Bobby Thomas Birthday Fundraiser for Family House

Happy Birthday to the incomparable Bobby Thomas! Bobby has been “The Bunny” during Easter time at Family House for over 20 years, bringing joy and smiles to all the families, all while raising funds for Family House. For his milestone birthday this year, he decided to throw a big bash at the Folsom Street Foundry, and raised over $10,000 in the process! It’s a testament to just how much people love Bobby! And who wouldn’t?! It’s his life’s mission to bring joy to others, and we have proof that he does that wherever he goes! Thank you, Bobby, for all you do for Family House and for everyone who is lucky to know you!

(If you know and love Bobby and want to donate to Family House in his honor, please click here.)

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!

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!
See more photos

Volunteer Stories: XO Bakes

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

Rockstar Volunteer: Ashley Frolich

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. 

Fall Fest Gala Recap

The 37th Annual Family House Gala, Fall Fest, held on October 27, 2018 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel raised more than $1 million to help families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses! Co-chaired by Nancy Grand and Susan Mall, and honoring Okta for Good, Fall Fest was the most successful Family House Gala to date, and will help Family House serve its mission of providing free, temporary housing for 4,000 children and families as they undergo treatment at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in the coming year. Special thanks to all of our committee members, sponsors, and donors who helped make this an amazing night!

Watch the video to re-live all the excitement: https://youtu.be/ZeOci0ptqws

YPAC's Childhood Cancer Awareness Fundraiser

The Family House Young Professionals Advisory Council is raising funds for Family House in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer - about 300,000 kids worldwide are diagnosed with cancer each year. Family House provides a no-cost home away from home for families of children battling cancer at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Watch their video at https://youtu.be/FdpT-L6PZhU or make a donation today

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Family House was founded by Dr. Art Ablin, one of the fathers of pediatric oncology. His vision to create a compassionate, supportive home away from home for families of children fighting cancer is a reality thanks to private donations from supporters like you. Make a difference today: give.familyhouseinc.org

Black Tag Bags Fundraiser

Veronica Coleman is a Family House mom and the proprietor of Black Tag Bags, and recently organized a fundraiser (one of several she’s already done!) for Family House.

What is your connection to Family House?
Family House has been my second home since Jan 2017, while our 20 month old son, Tucker, received cancer treatment at UCSF.

Tell us about your most recent fundraiser for Family House.
Black Tag Bags are handmade all-purpose bags (shopping, lunch, and handbags). Each bag is unique and I try to use reclaimed fabric as much as possible. I started making them just before Tucker was diagnosed and it was put on hold until last month. I started making and selling the bags to friends and family, then started a facebook page where bags can be purchased. I release new bags each week, and take custom orders. The bags are still in high demand and I was excited to sell out my first few weeks.

Why did you decide to help raise money for Family House?
I decided to give $2 of each bag sold to Family House simply because I can not repay Family House enough for what they have done for my family. I plan to donate $2 of every Black Tag Bag sold forever.

Do you make anything in addition to bags?
I use the wrappers from a years worth of broviac flush supplies to make crinkle squares for UCSF Pediatric Units. (Yes, I saved them, I’m BIG on recycling and the waste of medical supplies drove me nuts, so I came up with an idea to repurpose.) I have a goal to make one for every bag I sell.  (Watch the video to see how crinkly they are!)



What would you say to encourage others who are thinking of doing a fundraiser for Family House or another charity that they care about?
Every dollar counts. Facebook and social media sites make it easy to set up fundraisers. Or if you see a need, just put it out there, ask, and people will help. (Sometimes an ask for specific items, like kitchen supplies, as some people feel more comfortable donating a needed item, rather than just cash.) I think most people would rather donate to a cause that they can see the immediate results of, and our friends and family have seen first hand what Family House has done for us. 


From all of us at Family House, thank you, Veronica!

Brewtastic Bash is Coming Up!

The 6th Annual Family House Young Professionals Advisory Council’s Brewtastic Bash is coming up on June  23rd at the SOMA StrEat Food Park. What is Brewtastic Bash? San Francisco Bay Area home brewers that are part of the Sirwisa Brewing Collective pour tasty beers that you can’t get anywhere else, while judges from some of the Bay’s top beer purveyors use their expertise to pick their favorites. Your entrance ticket gets you unlimited tastings and access to a silent auction, all at our favorite Brewtastic venue. The entire event benefits Family House! Get your tickets now at familyhouseinc.org/brewtastic

Volunteer Spotlight: Taylor Epstein

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!

23rd Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs

Can we just say WOW?! The 23rd Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs was our most incredible event yet, and our most successful! A huge thank you to event co-chairs Jeff Smith and Scott Miller, and our amazing event committee (Carolyn Duryea, Steve Goldfarb, Susie Heller, Kimberly Jones, Lorcan Kearney, John Kugler, Adriel Lares, Kim Murphy, Bob Nibbi, Bill Shea, Dan Toney, Alex Virgilio, Spencer Wang, Faith Wheeler, Michelle Yoshinaka, Debbie Zachareas), for putting together such an outstanding event! We absolutely could not have done it without all 41 pouring vintners - representing the best of the best of Napa and Sonoma wines. Thank you to our lead sponsors, The Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation and Pamela & George Hamel, Jr.,  to all who sponsored the event, donated, attended, and volunteered - it was indeed a night to remember!

More photos available at http://www.facebook.com/familyhousesanfrancisco

Giving Tuesday Success

Thank you to the many caring individuals whose generous #GivingTuesday gift to Family House helped us exceed our fundraising goal by 76% - we raised over $17,500 in just one day! And thanks to our Matching Gift Challenge, those dollars will be doubled, and even tripled in some cases (for gifts made by Family House volunteers).

We know that there are many great organizations you could choose to support, but as our founder, Dr. Art Ablin, always said: We believe there are none better. Your gift will make a huge impact for all the kids and families who stay under our roof, and help to provide a safe, comfortable, supportive home away from home for nearly 150 families.

Thanks again for being a partner in our efforts, and best wishes from our family to yours for a very happy and healthy holiday season.

With Gratitude,

Joanne Gold
Chief Development Officer

Giving Tuesday 2017

What is Giving Tuesday?

#GivingTuesday kicks off the holiday giving season on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday) - encouraging people to give back through gifts of your time, donations, goods, or your voice.

Celebrate Giving Tuesday this year on November 28, 2017 by giving to Family House. Here are some ways you can help:

Donate! We rely on the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to make sure that our services are always free to every family. We receive no government funding, and need you to help us meet our Giving Tuesday goal!

Volunteer! There are so many ways to volunteer at Family House - click here for inspiration, and fill out the Volunteer Application today to get started.

In-Kind Gifts! From gas cards to gift cards to canned goods for our pantry and toys for Fozzy’s Toy Room, your in-kind gifts round out the support we give our families. Visit our wish list on Amazon Smile for ideas.

Spread the Word! If you tell just 5 of your friends about the Family House mission to provide free, temporary housing for families of sick children undergoing medical treatment at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, we will dramatically increase our reach.

Thank you for all you do for Family House families for Giving Tuesday and year round!

Welcome Joanne Gold, Chief Development Officer

Please join us in welcoming the new Family House Chief Development Officer, Joanne Gold! Joanne comes to us with a wealth of development experience, and we’re so excited that she’s part of the team!

We Run with Kaitlyn: A Massive Success!

 Thanks to the incredible Shelly Burr and her amazing network of supporters, the We Run With Kaitlyn fundraiser for Family House was a massive success - blowing past Shelly’s $20,000 goal, with over $29,000 total funds raised!

Though they live in Texas, Shelly was part of the MOMS study at UCSF in 2009, and she and her family stayed at Family House for 3 months while Kaitlyn received in-utero treatment for Spina Bifida. The groundbreaking surgery was successful, and Kaitlyn is now 7 years old and exceeding all expectations.

The Burr family are all very active, and they decided to fundraise for Family House in this year’s Woodlands Marathon. In years past, the family fundraisers have been called We Run for Kaitlyn, but this year, Kaitlyn was running with the team!

Over 130 people donated to support We Run With Kaitlyn fundraiser - incredible!
We raised a total of $29,297 from 137 donors! We were also sponsored by several local businesses: Whitfield Design (a graphic designer who created our logo and hosted the website that sold all of the shirts), Edison McDowell & Hetherington, LLP (Kendall's law firm), Gustafson Dental, New Balance Houston, Hector's Mexican Restaurant, Global Academic Coaching, Tutti Frutti Park Lakes, Simply Baked Sweets, Kumon Fall Creek, and Smiles by Woehst.

Please share with us some of the events that contributed to the big goal:
* We had “Run with Kaitlyn” days at Persona Pizza, our local Tutti Frutti, and our local Chick-Fil-A, all making donations.
* We had several bake sales - my sister in Utah raised $510; my sister-in-law, niece, and nephews made cookies that sold at her mom's Soup Shoppe in Riverside, CA and raised $512; and my friend Dani sold customized Valentines cookies and raised a few hundred dollars.
* Jones Day, LLP - Dallas, TX office hosted a jeans day and raised around $750.
* Sales of our We Run With Kaitlyn shirts raised $1,551.

We also had some really wonderful donated items and raised over $2,000 at the fundraiser auction!
* Italiano's Restaurant donated around $1,000 worth of food
* One Block Over - a local band played free of charge
* Dynamic Events - Hosted a picture booth
* Golf Club of Houston - Donated a foursome of golf (worth $700)
* Fall Creek Showbiz Cinemas - Donated a gift basket and a one year unlimited movie pass to their theater
* Rising Sun Sushi - Donated two $25 gift certificates
* Nothing Bundt Cakes - Donated one 10" decorated cake certificate

* Friends also donated beautiful gifts and gift baskets, including Houston Rodeo tickets, handmade wooden cutting boards, a beach gift basket, Italy gift basket, handbag, and more! We also raised $550 at a bake sale from homemade desserts!

How was the experience this year compared to We Run For Kaitlyn fundraisers you’ve done in the past?
We had such a personal connection to Family House, and having first-hand experience with the amazing things they are doing every day for families - it was so easy to talk about the "why" of the fundraising.  Then, being able to promote it as We Run WITH Kaitlyn, and knowing she had come so far since we had done the prenatal surgery for her in San Francisco all those years ago, it was incredible.  Crossing that finish line with her, surrounded by friends and family was one of the best moments of my life.

Kaitlyn had a great time at the fundraisers and the races.  It was so much fun for her to see so many friends and family there to support her - especially at the 2K.  She said, ”Running across the finish line was my favorite part.  When I crossed I felt good, great, wonderful, amazing.  My friend Lily was there, and my cousins Bella, Micah, Joshua, and Faith."

What were challenges around this fundraiser?
We were lucky enough to have so many donated items by the community that we were sort of forced into hosting a fundraiser in order to auction them all off.  I had many friends step up to help with the planning, and the more help I received, the bigger and more awesome the fundraiser became.  We coordinated a local band to play, donated pasta dinner, tables and chairs, a bake sale, an auction, a face painter, a balloon artist, a photo booth, and the New Balance mascot come along for all the fun.  It was amazing, but also very stressful, because there were just so many details to coordinate.  We also had two races this time (the 2K Friday night, and the marathon/half marathon/5Ks the next morning) instead of just the one day of races.  So, making sure everyone had directions/parking/and all the rest of the information was kind of insane.  But, we made it, and it was all worth it because we had made some incredible memories and raised money for our favorite charity!

Do you have any advice for someone that might want to undertake a fundraiser like this?
Go for it!  My favorite part about fundraising is that you get to see the best in people.  We reached out to so many businesses and friends, and the response was amazing.  People we didn't know very well donated thousands of dollars.  Companies who just heard our story and had no connection to us donated huge prizes for our auction.  Friends and family took on their own fundraising just because they love us and they find what Family House does so inspiring.  So many people offer to donate their time and services and want to be part of what you are doing.  I was incredibly moved so many in my community who got involved.

If you really believe in what you are raising money for, and tell your story - give the "why" behind what you are doing, people will respond to it. You can do it!

Do you have any advice for a parent who is just starting a journey of having a seriously ill child?
When we stayed at Family House after the prenatal surgery, there were so many unknowns. There were times we were crippled with fear about the future.  I think the best advice I would have is just to take these moments one at a time.  If you can make it through this period of time, you will be ready to take on the next.  Just like with any of your children, you wouldn't be ready to parent a teenager when you are still in the baby-stage - thinking too far down the road with illnesses or disabilities can just compound fears and worries without being able to do anything productive.  Cautiously optimistic is the phrase I tend to come back to.  And, these moments that you probably took for granted in your life - they become incredible memories that you would never trade for anything.  Because watching your child do things you were told they might not do - it's a gift I will always be grateful for.

Visit https://www.werunwithkaitlyn.com to watch the inspiring video featuring the Burr family!

Christopher’s Story - Kids Making a Difference

Read about Christopher Webb, a great Family House kid and his fundraiser on Epilepsy.com - Kids Making a Difference - Christopher’s Story: http://www.epilepsy.com/make-difference/get-involved/kids-crew/christophers-story

Cabernet for Connoisseurs 2017

The 22nd Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs event is Family House’s biggest annual fundraiser. This year, over 350 guests joined 59 pouring vintners to have fun and raise money for Family House! Thank you to everyone who made this memorable night possible - all of the attendees, the donors, the volunteers, and naturally, all of the vintners! We are so lucky to have such an incredibly generous, supportive community, and some of the best wine in the world right in our own back yard. Lots more photos at facebook.com/FamilyHouseSanFrancisco

12 Days of Christmas - 8 Nights of Hanukkah

Help us celebrate the season with our 12 Days of Christmas - 8 Nights of Hanukkah wish list drive! Each day from 12/13 through 12/31, we are highlighting items that our families need now and throughout the year.

Purchase items from our Amazon Smile wishlist, or use it as inspiration for shopping at your local store. Thank you!

Sign up to receive 12 Days of Christmas/ 8 Nights of Hanukkah emails - send a note to jkotfica@familyhouseinc.org and put "12 Days of Christmas - 8 Nights of Hanukkah Signup" in the subject line. Thank you for supporting our families!

Naje: Songs of Hope

SF singer-songwriter Naje starts ‘Songs Of Hope’ to benefit Family House this Christmas season 

SF singer-songwriter Rebecca Reuther, aka Naje, started “Songs of Hope” in honor of her daughter, Sophia. Sophia was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent open heart surgery over Christmas last year at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. In celebration of her daughter’s 1-year open heart anniversary, Naje is donating 50% of her download sales to Family House to help buy Christmas gifts for the families of seriously ill children.

Download Naje’s latest release New Day at https://goo.gl/Xs1Nrl or find Naje on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TAgDvYH7k5k