24th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs

The 24th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs raised more funds than ever before to support families of children with life-threatening illnesses! Thank you to the event committee, led by co-chairs Scott Miller and Jeff Smith; the 38 Napa and Sonoma vintners who poured incredible wines; Chef Mourad Lahlou for cooking an amazing dinner; entertainer Kelly James; auctioneer Charles Antin; the 100+ volunteers who helped make it all happen; and to the many, MANY generous donors who made this the most successful Family House fundraiser yet!

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?

Hops for Housing 2019

Thank you to the Sirwisa Brewing Collective for once again choosing Family House to be the beneficiary of your SF Beer Week event - Hops for Housing! Sirwisa home brewers formed teams with professional brewers to make unique brews not available anywhere else! Combined with the great performance by Soul Ska, this was the don't-miss Beer Week event!
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Book Review: When Your Child is Sick, A Guide to Navigating the Practical and Emotional Challenges of Caring for a Child Who is Very Ill

Book Review: “When Your Child is Sick, A Guide to Navigating the Practical and Emotional Challenges of Caring for a Child Who is Very Ill” Written by Joanna Breyer, PhD

I had the great pleasure of meeting Joanna Breyer last month as she toured Family House.  She was in town as she put it, “to see that this book of hers landed in the hands of the people who would benefit from it the most.”  Ms. Breyer is a psychologist who has worked with children with cancer and their families for over 25 years at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital. This book is meant to serve as a comprehensive guide for families navigating the most uncertain and difficult circumstances of having a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.  She informed me that she intends for the book to be used as a resource guide; as different parts of the book will be relevant to families at different times. The book is presented in three sections.  Part I is on treatment, which includes everything from entering into the medical world, to coping techniques, being a parent to your other children, medications, to stem cell transplants and sibling as donors.  Part II discusses survivorship.  She writes about surviving Cancer, dealing with the emotional effects of a serious childhood illness, healthy living, and transitioning to adult medical care.  In a very compassionate tone, Part III addresses the topic of when your child’s treatment does not work.

Ms. Breyer’s decades of experience and dedication to the families and children she has worked with throughout her career is felt on every page.  It just might be one of those books that finds a home on your shelf to refer to as you manage the multiple practical and emotional complexities of this unimaginably difficult time in your life.  I highly recommend it.

This book review was written by Family House Social Worker Elan Slavin, MSW, as a resource we recommend. It can be purchased here:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0147517583/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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

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 

2018 Year in Review Video

See some of the highlights of “Family House magic” in action in 2018! We are so grateful to our amazing community for the tremendous support that allows moments like these to happen, making Family House a home away from home for families of children with life-threatening illnesses.

https://youtu.be/q2SVDHyqwsw