Mary Kane is one of our weekly volunteers - and she truly shines like the star she is. Mary is devoted to making every visit count and creates such a positive environment for families. She is always professional, encouraging, and committed to the work she performs.
Mary started volunteering November of 2016 and has given more than 100 hours to Family House!
"I always leave Family House with a full heart." – Mary
On behalf of the families and staff, we say THANK YOU to Mary for all that she offers and her help in making Family House a better place.
Mari Goldstein brings incredible energy to Family House each time she visits. She leads weekly yoga classes for the families that stay at Family House and understands the importance of physical, mental, and spiritual exercise. We are lucky to have Mari share her knowledge and expertise with our families.
As a yoga volunteer, Mari teaches classes for all interested family members that would like to participate. She even welcomes our younger children that want to experience her classes.
Mari has been a part of Family House since April 2018 and continues to make an incredible contribution to the organization. Whenever Mari is present, she warmly greets families, staff members, and visitors. We want to thank Mari and show our appreciation for her talents and all she brings to Family House.
I want to take this moment to say thank you for all that you do for our families. With this week being National Volunteer Week, I want to reflect on how meaningful your service is, day in and day out. There are never enough hours in the day, but you, our volunteers, are able to donate your time and efforts to support families in crisis. Whether it's helping serve breakfast each morning; bringing your therapy dog for support; keeping the house disinfected; providing a beautiful family dinner; and everything in between, we absolutely could not provide the level of support that we do without our incredible volunteers.
Last year, we had over 4,200 volunteers support Family House (that is a staff-to-volunteer ratio of 1:140) and the impact is measured not just in numbers, but through the magic and love that is felt every day when you walk through the doors. We know there so many amazing nonprofits out there and you choose to help us. We are incredibly grateful for the love and support you bring to Family House. Thank you on behalf of Family House.
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
Family House Volunteers Rock! We are grateful to the more than 4,000 volunteers who supported the Family House community in 2018. To put it simply, we couldn’t do it without you!
We love Becca Jones from XO Bakes! She hosts “Cookies for a Cause” cookie decorating classes at Family House. This airbnb “social impact experience” raises money for Family House and introduces the Family House mission to our community. The class is educational, fun, and delicious! Hear from Becca why she got involved, and what Family House has meant to her. https://youtu.be/jc87cSo2Kl0
Ashley Frolich is an excellent volunteer who continually shines at every instance while at Family House. As a student at the University of San Francisco, Ashley majors in psychology and wants to eventually become a child and family counselor, and she is off to an incredible start.
Both inside and outside of Family House, Ashley has displayed extraordinary leadership. She is dependable, friendly, outgoing, and motived, with a strong desire to help families. These attributes truly shined through her work at the Family House Fall Fest Gala. She proved to be indispensable as a volunteer leader, directing and managing other volunteers and making it an unforgettable night.
Ashley has been a remarkable asset to the Family House volunteer team. She understands the essences of the house and how the families and team function. When families or staff need additional support, Ashley is always able to bring her extraordinary skills to the table. She can work independently, yet at the same time, she can skillfully manage individual volunteers, volunteer groups, and volunteer activities. We are so fortunate to benefit from her enthusiasm, kindness, and abilities.
Thank you so much, Ashley, for your determination, your creativity, and the care you give to the families and staff. Family House sincerely appreciates you. We look forward to seeing you succeed in your future endeavors, and you continue to make a valuable impact on all of us at Family House.
Boswick isn’t kidding around when it comes to his volunteer service at Family House - he takes clowning very seriously. He’s been entertaining kids and parents at Family House for over a decade with his goofy jokes, amazing tricks, and beautiful balloon animals. Hear from Boswick about all the ways he makes kids laugh, and why Family House is so important to him. https://youtu.be/im6Vh6FZN68
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!
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
National Volunteer Week is April 15-21st! This year, we want to take a moment to truly thank all of you for your support. We rely on the volunteers who donate thousands of hours each year to keep our doors open.
Over the past year, because of you, we have hosted more meals, celebrated more birthdays, spent time with more therapy dogs and disinfected our communal spaces more than ever before to support our 4,000 families. We absolutely could not provide all of our support services without each and every one of you.
We are coming up on two years of supporting families in our Mission Bay home and 3,277 of you were instrumental to that in 2017. Volunteer Week is about celebrating you and all that you do! Without our community of dedicated individuals, we simply would not be able to serve our families as we do. Thank you so much to everyone. Your volunteering makes a difference! Your support of Family House is the reason that we can positively impact the lives our families. We truly appreciate all of your efforts.
Sincerely,
Karen Banks, Director of Volunteer Programs Tarence Dixon, Volunteer Coordinator
One of the ways Family House is able to secure funding is through our annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs and Gala events each year. A critical component to these events are our volunteers. We heavily depend on our Captain volunteers to help our staff run an efficient event with over 100 volunteers supporting. Once such incredible Volunteer Captain is Taylor Epstein. Taylor has been volunteering with Family House since 2013 and the majority of the time is spent at our events.
Taylor is a Pro at managing volunteers to work the silent auction and to bring in much needed funds to Family House. Coming from the nonprofit world she understands how important volunteer engagement is and its effect on fundraising. Even though Taylor has a full time job, she still finds time to help and volunteer on weekends for Family House. She has become an integral part of the Volunteer Program by supporting volunteer group activities on a regular basis.
Thank you, Taylor, for all you have done over the past 5 years and we hope that you continue to volunteer with Family House for many years to come!
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.
Lael Robertson is a superstar volunteer and has become an incredible asset at Family House. She started volunteering in May 2017 and has already made a huge impact in every department. She has logged more than 150 volunteer hours at Family House in just 9 months. Her dedication and compassion go beyond the tasks she performs, which include supporting volunteer group activities, helping with administrative tasks and house projects, and in the development office. Lael has also helped run our daily breakfast service so staff could take a break without negatively impacting the families. She will soon be helping to support the front desk staff that works directly with families.
Lael is willing and able to help with any task that is asked of her and understands the importance of supporting our families. She takes care and treats every family with respect and dignity.
Lael shares and is a living example of the beliefs of Family House. Thank you, Lael, for all you have done over the past months and we hope that you continue to volunteer with Family House for many years to come!
In the memory of our co-founder, Dr. Arthur Ablin, Family House has created the Arthur R. Ablin Award for outstanding leadership and service to the Family House community. This is one of the many ways we will keep Art’s spirit alive for years to come.
The criteria for selection is simple: the recipient must have demonstrated, over a significant period of time, Art’s passion for supporting sick children and their families at Family House through significant volunteerism and leadership.
Photo by Drew Altizer
The inaugural recipient selection was easy, in part, because we have achieved so much as an organization in the past five years with the new Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House. Congratulations to Scott Miller as the first recipient of the Arthur R. Ablin Award! He has shown devotion to our mission through countless hours of planning and meetings to help bring to life the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay.
Scott came to the Family House Board over ten years ago, jumped in with both feet, and took on the unforgiving task of leading Family House through a $43 million capital campaign, building design, construction, and opening. In his five years as the Chairman of the Board, he achieved all of this and more with a great deal of humor, patience, insight, wisdom, and exceptional leadership.
Please join us in congratulating Scott Miller in receiving the inaugural Arthur R. Ablin Award, as we thank him for all he has done for our families!
Canine Companions for Independence is a nonprofit that raises and trains service dogs to accompany individuals who need them. Part of that training is a socialization process for the puppies, which includes exposing them to many different environments, including meeting new people and being in large crowds. CCI volunteers and their puppies have been volunteering at Family House for several months, and volunteer Scott Hartman shared his story with us:
I am a symphony musician and a dog lover! I do a lot of volunteer work mainly with non-profit musical and educational organizations. The first few weeks of raising a CCI puppy can be tough, as an 8 week old puppy is a baby and you lose a lot of sleep at first, but I love it. You make a lot of friends and see a lot of strangers smiling when you walk around with a dog. Imagine walking around with a cute puppy with a cape!
Our first puppy was Wakari, eight weeks old - raising her was incredible! I've had dogs for decades, but never one so trainable, so gentle. She went everywhere with us - museums, nice restaurants, the emergency room, every trip we went on, and to many Giants games. After she graduated from the CCI program, she was sent to meet her new, permanent owner, through a children’s hospital in Washington state.
Clarence III was our next puppy - a huge puppy with the sweetest spirit. At Clarence’s graduation ceremony, we met his future family, which included a 15-year-old boy with autism and Down Syndrome who had never had a friend. Whatever fun I’d had with Clarence was nothing compared to what he was going to do for my new friend Riley!
At first, I thought being a CCI volunteer Puppy Raiser was all about me and the joy I got from having a puppy (which is considerable), but after seeing how the puppies improve people’s lives, I realize that I am a tiny part of it. The real joy is realizing how much happiness and freedom the puppies give other people. The rewards greatly outweigh the time and effort put into it, and the time and efforts are joy in themselves.
Canine Companions for Independence is a great organization - every contact and experience we have had with CCI has been top notch, from the people at their incredible facility in Santa Rosa to the trainer we work with locally. There is a great deal of help and support from other raisers and the CCI community. I spent only a few hours at Family House but I could tell from the minute I walked in that it was full of caring individuals and the atmosphere was professional but very human and warm.
Hailey Koh encompasses what it means to be an extraordinary volunteer! As a new resident of California, Hailey decided that volunteering would be an excellent way to connect with the local community.
Hailey sought out to make a positive impact through her volunteerism, and Family House has been the beneficiary of her incredible service. On three or four mornings a week, Hailey serves the Family Breakfast before she heads off to her fulltime job. She sets out the food items and coffee, and greets families with a warm welcome.
Hailey has the ability to work with people of all ages, especially in the most difficult circumstances, and is willing to help families however possible. No matter the task, she carries it out promptly and efficiently.
Hailey has, without exception, interacted with each family and every request with empathy and compassion. She believes in Family House’s mission and is willing to go above and beyond for families whenever possible. Hailey’s unwavering work ethic at Family House has demonstrated that she is a rockstar volunteer. Thank you, Hailey!
Where did you grow up? Born in Southern California, but raised in the East Bay.
Position at Family House: Director of Volunteer Programs
Reason for working at Family House: I absolutely love helping our families and seeing the joy on their faces. They are going through such an emotional time in their lives, and it means the world to me if we can bring them some joy, even just for an afternoon.
Favorite thing to do in San Francisco: I love running around the city and have run the full San Francisco Marathon.
What makes you special? I try to have compassion for everyone I meet, and learning is an ever-evolving process. My favorite quote is, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't.” – Bill Nye
What's the story behind the photo? In 2015, I took my first trip to Canada, and went to visit Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It was the most gorgeous and mesmerizing botanical garden that I have ever been to.
Meet Jillian Wong, a recent Family House intern. Hear why volunteering at Family House is so important to her and her entire family, and about the difference you can make by volunteering at Family House.
It’s clear that the 7-Eleven Golden Gate Market team is a family, and they really work together to make a difference in the Bay Area. Market Manager Robert Young encourages the hard work of Community Relations Leader Mindy Layon, and together, they work magic for Family House. They champion Family House at every turn, and do their best to rally the support of approximately 100 Bay Area 7-Eleven stores.
Robert’s team of Field Consultants (Mark Kwasigroch, Tim Lankford, Jamaal Brown, Khae Alvarado-Poblete, Nicole Wyatt, Don Hayden, Janae Dominguez, Trina Metoyer, Jim Rasmussen and Mindy Layon) are all very involved, and there is a core group of Franchisees (Harry Brar, Destiny Nguyen, Jasama Patel, Raj Uppal, Amar and Raman Johal, Sindy Singh, Basel Aldabyani, Kuljit Matharu, Phyllis Shideler, and Neil Khoury, just to name a few!) that help with donations and volunteering, as well. “Its important that our stores are involved with the communities they serve, and it’s a lot of fun”, says Layon.
It all began four years ago when Young, Layon, and a group of 7-Eleven franchisees volunteered at the Family House on 10th Avenue. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s a good partnership for us, it gets us involved with the community, and it gives us a way to give back to the less fortunate,” recalls Mark Kwasigroch. The group helped by disinfecting toys and organizing donated items - when they saw the impact they were having, they were hooked. “There is a certain amount of reward to giving back. In some ways it’s kind of selfish because it makes you feel good. It’s really rewarding,” admits Tim Lankford.
Since 2013, they have contributed to Family House in a huge variety of ways: they’ve donated product (coffee and pizza are the biggest hits); set up kiosks in stores to collect cash donations and pantry food items; hosted fundraising drives to purchase gifts for the Family House Secret Santa Program (10 families so far!); volunteered doing projects around the house; hosted parties for Halloween and the Super Bowl; and made surprise visits to drop off all kinds of goodies for our families. Harry Brar says, “We love spending time with the kids and the families - letting them know that there are people out there who care about them. It’s just about caring, and sharing, you know?”
When the team heard about the Capital Campaign to build the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House, they upped their game, and just had to see the progress for themselves. Jamaal Brown points out, “It’s not just the sick kids who go to the hospital - it’s the families, the parents, too - they need the support system - and Family House provides it all for no charge. These families come from all over, and it helps out tremendously. Even giving two hours of your time is a huge help - it makes the kids feel better and have a better day.”
Jasama Patel remembers the first time she volunteered at Family House: “It was a humbling experience for me, because it could be my kids [who are sick]. Don’t take things for granted; you never know when it could be taken away. I’m looking forward to bringing my kids here to volunteer. You see how everyone here cares.”
As we approached the one year anniversary of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House, Robert’s team couldn’t wait to help. They donated a ton of food for the party (200 hot dogs, sides, beverages, and more!), and even took turns manning the grill so everyone could have fresh dogs!
We appreciate all that the Bay Area 7-Eleven team does for our families, and we’re so glad they’re part of the family!
Watch the video we put together featuring 7-Eleven volunteers:
Canine Companions for Independence is a nonprofit that raises and trains service dogs to accompany individuals who need them. Part of that training is a socialization process for the puppies, which includes exposing them to many different environments, including meeting new people and being in large crowds. CCI volunteers and their puppies have been volunteering at Family House for several months, and volunteer Scott Hartman shared his story with us:
It’s clear that the 7-Eleven Golden Gate Market team is a family, and they really work together to make a difference in the Bay Area. Market Manager Robert Young encourages the hard work of Community Relations Leader Mindy Layon, and together, they work magic for Family House. They champion Family House at every turn, and do their best to rally the support of approximately 100 Bay Area 7-Eleven stores.
