September E-Newsletter

Check out Family House's September E-Newsletter!

Here at Family House, we are lucky to have wonderful volunteers come and help out on a weekly basis. Every Wednesday and Thursday, WorkLink comes in and brings fresh bread and pastries to our families. They also disinfect and organize common areas to keep the house safe and welcoming for everyone!

WorkLink provides innovative employment and transitional services for individuals with disabilities. Their mission is to establish a collaborative relationship among government, education, private agencies, advocacy groups and employers in order to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We respect the work that they do and really appreciate them coming in every week to support our families!

One employee who volunteers at the Koret house would like to share some words of encouragement with our Family House community:

To all Kids and Parents of Koret House,

My name is Jeff Malick. I am a client of Worklink. I volunteer at Koret House every Thursday. I have a personnel and family story to share with all of you.

Just before my 17th birthday I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I had 3 years of therapy. During that time  my Dad and I spent 150 days in the hospital. I know how hard it is for the kids and their family to go through medical treatment. While I was in treatment my Mom was diagnosed with Cancer. Our family knows how important it is for the whole family to help each other.

I want everyone at the Koret House to know to be strong, keep positive, and do your best to keep a happy attitude. There is a end to your difficult times. Both my Mom and I are doing fine.

Jeff Malick

Thank you Jeff and the entire WorkLink community for all that you do. If you would like to look further into the work they do, you can click HERE.

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

SEPTEMBER VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH!

Dana comes to Family House on a weekly basis to help ease the stress of our families through massage. She is a certified in Swedish massage, acupressure, and reflexology. And if that was not enough, she teaches 5th grade as well. Her wonderfully warm personality shines through the house when she is here and makes everyone feel at ease. Her kindness and generosity at helps give others a time to themselves to relax, breathe, and simply take a break from the day. We are extremely lucky to have Dana sharing her time and talents with our families!

THANK YOU DANA!