Family Breakfast

Every morning, Family House staff and volunteers prepare a healthy breakfast for families to enjoy together or take on their way home or to the hospital. Thank you to the donors who help make this happen! Special thanks to: Peerless Coffee and Tea, who have been supporting Family House since our old Inner Sunset days; The Fruitguys, who provide fresh fruit for every day of the year; Starbucks on 3rd Street for donating all kinds of tasty pastries (breakfast dessert, anyone?); and Neighbor Bakehouse on 3rd Street for donating amazing sweet and savory pastries. Combined with hot and cold cereal, yogurt, and juice options, we strive to make sure every family starts their day off right. Thank you to all who make it happen!

Holiday Party!

Ho Ho Happy Holidays! Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Family House holiday party - so much merriment! Volunteer chefs took over 2 kitchens - one with traditional American Christmas dishes, like ham and roasted veggies (thank you, Brasch family and friends!) - and the other with Mexican favorites, including tamales - yum (thank you, Gina Gorman and staff from The Madrone and GB Group)! There were appetizers and so many homemade desserts by the Family House Family Services committee and Family House board members, and entertainment by DJ Raul and the amazing Magic Mike and Magic Genii (who were truly magical!), plus folks in festive character costumes (thank you Bobby Thomas and friends - Nick, Jason, Kamron, Tom, Ted, Matt, David F., Kim, David L., Spencer, DeAnne, Janelle, Natalia, Bernadette, John, and Anthony). Thank you to our annual Christmas elves including Alyson and James and the Wong family, everyone who volunteered, donated toys and holiday stockings, and contributed to Family House magic at the holidays!

Check out photos from the party, and see the photos with Santa!

Family House Families are Real Superheroes

For Halloween, lots of kids like to dress up as their favorite superhero, but we’d like to acknowledge how the children at Family House are year-round superheroes. The patients here often endure terrible treatments in order to save their lives - and usually, they are the bravest people in the room! Even when they aren’t feeling well, the children at Family House are kids first: they want to play, they want to cuddle, and they want to be normal kids. Sometimes they even put on a brave face so their parents won’t worry. 

Their siblings, whether at Family House or back at home, are equally strong and deserve their own recognition. It’s hard to be concerned for the health and happiness of a brother or a sister who is going through treatments; it’s hard to have parents who are worried and stressed; it’s hard when the whole family can’t be together. Even for a child who is well, having a sick sibling can have negative physical and emotional consequences, and we want to acknowledge them for their strength, patience, and compassion.

And let’s not forget the parents, who go above and beyond for their children, often putting their own wellness aside. We love you, SuperMoms and SuperDads, and applaud you for all you do!

This Halloween, when you see superheroes out trick or treating - remember that we have some of the most amazing superheroes right here at Family House - every day.

"Here Comes Summer" by Elan Slavin

Here Comes Summer
by Elan Slavin

I can always count on the poet, Shel Silverstein to find the most empathetic, funny, thoughtful way of communicating universal truths.  And the truth is:  Summer is here and if we don’t take a few moments to enjoy it, it will pass as all seasons do.

“Here Comes”

Here comes summer,
Here comes summer,
Chirping robin, budding rose,
Here comes summer
Here comes summer,
Gentle showers, summer clothes
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer-
Whoosh-shiver-there it goes.

Summer can be fun AND summer can be tough for families and kids as everyone’s routines are interrupted.  Kids are on break from school, the weather changes and often times it makes it difficult to play outside and participate in activities that you normally do. Friends and built-in support systems are no longer as “built-in” and available,  and feelings of boredom and isolation become very common.

Here are a few summer time/anytime activities that just might break up the boredom and encourage some summertime fun!
-          Plan a Disney movie marathon
-          Gather a few well- worn items of clothing and TYE-DYE them!
-          Build a fort in your living room!
-          Have breakfast for dinner
-          Star Gaze, of course with a mug of hot chocolate
-          Paint rocks
-          Plan a family Karaoke night
-          Go “camping” in your own backyard
-          On Fridays, eat dessert FIRST for dinner
-          Plant a tree
-          Cook a favorite family recipe together

Summer can be fun for some and rough for others.  It’s always a good reminder to “Put Something In”

Draw a crazy picture,

Write a nutty poem,

Sing a mumble-gumble song.

Whistle through your comb.

Do a loony-goony dance

‘Cross the kitchen floor.

Put something silly in the world

That ain’t been there before.

-Shel  Silverstein

Spring Has Sprung... Kind of!

Spring Has Sprung... Kind of!
by Elan Slavin, MSW

As we head into April, we’re experiencing a few more precious moments of sunshine than last month.  Our California reservoirs are filled to the brim, but the rain keeps coming. Here are a few suggestions of how to take advantage of the few moments of sunshine.

Maybe start your own veggie garden or plant a few flowers to tend to.  It doesn’t have to be much.  It might be fun to take care of them and watch them grow!

Take a walk or a stroll around your neighborhood.  Take notice of how all of the recent rain has made everything so green!!!

And when the rain just won’t stop:

It might be time to let go of some of our well-used and well-loved items and do some [more] spring cleaning. Sometimes it’s more difficult for parents than kids to go through well-loved clothes that no longer fit or toys that no longer are age appropriate and say goodbye. Spring cleaning is a wonderful time to also model for our kids how to “pay it forward.”

 

A suggestion: Meet your child in their space like a bedroom, or wherever your child keeps his or her things. Go through each piece of clothing or each toy with your child.  Together, offer that item a hug of gratitude for bringing them comfort, joy, and wonderful memories and decide to donate! Maybe suggest to your child the idea that perhaps someone they know or someone they don’t know could use something THEY loved and used.  You can explain that “paying it forward” would mean giving away something that meant something to you might benefit someone else. Again, letting go is hard, but what a great opportunity to model compassion.

April Rain Song by Langston Hughes

 

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

 

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night-

 

And I love the rain

Rain Rain Go Away - Rainy Day Activities

Rain! Rain! Go away! Come again some other day…!

While the rain is a good thing for our beloved state and our all-to empty reservoirs, it may be keeping us (and our kids) in doors more than usual. UGH! What to do???

Since Spring is most definitely in the air, maybe it’s time to start some Spring cleaning? Maybe it’s time to renew or reboot some family rituals that may have been delegated to that “back burner.” Here are a few suggestions that may help to make these rainy days a bit more fun.

Spring Cleaning!

Have a quick family meeting. Decide on a few things:

1.       Come to a consensus (as best you can) on which room in your home could really use a thorough cleaning.

2.       Decide who gets to choose the FIRST song that’s played as you clean.  Singing while you clean makes it so much more fun and way more time efficient. Make sure to alternate the family member who gets to choose the song so everyone has fun! Before you know it, the room you chose to clean is spotless and it’s on to the next one!

3.       Make clear what each family members responsibility is while cleaning

4.       Provide safe and easy to use cleaning materials and….

5.       BLAST THE MUSIC-and HAVE FUN!!!

Simon Says - Reboot Family Game Night! 

This might be a fun, indoor, rainy-day game for kids and parents of all abilities. One person is designated “Simon.” (It may be fun to use your child’s name like, “Sarah says”, or “Jonathan says” if they are directing the game) Remember how it’s played?

1.       One person is designated “Simon”, the others are players.

2.       Standing (or sitting) in front of the group, “Simon” tells players what they must do. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words “Simon Says.”

3.       Example: If Simon says, “Simon says blink your eyes” then the players must blink their eyes.  But if Simon says, “blink your eyes” and the players obey that command, they’re out of the game.  Why? Because “Simon” didn’t say “Simon Says.”

(Re)Create a Bedtime Ritual

 If you haven’t already, or are in need of something new, create a bedtime routine for yourself and/ or for your child in order to prepare for bed each night. You can get creative and make it work for you. Maybe at a certain time of night, all screens get powered down, and relaxing music is put on at a low volume. Or maybe after your child takes a bath, you meet on your bed for story-time. Or while your child is preparing for bed, you take 5 minutes and take a few deep breaths and offer yourself a hug filled with deep gratitude for having made it through another day.  Sometimes a new ritual or a small change to an old one can be just the thing to make our lives feel a bit refreshed and renewed.

What are your ideas for beating the rainy day blues?

A Letter to Family House

January 16, 2019

Kneeland, California

Dear Family House families, staff, and friends,

Happy new year! Since my son finished a three and a half-year course of treatment for leukemia last September, I’ve had some time to reflect on what Tristan and our family went through during that period, and what that period, much of it spent at Family House, means to me. I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

First things first: I have no regrets. Of course, if I were given the choice, I would choose for my toddler son to not develop leukemia. I’d be a nutter otherwise. But I didn’t get to make that choice, and there are lots of things in my life that are not the way they would have been if we had not been through all that we went through. They’re better. Tristan and I share a wonderful closeness; I’m a different person from the one I was before, more confident and willing to take on new challenges that would have been prohibitively intimidating before; and I now have in my life a group of incredible friends whom I would not otherwise have met. Most of these people – warrior moms and warrior kids, I call them – I met at Family House.

Sitting around the dining table at the old Family House in the Sunset District, and later in the sunny, new Mission Bay kitchens, one by one I met people – parents and kids – who were so bravely toughing it out through the most horrendous experiences you can imagine. I saw such love from parents, for example when teenage Bianca’s father stood protectively behind her chair while she told me the story of her double lung transplant. It was like he needed to be as near to her as possible to guard her while she replayed the story, and, if you heard the story, that would make sense. Bianca, you are one tough chick. I felt such kindness from parents who, in solidarity over the fear and uncertainty we faced every day, shared their love with me – I’ll never forget those delicious enchiladas that Kristina, Ivan’s mom, fed me one night. Thank you, Kristina, for your warmth and generosity, and for your husband’s salsa, which was amazing. I saw such strength in warrior moms who were fighting for their kids with every neutrophil and platelet in their mama bodies, and who were finding creative ways to make it all okay. Coco, those henna designs covering your daughter’s bald head were stunning; I’ve never seen anything like it.

I learned and grew with each warrior mom and warrior kid I met, and I’m not the same person I was when Tristan and I began this whole adventure. I know much more about how people suffer, but, more importantly, I know much more about how strong people, including me, can be, and about how much love is out there, and that there is a lot of good in the universe. Thanks, Family House, for connecting me with others who taught me these things.

Much love,

Toni

Family Stories: Felicita and Maria

Felicita has been coming to Family House since 2006, when she first traveled from Guam to the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco for medical treatment for her infant daughter, Maria. Hear how they are doing now, and why the bonds they form at Family House are so important for healing.

https://youtu.be/vK-P5feoys4

Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Wong

Volunteer Spotlight: Mike Wong

Family House heavily depends on volunteers, and when our weekly volunteers are able to stay connected to help out week after week, it is a huge benefit to the organization. Mike Wong has been volunteering consistently as our of our Office Volunteers for over a year. He first volunteered with Family House as an employee at Salesforce through New Hire Training & Orientation in 2016. He felt so connected to the mission that he came back as an individual volunteer to help with events and back office data entry. With his knowledge, skills, and abilities he is able to help improve efficiency and overall effectiveness in thanking our wonderful donors.

Mike has even gotten his kids involved, and they donated stocking stuffer gifts for our families during the holiday season. His son Sean joined the 2018 Summer High School Program to have a deeper engagement and understanding of Family House.

Thank you, Mike, for all you have done over the past 2 years and we hope that you continue to volunteer with Family House for many years to come!

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

Staff Spotlight: Luis Gay

 Name: Luis Gay

Where did you grow up?
San Diego in a town called Point Loma.

Position at Family House:
Hospitality Services Coordinator

Reason for working at Family House:
The reason I work here is because I love interacting with families, listening to their different stories and experiences, and helping them feel comfortable through what might be a difficult situation.

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco:
Picnics at Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, and Baker Beach

What makes you special?
When I was in marching band, I played the saxophone and spun rifles in the color guard.

What's the story behind the picture?
This is a picture of me hiking at Glen Canyon. My classmates and I were catching dragonflies.

Staff Spotlight: Cait Spitek

Name: Cait Spitek

Where did you grow up? 
I was born and raised in Woodland, CA

Position at Family House: 
Hospitality Services Coordinator

Reason for working at Family House: 
I love working with children and families from all different backgrounds and creating a positive environment for them to call home away from home.

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco:  
I love exploring the array of food in the city and finding new breweries. I also love going to the beach and practicing yoga!

What makes you special? 
I am a master at driving stick shift in the city! Hehe A real talent I never thought I would excel in.

       

Family Stories: Brayden and Ashlee

When he was just a baby, Brayden and Ashlee stayed at Family House for months so he could receive a bone marrow transplant at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Seven years later, the transplant failed and Brayden had to have a second (and third) transplant. Hear from Ashlee how Family House helped save her son’s life.

https://youtu.be/PA02uk1qVzQ

Family House Impact

Watch the latest Family House video - Family House Impact - https://youtu.be/3KvX68lCR9A

Staff Spotlight: Araceli Guerrero

Name: Araceli Guerrero

Where did you grow up? In El Salvador

Position at Family House: Housekeeping

Reason for working at Family House: I love the families, I love my job, I like all the staff in Family House - everyone is very nice.

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco: Walk, enjoy the weather, visit friends.

What makes you special? I am a very simple person and I feel special because I am a mom of four wonderful kids. 2 girls - 18  and 17, and two boys - 13 and 7, who are in El Salvador.

Rockstar Volunteer: Alyssa Hunter

Many Family House volunteers are able to bring their special talents to help families directly, in areas such as yoga, massage therapy, or providing haircuts.  A very unique and special gift that Alyssa Hunter has brought to our families is to capturing the beauty in their lives.  Alyssa has been offering free portrait photography to all of the families since December 2016. She has also generously captured big parties at Family House, such as Thanksgiving Dinner, Holiday Dinner, Summer Carnival, and other events.

 Alyssa takes time to get to know each family, and photographs the whole family together, and does individual portraits, too. She has a unique skill to make the little ones smile and pose even when they are not up for the task. She is very caring, gentle, and empathetic for the situations they are going through.  The photos are a stunning display of the courage, hope, and beauty within each child.

Outside of volunteering at Family House, Alyssa runs her own photography business, Alyssa Hunter Photo, capturing photos of Bay Area families. She has a natural eye for providing her clients with the perfect portrait. On behalf of the families and staff, we say THANK YOU to Alyssa for all that she offers, and for her help in making our families feel beautiful.

Check out Alyssa's beautiful work at https://alyssahunter.com

Family Stories: Shasta's Girls

Family House Family Stories: Sharing the brave and inspiring stories of families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. This story features Shasta, mom to Ireland, a cancer survivor, and Mia, a transplant recipient. Shasta and her family have stayed at Family House while both girls have undergone treatment at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Hear from Shasta what Family House means to them, and how they get through the challenges of having two children with life-threatening illnesses.

Happy Anniversary CFO Jessica Creager!

Everyone at Family House is delighted to celebrate our CFO, Jessica Creager, on the occasion of her 20th anniversary at Family House. Jessica is the hub of our wheel, making sure that our business/administrative office runs smoothly and efficiently. Far more importantly, Jessica’s sweet spirit of kindness and inclusion toward ALL who she encounters is the embodiment of our wish to make everyone feel welcome at Family House. 

Her professional achievements from HR to finance and management all things related to our business office have only increased over the past 20 years, and we look forward to the next 20 years of her leadership and guidance in many ways. Jessica, thank you for your stellar work (it hasn’t been easy!), and for making us all better people by your example of calm, warm, and professional demeanor.  You mean so much to everyone at Family House that we couldn’t be successful without your experience and expertise. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the families, volunteers and especially the staff, we mark this anniversary with gratitude and joy for our amazingly wonderful colleague.

Staff Spotlight: Elizabeth Flores

Name: Elizabeth Flores

Where did you grow up? In El Salvador

Position at Family House: Housekeeping Lead

Reason for working at Family House: Everyone is very friendly at Family House, I feel a lot of peace working in here, and I love kids.

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco: Going for walks, going to see the views, and I love the weather.

What makes you special? The way everyone treats me here at Family House they make me feel like we are all one big family. And I feel special because and the mother of one beautiful smart girl.

Staff Spotlight: Beryl Velasco

Name: Beryl Velasco

Where did you grow up? Guadalajara, Mexico

Position at Family House:
Hospitality Services Coordinator 

Reason for working at Family House:
I love helping others and I am so glad I can do it in a place so welcoming and amazing like Family House

Favorite thing to do in San Francisco:   

Having brunch at Art’s Café in the Sunset and soak up some sun at Dolores Park.

What makes you special? 

I can count to ten in 5 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese and Italian

What's the story behind the photo?
This is the time I went to Tomales Bay and I learned how to open oysters!

Summer Carnival 2017

Our second annual End of Summer Carnival at the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House was a blast! We had so many great volunteers who pitched in with donations, decorations, hosting carnival games, prizes, entertainment, food, and so much more! All of the parents and children in attendance had a great time! Thanks to everyone who helped give our families such a fun and special afternoon! Special thanks to Gina Gorman and friends, including residents, staff, and business partners of The Madrone Residences; Canine Companions for Independence therapy dogs; Boswick The Clown; Suzy Q face painting; San Francisco Fire Department/ SFFD Station 4; photographer Jillian Gorman Photography; summer high school volunteers; and regular weekly Family House SanFrancisco volunteers - we could not have provided such a wonderful experience without each and every one of you! See photos at https://www.facebook.com/pg/FamilyHouseSanFrancisco/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10159037587795277