facilities can feel not only at home, but at peace as they face some of the hardest battles of their lives.

At the end of your hour of yoga the teacher and students exchange the greeting Namaste, a Sanskrit word that roughly translates: "I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, We are one" ....such a place exists here at Family House.

Summer Intern - A Brief Introduction

My name is Jill Ferguson and I am a Family House intern this summer. I have only been here a week, but it only took a day for me to fall in love with this organization and the people who work here.

(Allie Safran-Left & Me-Right)

Originally from Seattle, Washington I just finished my undergraduate degree at the University of San Diego. Last Fall as graduation was approaching I started making plans for the future. I had heard about Family House through my friend Allie Safran, who had interned here two summers ago and absolutely loved it. I loved San Francisco and had always wanted to live there for a little while, plus the idea of getting experience working for a non-profit really excited me. (See I am going to Grad School in the Fall to get my Masters in Human Rights...so non-profits and I get along really well). So I emailed Alexandra like crazy over Winter Break, and after a phone interview I was lucky enough to get the job.

While going to college the hope is that not only will we find a job after graduation, but that we will find one that we are passionate about, that inspires us to jump out of bed in the morning and makes us feel like we are doing something important with our life. This is exactly the attitude I have found in the staff here at family house. They help families through some of the hardest times in their lives, giving them more then just a place to stay, but a home and a family to turn to, to celebrate the victories, and to grieve over the loses.

Though this job is only temporary, I am already inspired by the people I work with. They give me hope for the future. They prove the DREAM does exist, we can find work that is both meaningful and fun. This is the best first post-grad job I could have ever asked for, and they have set the bar high for future employers.