Train’s Pat Monahan Visits Family House

Thank you to Train's Pat Monahan for visiting Family House on the heels of your “Train Does Led Zeppelin II” tour! We love that you brought your kids to meet our kids (and make all the moms blush!). Thank you for taking such an interest in everyone here, taking time to listen to their stories, and above all, for caring. We appreciate all that you do for us and can never say Thank You enough! See more at https://www.facebook.com/148667470276/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156951482930277

Time Lapse: Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House Construction

Watch the latest time lapse construction video of the Nancy & Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay! Click here to learn more about the project: 

http://www.familyhouseinc.org/mission-bay.html

Help Bobby "The Easter Bunny" Raise Money for Family House

The bunny is coming! The bunny is coming! It’s almost time for Bobby “The Bunny” Thomas’ amazing annual fundraiser for Family House. Each year, he rallies the Inner Sunset neighborhood to donate whatever they can for Family House kids. Thank you, Bobby, and everyone who donates to give the kids an amazing party!

Kids and Art + Family House

Kids and Art is one of our newest partnerships. Since last summer, Kids and Art has provided art, music, and wellness activities for the families on a monthly basis. The Kids and Art foundation believes in providing empowerment, encouragement, and creating memorable experiences for families and their children undergoing cancer treatment.

Founder Purvi Shah knows firsthand what it is like being a caregiver - her son was diagnosed with Leukemia at 3 years old. “Being a cancer family myself, I know how stressful life has been. I also know how uncertain life is on a day-to-day basis. Art has been an outlet, an escape and that is what we want Kids & Art to do for the children, their families, and their care circle.”

Kids and Art has provided a high caliber of artists, musicians, and therapists who spend time with the families and provide an unforgettable experience for the families who stay with us.

Thank you Kids and Art for all your support for the families in crisis and strengthening the Family House community!

To learn more about volunteering at Family House, visit http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Family House Family Stories: Mike and Deneen

The latest Family House Family Stories video - Mike and Deneen! This courageous family has been staying at Family House on and off for 9 years, and their son, Michael, is in remission! Watch more Family Stories videos at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/videos.html

Time Lapse Construction of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House

Check out this fun time lapse video of the start of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay! We broke ground on September 17, 2014, and will open our doors to 80 families per night in January, 2016! Read more about the project here: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/mission-bay.html

Ronin, Warrior Princess

Watch the latest Family House Family Stories video: Ronin, Warrior Princess

See all the Family Stories videos at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/videos.html

Healthcare Hospitality Week from July 20th-26th!

Family House is partnering with the Healthcare Hospitality Network (HHN) for a week of awareness about the work of healthcare hospitality houses. HHN is a national coalition of nearly 200 healthcare hospitality houses that do work similar to Family House across the country, providing a home away from home for thousands of families each year.

In celebration of Healthcare Hospitality Week week, Family House is pulling out all the stops, including a catered Sunday brunch for families, a staff personal development day, an Open House for UCSF doctors, social workers, and employees, and a special Board Member lunch.

We are proud to be part of the Healthcare Hospitality Network, and to be celebrating the work that our partners do nationwide!

Learn about the caring staff at Family House:  http://www.familyhouseinc.org/staff.html

Family Stories: Marisa's Story

Watch the latest Family House Family Stories video, featuring the parents of Marisa Shelton, an adorable little girl (and also the poster child for our friends at Giving Comfort):

 

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html

Volunteer Spotlight: Genentech

Family House has received a lot of volunteer support through individuals, community groups and especially corporate groups. One company that has stood out above the rest is Genentech. Located in South San Francisco, this cutting edge biotech company has been involved with Family House since 2010. Groups have come to disinfect communal areas, reorganize the garage space, paint communal areas, decorate during holidays and have even thrown special parties for families to enjoy.

Genentech has not only donated their time but they have also given us financial support as well. Family House was the beneficiary of Genentech’s Give Back Concert in 2013 where they donated over $22,000 through that event. In total, Genentech has donated or pledged over $140,000 to Family House since 2010.

Thank you so much Genentech for being a huge advocate and partner of Family House!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Raising Dough with Tony G

Set a World Record with Tony Gemignani!

Celebrate 5-years with Tony’s Pizza Napoletana at our Guinness Book of World Records Pizza Toss

11-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani will be wrangling 300 pizza tossers to get into the Guinness Book of World Records on Saturday, June 28th, 8:30am-10:30am.  Sign up today at  http://raisingdoughwithtonyg.com.

Proceeds from this record-breaking event will benefit Family House.


Check out our hilarious “training” video - we’re getting ready for the big event:

Calling All Angels: The Future Nancy & Stephen Grand Family House

Family House Board Chair shows off the future site of the new Nancy & Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay:

You can still contribute to the campaign and help us meet our goal!  http://indiegogo.com/projects/calling-all-angels

Thank you for all of your support to help make this new building a reality! Together, we can build it and ensure that all families have a place to stay while their child is undergoing life-saving treatment in San Francisco!

Volunteer Spotlight: Alina Spring

Family House has a staff of just 11 employees, and could not provide the services we do with the support of amazing volunteers. The heart and soul of Family House is the Operations team, who work directly with families and maintain both buildings. Operations volunteers, such as Alina Spring, are key in helping the staff with house projects. Alina is a USF Psychology Practicum student who volunteered for 100 hours this semester. She helped  on a day-to-day basis with house projects, including daily laundry and assisting to manage volunteer groups. She was instrumental in helping complete projects that make the house functional  at our 24-room location. 

When Alina is not volunteering or working on school work, she enjoys bike riding, figure skating, hanging out with friends and listening to music. Born in Germany, Alina also speaks German, and understands cultural diversity - which is very helpful when working with families at Family House.

Alina, thank you for your willingness to take on any project and always with a smile on your face!

Thank you so much for your support at Family House!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Shop at Amazon Smile to Help Family House

Ever shop on Amazon.com?  If you're using the internet, you probably do.  You can help Family House when you shop online by starting your purchases at Smile.Amazon.com - set Family House as your selected charity, and a portion of every purchase gets donated back to help families of kids with life-threatening illnesses. The best part? It doesn't cost you a thing!  Sign up today at smile.amazon.com to help Family House San Francisco!

Click here to view the Family House wishlist:  http://www.familyhouseinc.org/wish-list.html

Staff Spotlight: Amy Lenz

Interview with Amy Lenz, Development Associate

How did you come to be at Family House?
When I was at San Francisco State, in the Fall semester of 2005, I took a Community Involvement Course, where you get credit for volunteering. SF State had a whole wall of brochures of different places in the city to volunteer and get involved… I had worked at other nonprofits that raised money for cancer research and support, and since I love kids, Family House was a really good fit, where those things are all combined.

I was at Family House weekly throughout that semester, and I then became a Weekend Manager in 2006.  I worked in the hospitality industry for several years before joining Family House full time as the Volunteer Coordinator in 2009. Also in 2009, I helped start the Family House Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC), and was the first Chairperson - our first fundraiser was at Tonic in the Russian Hill neighborhood.

How has Family House changed since you first started?
We’ve hired more people since I’ve been here, so there’s more staff, which is good, because the organization as a whole has really grown as far as the amount of work there is.  We do a lot more outreach, a lot more events - specifically with the work that YPAC has done.  I think we’ve grown as a “brand” in San Francisco, and we’ve built a really strong community for our families and our volunteers through social media. 

When I first got here, we weren’t actively doing social media. We had a Facebook page, and every time we had a volunteer group, we’d put their photos on Facebook, and put that link in the “thank you” email. We still do that today,  but we have a marketing plan now!

And that doesn’t even consider everything that’s happening with Mission Bay. When I got here, the focus was on doing what we do really well, and continuing to get better with that; and now we’re actually looking to expand and scale what we do to a level that will help even more people.

What are some of your favorite Family House memories?
There’s a couple who stayed here, Hank and Ashley Stull, from Central CA - they really influenced me. Their baby, Lorenzo, didn’t develop a diaphragm, and everything in his chest cavity merged together and he ended up passing away.  It’s so sad, but that family, Hank and Ashley, were the sweetest couple, and Hank’s passion was food.  They stayed here for a week after Lorenzo passed, and since Hank was a chef, he ended up cooking a meal for the 10th Avenue staff - me, Greg, Jon, and Joe. They were just the most beautiful, positive people, and they made us this dinner, and they were so thankful… They came back for an anniversary of Lorenzo’s passing, and they had since gotten married and shared photos of their life with us…

It’s a great example of how even when things don’t turn out the way you want them to, there’s still a light. It was still a beautiful experience despite the tragedy.  And they were able to use the baby’s organs to save another child, they used his heart to save another baby. 

Each of the staff here connect differently to different families, and anytime I’ve really had a chance to connect with anyone - the kid or the parents (usually the parents, for me) - it really makes a strong, positive impact on me, and you get a sense of how what we do really helps.

Their story was one of the first posts on our blog: http://www.familyhouseinc.blogspot.com/2011/07/food-filled-with-love.html

Volunteer Spotlight: Monique Ngo

Monique Ngo is a very special  Volunteer Leader at Family House. She herself knows firsthand what families experience, as she was front and center during her mother’s own battle with life-threatening illnesses. Monique was unsure if she could emotionally handle being a volunteer, “When I first read that the Family House is for families whose children are receiving treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses, I was hesitant. I was hesitant because for almost half my life my mom was seriously ill with first kidney failure, then cancer. So I was hesitant because I didn't know if I would be able to mentally handle seeing more suffering.” This is something that volunteers sometimes experience.

Monique overcame her reservations of volunteering at Family House when she thought, “If I were to volunteer here, I could help people that face the same difficulties as me. That thought motivated me and in a way gave me some strength to want to volunteer at Family House."

Monique has been an amazing asset to Family House as she helps out our business office with fundraising projects and assisting families in navigating San Francisco. Monique’s dedication to Family House has made for some special moments with the families and she even spent her 21st birthday volunteering at Family House! Thank you so much Monique, we adore you!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Remembering Jordan Stuart - A Fundraiser

Courtney Stuart reached out to Family House in January about doing something to celebrate the memory of her brother, Jordan, who passed away in 1992. We brainstormed some ideas, and Courtney decided to do a gift-card and pillow drive for the families currently staying at Family House, “to help keep his memory alive, and of course to give back to the place that brought such peace and faith to my family.” She raised over $900 in donations that were delivered just in time for Jordan’s birthday, on Valentine’s Day. He would have been 24 years old this year.

Q&A with Courtney Stuart

When did you stay at Family House, and how old were you at the time?

I stayed at Family House between May of 1991 and May of 1992 while my little brother, Jordan, was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.  He was 2 when he lost his battle and I was 4. Although I only lived at Family House for a year, it was much more than a house to me - It was a HOME.

Even though I was so young, I always wanted to be the only one pushing Jordi’s stroller or holding him. As a 4-year-old, I loved having a baby “of my own” to take care of. After he passed, I wore Jordan’s clothes almost every day. I went from being dressed in pink dresses every day to opting to only wear his blue or red clothes. I actually used his blankets as blankets on my bed until about two years ago.

What do you remember most about staying at Family House?

Well, the whole reason this fundraising drive started for Jordan's birthday is because my dad had sent me a link about Family House. Although I still can't recall Jordan much from my memories (because I was so young at the time), I was somehow able to retain fond memories of Family House... the sounds of the Muni train going by and how the lights used to flicker and slightly dim when it passed, the blue padded basement and all of the games we would play and fun we would have down there (plus we could jump all around and not get hurt because it seemed the whole room was padded)!  I doubt it still looks like that now, but the memories stay the same. Just a lot of subtle memories but all of them made me feel at PEACE.  Family House brought normalcy into my life at a time when my whole family was falling apart.


A year after Jordan passed, in 1993, my father started the Jordan Stuart Memorial Golf Tournament to raise awareness and support for families of children with pediatric cancer. In the early years, I would help out at by babysitting kids in the daycare at the tournament, singing for guests during the banquet dinner, photographing all of the players and events of the day to post on the website, or coordinating and picking up donations for the silent and live auctions, and whatever other tasks were needed.

In 1995, we met Kyra Pillsbury and her family, and she passed away from a brain tumor the following year. I remember thinking how unfair it was and how I couldn't believe TWO kids had died of cancer. Her passing brought two great men together - my dad, and Kyra's uncle, Dave Pillsbury. When Dave joined and it turned into the Jordan AND Kyra golf tournament... it opened many new doors of opportunity on a national level.  The word was spread more, which ultimately led to more donations. Our tournament "family" grew, it became something people anticipated every year- something people traveled great distances to attend. Together as a duo - I’m certain they could accomplish almost anything.

Tell us about the donations drive you organized this year to commemorate Jordan's birthday.

I posted a status on my Facebook page to see how many people might be interested in contributing Safeway gift cards. I honestly thought everybody would ignore the post, or that maybe some close family members might want to help out (even though they already donate every year through our golf tournament). I was shocked when we hit $200 worth of gift cards, so I posted again & stated that I hope we could make a goal of $1,000- I figured maybe then we'd get HALF of the goal. In the end, we raised over $900 worth of gift cards/monetary donations, plus 7 pillows - better than I ever hoped!

What are your plans for the future?

This fundraising drive has been totally inspiring to me and I'm really hoping to make this a yearly thing from now on! I'm sure the needs of Family House will change as the years pass, but I'd love to help out in any way I can. I want the families that are living there to feel the same comfort, hope, love, and inspiration that my family and I felt when we stayed there (and ever since).


Thank you, Courtney and friends, for your generous contributions to the lives of families currently staying at Family House! Your support means so much!

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html

Cabernet for Connoisseurs 2014: A Letter from Dr. Art Ablin, Family House Founder

Dear Karen, Neil and the 2014 Cabernet Committee:


What a wonderful event!!!

We raised a lot; I don’t know exactly how much or if it was more or less than last year’s Cabernet, but that doesn’t make it any less spectacular than it was.  It was the best.  There is nothing anyone can put into words that describes the excitement there, gobs of beautiful young volunteers opening doors and giving directions,  the swizzling glasses and smacking lips in the wine tasting rooms, the careful and orderly arrangement of the displayed silent auction items and the constant, hum-drum pace of the auction.  The talks that Neil, Alexandra, and Dick Grace gave so eloquently brought home the Family House Mission and of course having the Ferrick Family there with young Jay’s presence on the stage left no doubt about what the evening was for. I know we raised over $500,000 on people just raising their numbers, to say nothing of the rest of the wine and other items.  It was absolutely the best!

Congratulations to all who had anything to do with this spectacular event.  Anyone there and all those who were not able to make it, can not help from being so proud to be a part of Family House.  We may not be the greatest, but one thing for certain:  there are none better.

Thank you Neil Committee and all the many others that made this possible.

Debbie and Art Ablin

Check out the event photos from this momentous night: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153810632270277.1073741990.148667470276&type=1

Click here to find information on upcoming Family House events: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/events.html

Family House Staff Spotlight: Jessica Creager

Interview with Jessica Creager, Director of Finance and Special Events

How did you come to be at Family House?
When I first started at Family House in November 1997, as Assistant Administrator, there were only three full-time staff members. I heard about the position through the then-Executive Director, Cliff Berg, who was looking for someone who knew how to do Quickbooks, and I had that experience. I never knew about Family House before I was offered the job, but I've grown to love it!

How has Family House Changed since you first started?
When I first started, we housed 10 families a night, and now we house 34 families a night.  We had only one building; now we have two.  The annual budget has increased from $350,000 to $1.6 million. We were only three staffers, and there's eleven of us now.

What are some of your favorite Family House memories?
The Giants stadium AT&T Ballpark event! We got to celebrate Family House's 30th Anniversary with families from so many different years. It was great to see so many families that I've gotten to know while working at Family House, and to see the continuity.

Also, getting to know Nayiri Torigian, who was a young woman who battled cancer. She and her family, they were just so sweet.  She sadly passed away, but getting to know that family was really important, especially important for me, for when I later went through cancer treatment.  She was inspiring to me.

Working at Family house before my cancer diagnosis gave me so much insight to what was coming. Knowing all the kids and all the families that I'd met actually made me more brave in the face of dealing with the treatments. Treatment wasn't as scary to me because I had known personally, especially little ones, who had faced it with no problems.  So, I figured I couldn't be a total wimp about the whole thing!  [Laughs.]  The great acceptance I felt, having a personal illness, and coming back and being greeted with open arms…  not ostracized, not something strange, since at Family House, it's the norm. I've been cancer-free since 2002, and am now officially cured!

Another great thing about being at Family House has been getting to know Family House founders, The Ablins.  They've been so welcoming to me, kind of treating me like family through all these years.  It's been an honor to get to know them and hear their stories, and how they started Family House, but also how they've done so many other amazing things throughout their lives.

Learn more about the caring staff at Family House:  http://www.familyhouseinc.org/staff.html 

Volunteer Spotlight: Jackie Ruiz

Jackie Ruiz is an extra special Family House volunteer.  She just finished 
a semester at University of San Francisco – part of her studies included service hours at the 50 Irving Street office.  Not only is she very easy going, smart, reliable, and friendly - Jackie dedicated extra hours (beyond the 100-hour university requirement) helping at Family House to ensure that the holiday card was sent out on time to important supporters, ensuring that critical services are funded.

Jackie decided to volunteer at Family House because she wanted to be a part of something that would make her grow as a person and help others.  She really wanted to give back and support a cancer organization. Her personal connection? Her own mother just celebrated being cancer-free for 5 years.

Thank you so much Jackie for all of your help this semester. Your thoughtfulness is truly touching, and we appreciate everything you have done to help keep Family House running smoothly. We adore USF volunteers and we were very excited to have your help this semester! Thank you for everything!

You can get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html