Summer High School Volunteer Program Wrap-up

Each summer, Family House hosts a group of 15 high school volunteers who participate in activities and complete projects benefiting our families. We had students this year from George Washington, Lowell, Marin Academy, Lick-Wilmerding, Abraham Lincoln, Mercy, San Ramon Valley, St. Ignatius, Design Tech, and Oceana high schools - what a great mix! During each weekly session, in their activities in the house, students meet families and other volunteers. On the first day of the program, students met a family and heard their touching story, and were able to ask questions about treatment, travel, and life at Family House, all to better understand the people who would benefit from their service throughout the summer.

Every week, students also had the opportunity to interact with Family House staff from each department, hearing them speak about their roles within the organization, and how their department supports the overall functions of Family House. These presentations might help guide students as they consider their own future careers.

This year’s students (Ella, Madeline, Olivia, Mimoh, Jake, Shannen, Fion, Hailey, Nathan, Riley, Zoe, Dante, Lucy, Crystal, and Sean) were outstanding, and accomplished numerous fun projects for the families, including: decorating the house in preparation for the 4th of July festivities; hosting a pizza party and game night, including Bingo (with prizes for everyone); and hosting a cupcake baking & decorating activity. Each activity provided enjoyment and entertainment for the families going through a very difficult time.

The Summer High School Volunteer Program is so important to Family House: these young, service-minded, focused students use their talents to uplift our kids and families, while giving volunteers the opportunity to serve their community and those in need. One participant said, “It’s honestly just very humbling to see that small actions of love and care can make such a difference in somebody’s life.”  And we want to thank all those who participated this year!





From all of us at Family House, thank you! 


Karen Banks, Director of Volunteer Programs
Tarence Dixon, Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Spotlight: 2016 Summer High School Volunteers

Summer is one of the best times of the year at Family House – the house is full of laughter, fun, and excitement! Part of the reason for this is the Summer High School Volunteer Program. Each summer, 15-20 high school volunteers come to the house twice a week and provide house support, help with baking, arts and crafts, and other fun projects for the families at Family House. Our amazing high school volunteers can earn up to 80 volunteer hours over the course of the summer.

This year our volunteers hosted a Pokémon-Go adventure, trying to “catch-em-all” with a number of our families. In addition, our volunteers made thank you cards, assembled patio furniture for the courtyard, inventoried kitchenware in our eight kitchens, helped plan the end of summer carnival and BBQ, as well as creating the carnival game posters.  The carnival and BBQ was so marvelous that families are still talking about it! During the carnival, families played games, won special prizes, and enjoyed delicious food.

Thank you Emma Ng, Kyle Mach, Jesse Huang, Jason Jang, Jovita Ramirez, Ryan Santos, Sharon Hsu, Sophia Ladwiniec, Michael O'Bryan, Ry Goodwin, Lesley Arroyo, Carson Roberts, Marisa Navarro, Elizabeth Wagner, Vincent Garcia-Zunno, Miles Maloney, Alyssa Tabucao, Lauren McCormick, Alena McGrew, Scott Brasesco, and Eric Sun! This summer wouldn’t have been the same without you!

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