Quotes from families about Family House

"It's a place where everyone's going through the same thing. You should see the chiildren coming to Family House after being outside: first thing, they throw off their hats or wigs. being bald in this house is no big deal."

"You make special friends here, and I'll really miss everyone when we go home. I've made some discoveries of my own since I've been here. It's the little everyday things that count in my life. The great big events don't happen very often, and most of them are overated anyway. Fresh flowers on the table, walking on the beach on a sunny day with these children-it's little daily things like this that are important." 

"We were amazed and relieved to find a place like this. The staff was friendly and the facility was nice and clean with all the needs we could think of. There are many occasions when we just stop and think of how much of a blessing it has been to have Family House available."

Donate to Family House

Bobby the Bunny is one of our AllStar volunteers. He collects donations throughout the year, so he can purchase gifts for all the children on Easter...which he hand delivers in his Bunny Suit. Bobby also fundraises year round so we can continue to do the work we do here at Family House. This video is just one of the ways Bobby the Bunny has helped give back to Family House.

Therapy Dogs

Family House invites three different therapy dogs to come once a month and play with the kids. Abby and Bindi graced us with their presence today. Fozzy is the third lovable pouch who balances out the trio, but he normally comes on the first thursday of every month.

Therapy Dogs first started coming to family house in 2009, when the SPCA (Soceity for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) reached out to us. They had heard about us from the Koret Foundation and wanted to offer their Animal Assisted Therapy program to the kids and families who stay here. We brought them in for an interview and walk through to see if this would be an appropraite fit for their services. Immediately after the walk through a couple of the owners signed up with their dogs to volunteer their time. Over time Paws for Healing and 4-Paws heard about us and offered their services as well.

Abby is from SPCA... Bindi comes from Paws for Healing... and Fozzy is from 4-Paws.

For the last three years Family House has been inviting Man's Best Friend to help with the healing process...and we will continue to open our doors to these lovable pups because the smiles and laughter they bring to the kids staying here is...PRICELESS  

  

Thanking Comcast for their amazing donation!

What our Families Say About Family House

Just a couple of Quotes I found about Family House...

"It gives parents a chance to have some privacy", said one parent who has been through it all. "So many terrible and emotional things happen that if they want to read or cry or beat the walls without being observed by everyone else, they can do it."

"Sounds strange, but living here has been one of the richest experiences of my life. Everyone's so real here and everyone cares about each other. We all have our down times, but we support each other through them. If one of the children is having a bad day, another child's mother or father will say, "Don't worry, he'll be better tomorrow. I know, because I've been there too."

A Word from Dr. Michelle Hermiston at UCSF

"The children we care for at UCSF come from all walks of life - serious
illnesses in children do not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic
status or ethnicity. Since children do not have the opportunity to
choose their parents or their lot in life, I sincerely believe they all
deserve the best care possible and a chance for a long and healthy life.
Family house ensures that all kids and their families have the
opportunity for cutting edge care and the best we have to offer. Thank
you Comcast (and family house and all your fabulous volunteers) for
making this happen."

Best of the Bay

Good food, good music, and good people came together once again for our 11th annual Best of the Bay Fundraiser. After more then a month of preparation the big event finally took place on June 30th. We spent two long days setting up the venue at the Metreon...With the help of co-hosts San Francisco Magazine, Dominic Phillips Event Marketing and our twenty-one sponsors we pulled together another successful event.

There were fourty-four of San Francisco's finest Restaurants featured at the event, three sweet treat specialty shops, and seventeen different beverage venders. Seven different DJs and artists played throughout the night, insuring that there was never a dull moment.

Family House held a Silent Auction at the event with 110 items for guests to bid on, of which 100% of the proceeds went directly to Family House. The items ranged from stunning jewelry to luxurious bottle of wines, weekend getaways, and gift certificates  Once again our volunteers stepped it up, with almost 200 individuals showing up over the course of the event to help make sure everything ran smoothly.

2,000 individuals came out the night of the 30th to make the Best of the Bay a huge success.

Its been two weeks since the event took place and we finally got all the auction items and thank you letters sent out. The Best of the Bay is one of the largest events Family House participates in, but we couldn't do it alone.
So a big thanks must go out to our Sponsors, our hosts at San Francisco Magazine, our Volunteers, all of the Vendors, Restaurants, and Artisits who participated in the event...and of course all of the Individuals who purchased a raffle ticket, bid on an auction item, or just came out to support Family House and enjoy the event. The event wouldn't have been the same without any of you.

So THANK YOU ALL for making our 11th Annual Best of the Bay a Night to Remember...
And until next year keep enjoying good food, good drinks, and good company!

The Feeling of Family House

My coworker Amy Lenz, who is the Volunteer Coordinator at Family House was walking down the stairs to her office in the 10th House when she walked by a family and overheard a mom say to her little boy,

“Ah, were home”. 

After getting back to her office, Amy immediately emailed me this story...because these are the kind of moments that we (the staff) live for here at Family House. We want to be the home away from home you never knew you had. We want to be the community you can come to for support, who will always be waiting with open arms to help shelter you from life's little storms. So for any who find yourself knocking on our door for a place to stay...Just know you are always welcome, and I hope you will feel at home here.

Food filled with Love

Hank and Ashley Stull: Their baby, Lorenzo, was born with CDH. Consequently he did not develop a diaphragm so his lungs began to grow up into his chest cavity. He passed away shortly after their arrival to FH. Hank and Ashley decided to donate his heart with the hope of saving another child’s life, and they allowed doctors to perform an autopsy which would help them prevent and treat future cases of CDH. Though Hank and Ashley’s story is heartbreaking, their strength inspiring. During their stay, Hank shared his passion for food and cooking with us, and he and Ashley created a fantastic meal for the staff at 10th Avenue to say ‘thank you’. Over dinner, they shared with us their experiences and how those experiences brought them together as a family and allowed them to create special friendships with those around them, even those who they knew a very short time. They know that Lorenzo’s life, while short, will help save the lives of many children. As they left, we promised to visit Hank’s restaurant once he opens it.