Creating better tomorrows - St. John's Shelter Program for Women ...

Fourth 

Quarter 

2010 

Creating 

better 

tomorrows 

Seeing Dreams Come True 

by Michele Steeb, Executive Director 

There’s nothing more satisfying than 

seeing dreams come true. For Amy, a mother 

of three and former homeowner who 

lost everything after her husband passed 

away unexpectedly, the dream began with 

getting sober. Now, she is fulfilling her lifelong 

dream... training to become a Chef. 

For Melanie, the dream began with having 

Adopt A Family 

This Christmas 

Yes, it is that time of year again! 

We are looking for individuals, 

families and groups to adopt a 

family this holiday season. This 

year, we anticipate serving over 120 

graduate families, so we need your 

support now more than ever! If you 

are interested in participating or 

would like additional information, 

please contact Rachele Burton at 

rburton@stjohnsshelter.org or at 

916-453-1482. Thank you in advance 

for supporting our holiday efforts 

by providing a Christmas for our 

women and children. 

a roof over her head. Now, after completing 

her training program at Plates, she has a 

$40,000/year job in customer management 

for a building products company. For most 

of us, dreams are big and robust... for others 

it’s as simple as hope for shelter, food 

and the ability to provide for their family. 

St. John’s is home to women and 

children who are trying to break the bonds 

of pain and suffering. Some have been 

abused. Some have lost their footing in 

this difficult economy. Some have made 

bad choices by letting drugs, alcohol and/ 

or crime run their lives. However, these 

families all have one thing in common... 

they are homeless, but they are far from 

helpless. St. John’s gives them the tools 

that they need to recover, skills, love and 

support that most of us take for granted. 

From day one, we show them the door to a 

future filled with hope. They begin to raise 

the expectations they have of themselves. 

With the opening of Plates, St. John’s 

Café and Catering company, we are now 

able to start these women on a path to 

sustaining their families... developing the 

skills, the work ethic, the references and the 

exposure both to secure employment and 

to maintain it. With one in three residents 

of Sacramento County extracting support 

from the County’s Department of Human 

Assistance, nothing could be more important 

than to help these families become 

independent. 

When families arrive at St. John’s, they 

feel hopeless. We take them from misery 

to a place where they learn to take care 

of themselves and their children, discover 

how to give back to the community, and 

see a path to independence. It’s a true 

transformation. They would say they have 

experienced a miracle. 

It starts with hope. It ends with skills 

to be a loving family and a contributing 

part of our community. St. John’s is very 

much a salvation to those who are lost in 

our society. We bring them back. It sounds 

bold, but the stories told by the women 

and children at St. John’s are testimony to 

our work, our program and our success. 

This would not be possible without 

your support. We continue to turn away 

over 200 women and children every day, 

and the need is so great. Moreover, it’s a 

blessing that will return back to you many 

times over. 

Happy Holidays to you and yours! 

Bank of America 

comes through... again! 

See page 9 

Our Mission: Support homeless women and children to 

advance from a point of crisis to a position of self-sufficiency.

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children 

Success at Plates Café 

By David Losé, Business Manager, Plates Café 

Plates Café and Catering is a a rapidly growing and successful 

business, as well as a solid training ground for our program participants. 

The women have been steadily increasing our business 

at lunch, which allows the program participants to experience the 

hustle and bustle of working in a restaurant. They are put to the 

test everyday working with a dining room at capacity. They are 

gaining valuable work experience and learning the importance of 

time management and organization. Their training over the past 

several months has allowed them to produce great food and supply 

spot-on service. 

Plates private banquet room has been booked by many different 

companies and individuals. We are executing a wide range of 

events from board meetings and breakfasts to luncheon buffets. 

The room seats up to 80, and we would love the opportunity 

to host your group. If off-site catering is more of what you are 

looking for, Plates can do that, too! Plates recently catered several 

off-site events, 

including a 

wedding reception, 

a Chamber 

mixer, and a 

holiday party. 

We are capable 

of full-service 

catering events 

ranging from 

hand-passed 

appetizer parties 

to sit-down dinners. We have also been delivering lunch 

buffets and boxed lunches to the South Sacramento and Elk 

Grove Kaiser facilities. If your office has a need for a lunch delivery, 

please think of Plates. Plates is dedicated to doing all 

we can in order to accommodate all of your catering needs. 

Guest Chef Dinners 

Plates will continue to push the bar for its participants to further 

encourage growth and training by hosting several events at 

the Café in 2011. We will be initiating Guest Chef Dinners at Plates 

in which a special guest Chef will be brought in once a month to 

host a fixed-price dinner menu. It will be a set menu organized and 

executed by the guest Chef. The goal of this project is to expose 

the program participants to a wider diversity of food, as well as 

to provide a wonderful dinner experience for the public. This program 

will be unveiled in January of 2011. 

Holiday Pies and Desserts 

This Thanksgiving we launched our holiday dessert program, 

allowing diners and supporters to pre-order pies for Thanksgiving. 

We will be offering the same service through December and hope 

you’ll take advantage of our baking talents! Our pies and desserts 

also make great gifts for customers or colleagues! We have our 

order form available online at www.eatatplates.com, or you can 

order over the phone, at the Café or by fax. We ask that all dessert 

orders are placed two days in advance to ensure they are prepared 

Success Stories: 

Shalonda 

Shalonda Brown began her time at Plates on 

May 21, 2010. She helped clean, organize and 

set up the entire Café from the beginning days 

of operation. Many hours were needed in order 

to have the Café look the way it now does, and 

Shalonda was ready and willing from day one 

when it came down to serious hard work. She 

dedicated her time and effort to learning the 

business, and she has only begun to reap the benefits from 

those efforts. A graduate of Plates, Shalonda recently obtained a 

full-time position at the Crocker Café in the Crocker Art Museum. 

This was no accident. In addition to working at Plates, Shalonda 

volunteered many of her weekends working at Culinary Specialists 

to increase her training. Her proven work ethic, dedication, and 

passion for success was recognized by Bobbin Mulvaney, who 

hired Shalonda for the Crocker Café. 

Melanie 

Melanie Worden began at Plates on June 1, 2010. Early on, her 

natural gravitation to people resulted in great success working in 

the “front of the house” positions. Melanie’s passion for customer 

service and overall work ethic has been her driving force in finding 

such success and resulted in her current position as a Sales Assistant 

in a highly visible manufacturing and shipping company. She 

oversees all of the sales personnel in order to ensure organization 

and execution of products being shipped and manufactured. 

Melanie mainly troubleshoots potential problems 

and puts out any fires before they get out of hand. 

Melanie was first introduced to her current employer 

in the dining room of Plates Café. She was working her 

normal shift and completing her daily tasks. After making 

a good first impression with this employer, she was 

soon offered an interview. After several interviews, she 

now works a full-time job and is commanding $40,000 

a year, which includes a car allowance. Melanie is now 

able to fully provide for her family. 

Amy 

Amy McMahan began her time at Plates on 

May 21, 2010. Baking has always helped Amy feel 

better. Pies, cookies, and cakes poured from the 

oven and lifted her spirits whenever she felt depressed 

and down. When Plates began, she naturally 

gravitated to the baking area, sharing her 

talents with the other participants while learning 

from the staff, as well. Amy quickly stepped into 

a lead baker position and, when the opportunity 

became available to hire a Sous Chef at Plates, Amy was the ideal 

candidate! Plates has received rave reviews on its desserts, and 

Amy deserves much of the credit for her efforts overseeing the 

bakery department. Her team has participated in several community 

events, and they made all of the delicious pies for our Thanksgiving 

Pie program. Amy will soon be entering American River 

College’s Culinary Arts program to further her educational goals, 

one that became a reality through her involvement at Plates. 

2


on time and ready for your pick up. All of the 

pies are made in house individually by our Bakery 

Department, which includes Bonnie Love 

and Nequai Scott, and is overseen by Plates 

Sous Chef, Amy McMahan. 

Holiday Parties 

Plates might be the perfect venue for your 

holiday party. Our private banquet room seats 

up to 80 people, or for even larger parties, you 

can also reserve the entire Café, which can 

accommodate up to 300 people. We have an 

extremely flexible menu in which we can work 

with you to personalize according to your preferences 

and budget requirements. 

We feel strongly 

that as long as we keep 

moving forward in a 

strategic and calculated 

manner, Plates success 

stories will continue to 

inspire and motivate 

the community, as well 

as entice new potential 

program participants. 

Plates is only four 

months old, but the program in its entirety is 

proving to be a true success for everyone who 

gets involved. 

Golf Cart Thank You 

We would like to thank Phil Oates 

and George Stark for their generous 

donations to Plates Café. Phil had a 

golf cart that he wanted to donate to 

the program enabling the Plates team 

to easily get around Depot Park while 

making small deliveries and marketing 

the café. George, the owner of George 

Stark Golf Carts, provided Plates with 

a customized utility cart that makes 

delivery within Depot Park extremely 

convenient. When George heard about 

our program at Plates, he said, “I want 

to help. What do you need?” These 

gentlemen have been instrumental in 

growing our delivery business and we 

are extremely grateful! 

St. John’s Saints 

By Rachele Burton, 

Community and Government Relations Manager 

Golden 1 Credit Union 

We were thrilled to have a new group join our vast family of volunteers! Golden 

1 Credit Union sent out staff volunteers to help sort and re-organize our Donation 

Center throughout the month of November. 

With our new donation center hours (see back cover), it was a true blessing to have 

Golden 1 Credit Union aiding our transition. We hope to see them again soon for future 

involvement! 

SureWest Communications 

October 28, 2010 was a day of 

“Out with the OLD – In with the 

NEW” for St. John’s Shelter as we 

said “Good-bye!” to the old wooden 

play structure and “Hello!” to our 

fall garden in the backyard. 

The structure had been looming 

and leaning, becoming a hazard 

for the children of St. John’s. 

SureWest Communications 

employees rolled up their sleeves and demolished 

the old structure with great enthusiasm! 

Meanwhile, a crew weeded, fertilized and planted 

new bulbs, flowers and herbs – what a great way 

to bring on the Winter Season! 

Thank you, SureWest, for all your efforts! 

Diaper Drives 

“SHOUT OUTS!” and “BIG-UPS!” to Danielle 

Hannah, a student at CSUS majoring in Family 

and Consumer Science, who decided to 

single-handedly host a Diaper Drive for our 

children as her volunteer project. 

Danielle had said that “Working with 

families and children is my passion, and I 

hope to share my passion with your organization,” 

in an email she sent to the Volunteer Services Team. In a few weeks, 

Danielle managed to gather up all the information she needed about St. John’s and, 

using our “How To Host a Diaper Drive” flyer, went full force in facilitating her own drive! 

We thank you, Danielle, for all your hard work! 

Plates Café and Catering 

Located in Depot Park 

14 Business Park Way, Bldg. 149 

Sacramento, CA 95828 

(916) 381-2233 

Turn the page for more Saints 

3



CSUS Interns 

This fall, the Department of Child Development at California State University, Sacramento, 

partnered up with St. John’s to provide interns to support our Child Care Youth 

Advocate Team. 

The interns have helped with the many changes taking place in our Children’s Program. 

They have stepped up and taken on the challenges of balancing school assignments 

and dealing with the all too familiar obstacles of child care in general. 

St. John’s is truly grateful to Sheila Macias, Administrative Director of the Community 

Engagement Center of Sacramento State, and Irene Bersola-Nguyen, Ph.D., for allowing 

their students to engage with our residents. 

Jack & Jill of America, 

Inc. 

Jack & Jill of America, 

Inc. is an African-American 

organization of mothers 

who nurture future leaders 

by strengthening children, 

ages 2 - 19, through chapter 

programming, community 

service, legislative advocacy 

and philanthropic giving. 

In their own words, “We believe 

that every child can be a leader with proper guidance and 

opportunity!” 

Robin Carter and Theria Grady, Leaders of Group 4 

and 5, implemented those words by coming to St. John’s 

and providing a wonderful lunch, sorting through donations 

in our warehouse and donating diapers, baby wipes, 

baby bottles, formula and other miscellaneous items 

needed in our Child Care Department. 

THANK YOU, Robin and Theria, for sharing your family 

with ours – we hope to see you at St. John’s again soon! 

Brooke Whaley 

“One, two, three, one, two, 

three…” is the sound you will hear 

from our Dining Hall every Saturday 

afternoon during our Children’s Ballet 

Dance class taught by one of our 

newest volunteers, Brooke Whaley. 

For her senior project, Brooke 

took her love of ballet and decided 

to provide a dance class for our children 

here at St. John’s. In addition, 

she is offering a dance scholarship 

for one student after completing 

a 10-week beginners’ class with 

Brooke. The mothers are so excited 

about the class and have been 

diligent in their support of Brooke 

by coming to classes with their children 

and learning how to pirouette 

and stretch right along with them! 

Thank you so much, Brooke, for 

this wonderful opportunity! 

Touchstone Christian Fellowship 

It was a day of holiday arts and crafts, yummy lasagna and garlic 

bread lunch, and a music concert for the children of St. John’s. 

The beautiful women of Touchstone Christian Fellowship were a 

wonderful addition to a Saturday for the families of St. John’s. Children 

and mothers alike received a wonderful surprise of classical 

and spiritual music as well. 

Thank you to Mary Wood for all her efforts in putting this 

event together. 

In Memory 

Thanks go out to those who have donated and contributed 

to St. John’s Shelter via Memorial Gifts. Our condolences 

and thanks to the families of Frank Carpenter 

and Gordon Lokke, both of whom asked that any gifts in 

memory of these two great men be given to St. John’s. Your 

contributions will continue to fund the shelter’s programs 

as we work to create better tomorrows for the women and 

children we serve. If you’d like to learn how to include St. 

John’s Shelter in your estate plans, please contact Jenn 

Macias at jmacias@stjohnsshelter.org or at (916) 453-1482. 

4

HOLIDAYWISHLIST 


Christmas 2010 

The holidays bring out the best in all of 

us-- they are times of celebration and 

hope. The women and children at St. 

John’s share that hope, too! 

Your generous donations can turn this 

season into a special time for the 

children and mothers we serve. The 

list below suggests some of the items 

that are sure to bring joy to a child’s 

eyes and gratitude to a mother’s heart. 

Thank you for your continued support! 

Happy Holidays! 

‘Tis the Season for Families 

Help Santa bring a special joy to all 

Babies 2 and Under 

¥ Bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, 

teethers, bibs 

¥ Pull-ups and baby wipes 

¥ Toys: light up/noise makers, rattles, 

soft blocks, etc. 

¥ Small bath and bathing supplies 

¥ Diaper rash and teething gel 

¥ Activity mats 

¥ Bouncy chairs 

¥ Strollers 

Toddlers 2-4 

¥ Themed items: Dora, Hannah, Bob 

the Builder, Sponge Bob, Care Bears 

¥ Cars and trucks 

¥ Fisher-Price or Mattel learning toys 

¥ Leap Frog learners 

¥ Blocks, V-Tech and building supplies 

¥ Fisher-Price Little People sets 

¥ Crayola No Mess art sets, watercolors 

¥ Disney music 

Kids 5-9 

¥ Barbie and Bratz dolls 

¥ Remote control cars 

¥ Transformers 

¥ Art sets 

¥ Toys (no guns or weapons) 

¥ Building sets 

¥ Themed items: Dora the Explorer, 

Sponge Bob, Disney, My Little 

Pony, Spiderman, Care Bears, 

Hannah Montana 

¥ Dolls and accessories 

¥ Balls 

¥ Action figures 

¥ Lego sets 

¥ Cars 

¥ Board games 

Girls 10+ 

¥ Flat irons curling irons and blow dryers 

¥ Manicure and pedicure kits 

¥ Magazines for teens and girls 

¥ Craft kits 

¥ Gel pens, notebooks and diaries 

¥ Jewelry 

¥ Purses 

¥ Make up cases and sets 

¥ Twilight books, movies, etc. 

¥ Fragrance and lotion sets 

¥ Stickers, craft and scrapbook supplies 

¥ Bras 


Boys 10+ 

¥ CD/MP3 players 

¥ Video game systems with games 

¥ Puzzle kits 

¥ Sports magazines 

¥ Sports gear: hats, jerseys, t-shirts 

¥ Sporting event tickets 


¥ Race car sets and tracks 

¥ Lego sets 

¥ Basketballs, footballs, skateboards 

¥ Science kits 

Adult Women 

¥ Robes and slippers 

¥ Stationery sets 

¥ Stamps 

¥ Photo albums and frames 

¥ Purses and wallets 

¥ Jewelry and watches 

¥ Duffle bags 

¥ Day Planners 

¥ Bus passes 

General Needs 

¥ Clothing- all sizes 

¥ Pajamas & slippers- all sizes 

¥ Coats- all sizes 

¥ Shoes- all sizes 

¥ Jackets- all sizes 

¥ Sweats- all sizes 

¥ Sweaters- all sizes 

¥ Underwear and socks- all sizes 

¥ CD’s and DVD's for kids and teens 

¥ Gift cards such as: 

Target, Wal-Mart, grocery stores, movies, 

iTunes, others 

¥ Hand held video game systems 

¥ Disposable cameras 

¥ Bathing supplies- kids, teens, women 

¥ Portable DVD players 

¥ iPods 

¥ Boom boxes 

¥ Umbrellas 

Please contact Rachele Burton at 

rburton@stjohnsshelter.org or 916.453.1482 

to make drop off arrangements. 

We request that you make your donations by 

Friday, December 17 at 5 pm 

so Santa has time to wrap them! 

Other Ways to Help! 

¥ Adopt a Family. 

If you’re interested in sharing your Christmas 

with a family who has graduated from the 

shelter, please email your contact information 

and family size you can accommodate, to: 

rburton@stjohnsshelter.org 

¥ Volunteer to wrap gifts. 

10 am - 1 pm and 2 pm - 5 pm on: 

Fri. 12/17 | Sat. 12/18 | Sun. 12/19 

¥ Donate wrapping paper, gift boxes & bags, 

tape, gift tags, tissue paper, and bows. 

Donation hours: Mon. – Sat. 10 am – 5 pm 

4410 Power Inn Road, Sacramento, CA 95826 

New gifts only, please. 

5



St. Michael’s School 

The women and children of St. John’s 

received a wonderful pre-Thanksgiving 

dinner of lasagna with all the trimmings 

provided by St. Michael’s. Our residents 

enjoyed the great service and positive 

attitudes of the students at St. Michael’s 

School, and we are so grateful for their 

tenacity and can-do spirit! 

We look forward to having St. 

Michael’s School provide dinner each 

month. Thank you to Zachary Veranini for organizing 

this blessing to our program! 

LDS Church 

Thank you to Dave Richter and his LDS Church 

Youth Group for providing a wonderful Hawaiian 

chicken and rice dinner and brownie dessert! 

Serving over 12,000 meals each month, the St. 

John’s kitchen team appreciates groups like Dave’s 

that assist us on a monthly basis by providing, preparing 

and serving lunches and dinners throughout 

the year. 

We are looking for groups 

that want to make a one 

meal per month commitment 

for 2011. For more 

information or to schedule 

your dates, call Ronita at 

riulio@stjohnsshelter.org. 

Alums Give Back 

There is no better way for our 

alumnae to say, “Thank you, St. 

John’s, for all you do!” than to have 

them return to the shelter to give 

back and help support future 

alums. 

Dorina Stanley has been a 

true blessing to our women and 

children by coming in as early as 6 

am and leaving at 7 pm to help our 

Customer Service team on a daily 

basis. From washing and folding 

linens and towels, to preparing/ 

serving meals for our participants 

and to making a freshly brewed 

pot of coffee ready for our staff, 

Dorina has proven to be a role 

model to previous graduates of 

our program. She has shared her 

story with numerous new participants 

and given hope to those in 

fear of coming through the doors 

of our shelter and for this, we are 

truly grateful. 

Thank you, Dorina, for ALL YOU 

DO! 

Buzz Oates Group of Companies 

The shelter was blessed to have 30 employees from the Buzz Oates Group of Companies 

come and spend the day helping wherever help was needed. Most of the time was 

spent in our donation center winterizing our inventory, putting away summer apparel and 

pulling out coats, sweaters and blankets. We are working on creating a little more space in 

the donation center and, with sixty hands, much was accomplished. 

Thanks to groups like Buzz Oates, we are able to get large tasks completed in a matter of 

hours! If your organization or group would like to help out at the shelter, please email us at 

volunteer@stjohnsshelter.org. 

6


Transformation Corner 

Sandie’s Story 

Sandie Owen had a very difficult childhood. 

She comes from a family where 

drugs and alcohol were a part of the 

daily routine for many family members, 

including her parents. Sandie came to 

St. John’s Shelter in hopes of rebuilding 

and strengthening her relationship 

with her children. Several years prior, CPS 

had become involved in her life and had 

removed her three children from her care. 

Entering the Shelter was not an easy choice 

for Sandie, but it was her only choice if she 

wanted to be reunited with her sons. She 

was determined and hopeful that with the 

support and guidance St. John’s offered, 

she would be able to overcome and learn 

from the mistakes of her past. 

Having the opportunity to participate in 

a program as unique and all encompassing 

as ours allowed Sandie the chance to work 

on herself. There were many bumps along 

the way, but she and her 

team of supporters never 

gave up. Sandie took advantage 

of every opportunity 

afforded to her. She 

attended both AA and 

NA support groups and 

participated in parenting 

classes. She has also 

taken advantage of one-on-one counseling 

sessions to help improve her relationship 

with her three sons. In addition, Sandie has 

gained valuable work experience and job 

readiness skills through St. John’s On the 

Job Training Program. 

After many years of trials and tribulations, 

she has remained determined and 

focused to move forward. Sandie has 

now secured permanent and supportive 

housing through Serna Village and, most 

exciting, she has regained custody of all of 

her boys. Sandie believes things are finally 

looking up. She is looking forward to 

establishing a normal routine with her children. 

Sandie has made significant progress 

in addressing deep personal issues that 

have scarred her past. She is ready to move 

on with her life and have a fresh beginning. 

Good job, Sandie. We are so proud of your 

many accomplishments and cannot wait to 

see what life has in store for you next. 

Career Education and Placement Center Corner 

The Career Education Center has been 

an extremely popular place for the past few 

months. We have a great group of dedicated 

women who are taking advantage 

of the programs we offer in the Center. On 

any given day, we have anywhere from 

12-15 women who come to practice their 

typing or computer skills. Many of those 

had little to no skills when they entered 

and are now seeing the fruits of their labor. 

Intel has returned on a bi-weekly basis and 

offers beginning and intermediate computer 

skills training, as well as just wrapping 

up a 10-month Life Skills Series – close 

to 100 women participated in that program 

over the past year. Additionally, we are 

grateful to have Nancy Pryor return as a 

weekly evening computer instructor and 

Julie McGilvray as a dedicated volunteer 

who teaches our Job Readiness Course and 

volunteers on Fridays as well to provide 

individual instruction. 

Our most recent success has been the 

weekly GED preparation program. This 

program has skyrocketed this fall, not 

only in numbers of women needing their 

GED, but in those actually taking their 

GED tests. For those not familiar with the 

GED process, there are five areas of testing: 

reading, science, social studies, writing and 

math. These tests are offered at the Charles 

A. Jones Center at a cost of $50 per test. 

State Street Financial has made it possible 

for us to cover the testing costs of $250 for 

35 women. In the past six weeks, we have 

had 24 women actively participate in the 

prep courses and 15 of those have taken at 

least two of the five tests. We have added 

tutors to our program, including Joe and 

Nick Lytal. We could use many more tutors, 

especially in math! If this is of interest, 

please contact Maureen at mgagliardi@ 

stjohnsshelter.org. 

The success of this program is truly the 

beginning of self-sufficiency, and we are 

grateful for all the support. Please look for 

photos and stories in our next newsletter. 

7


Children’s Corner 

Volunteer Spotlight 

We are so thankful to the dedicated volunteers in our children’s program. For 

this issue of our newsletter, our staff wanted to bring attention to the morning 

team of Val Wallace and Melissa Terry. Both volunteer through CSUS’ service 

learning program. 

Val is in the process of getting a degree 

in Child Development with a concentration 

in social and community. She has enjoyed 

her learning experience at St. John’s. Val 

says, “I really admire the staff for their 

dedication to the children, as well as 

the mothers that enter the shelter in an 

effort to better the lives of their children 

and themselves.” Val lives in Fairfield and 

is married with a 13-year-old daughter. 

Melissa Terry is also majoring in 

Child Development with an emphasis 

in early care and education. She volunteers 

at St. John’s twice a week and 

enjoys working in play care with the infants, toddlers, and 

preschoolers. “My favorite thing about volunteering in play care is feeling like I’m 

an extended member of the St. John’s family and knowing I’m helping to provide 

a safe and loving environment for our littlest guests,” she says. 

Thanks, Melissa and Val, for your passion in working with children and making 

a positive impact in our program each week! 

In Our Words… 

What are you most thankful for? 

Ashley, age 7 

Thankful for food 

Staff Corner 

Welcome to Stacie 

Archer who joins the St. 

John’s front desk team. 

Stacie has an elevenyear-old 

daughter 

named Katie, whom 

she loves to death and 

two “fur-kids” (dogs), Zak and 

Karlie. She lives in Elk Grove and 

enjoys spending time outdoors, 

especially by the ocean, and 

loves spending time with family 

and friends. 

Another new face at 

the front desk is Malachy 

McCormick. He is a 

recent graduate from the 

University of the Pacific 

in Stockton, CA where 

he studied Spanish 

Literature and International 

Relations. He spent 

the last six months working for 

a non-governmental organization 

in Asuncion, Paraguay 

in South America teaching 

entrepreneurial and financial 

education classes to high school 

youth. Malachy is originally from 

Northern California and has lived 

in Sacramento, Stockton, Los 

Angeles, San Antonio, TX and 

Colorado Springs, CO. 

Brianna, age 9 

Thankful for mom 

Jasmine, age 12 

Thankful for my family 

Nathan, age 12 

Thankful for my family 

Michael, age 13 

Thankful for mom 

and life 

Michelle, age 13 

Thankful for life 

8


A Special Thank You to Some of Our 

Special Volunteers 

As of November 7th, we have recorded over 15,000 volunteer hours thanks to the efforts 

of over 2,100 volunteers. One hour of volunteer service is valued at $20.85. When you 

add it all up, volunteers have contributed an amazing $312,750 worth of in-kind labor to 

St. John’s Shelter. And the year is not over yet! 

Volunteers assist us on a daily basis and help in a variety of areas, including our kitchen, 

donation center, child care program, career and education center, as well as putting on 

special events, teaching classes, assisting with cleaning projects, and delivery services. The 

impact each volunteer has on our overall program is remarkable, and while we don’t say it 

often enough, thank you for helping these women and children to rebuild their lives! 

Below are those that contributed over 40 hours to our program so far this year: 

Volunteer 

Hours* 

Scott Corley 210.50 

Julie McGilvray 174.17 

Jessica Steiner 169.50 

Brenda Johnson 169.00 

Leta Gillick 168.00 

Nicole McClure 158.28 

Willie Holmes 151.50 

Jason Ford 149.00 

Dorina Stanley 103.00 

Mark Johnson 98.50 

Myrna Linthicum 94.50 

Philip Kaplan 66.50 

Jim Nunes 65.72 

Dan Oulanovitch 65.50 

Josephine Okwu 63.50 

Lameka Robinson 62.00 

Chris Eur 61.00 

Tiffany Howell 60.00 

Serena Lee 57.50 

Louis Biggars 57.00 

Michelle Mallen 56.50 

Wes Moldogo 56.00 

John Ricca 55.50 

Rosemary Curto 52.00 

Rita Hillman 51.50 

Marie Koomler 49.75 

Temeka Farr 49.17 

Keysia Bell 49.00 

April Rubio 48.00 

Mark Marquez 47.50 

Joey Pardini 47.50 

Amelia Garnica 47.00 

Karolyn Simon 47.00 

Ashley Jones 46.50 

Aurelio Hernandez 46.00 

Jeri Hodder 45.50 

Amanda Marelatos 45.50 

Jordan Beckwith 45.00 

Steven Crayne 44.00 

Erica Imbrecht 43.00 

Garrett Hader 42.50 

Caleb Keller 42.50 

Volunteer 

Hours* 

Hadeel Rashid 42.50 

James Moore 42.00 

Sanessa Bass 41.50 

Melanie Moore 41.00 

Isaac Obanto 41.00 

Shante Forte 40.50 

Rachel Merjil 40.50 

Sheena Sharma 40.50 

Shanice Smalls 40.50 

Jacqueline Tow 40.50 

Talea Hayes 40.00 

*Hours are captured based on volunteer’s providing 

their personal service hour data on each visit in St. 

John’s Volunteer Registration binder. 

“I want to thank all our 

volunteers for coming in and 

helping our organization 

support families in need. I 

am truly blessed to be able 

to work with you and am 

humbled by your willingness 

to give back. Great job!” 

Ronita Iulio 

Volunteer Coordinator 

St. John’s Shelter Program for 

Women and Children 

Bank of America Comes 

Through... Again! 

St. John’s is the extremely proud 

and grateful recipient of the Bank of 

America 2011-2012 Neighborhood 

Excellence Initiative award. This 

$200,000 grant will fund the expansion 

of our housing program as we 

are able secure housing for only 55% 

of our successful graduates. St. John’s 

launched its housing program in the 

fall of 2009, with funding from Bank of 

America and HUD. We currently house 

18 families; the Neighborhood Excellence 

award will allow us to almost 

double that capacity! Bank of America, 

a relatively new partner of St. John’s, 

is making a huge difference in the 

lives of families who would otherwise 

be cycled back into “the system” due 

to the lack of housing available for 

homeless families. 

Thank you, Bank of America! 

Save the Date! 

Thursday, April 28th 

Sheraton Hotel 

5th Annual 

Celebrating 

Mothers Tea 

Party 

For sponsorship details and other 

information, please contact 

Rachele Burton at 916-453-1482 or 

rburton@stjohnsshelter.org 

9


Welcome To Our New Board Members: 

Garry Tabor 

Garry Tabor is CEO 

of Signet Advisory 

Group (SAG). SAG 

is a privately held 

financial, management 

and acquisition firm 

headquartered in San 

Francisco, CA. SAG 

currently has over $1.2 billion in holdings in 

middle market companies representing a 

diverse cross segment of industries. 

Prior to joining The Signet Advisory 

Group, Mr. Tabor was the President and 

CEO of Building Material Distributors 

(BMD). As a leading provider of building 

products, BMD offers a broad scope 

of goods and services from each of its 

distribution and sales centers located 

throughout the western United States and 

Asia to construction products retailers and 

wholesalers. 

Mr. Tabor led BMD’s growth from $38 

million in annual revenue to over $310 

million. Its distribution center count had 

also grown from two to 15 and has sales 

offices located in Beijing, Tokyo, Vancouver, 

BC and throughout the United States. The 

company now employs over 450 Employee-Owners. 

Mr. Tabor remains quite involved in 

community, industry and business boards 

and committees. Currently, he serves in the 

following capacities: 

Business and Industry Boards: Archway 

Insurance, Ltd., Board of Directors; Building 

Material Distributors, Inc., Board of Directors; 

North American Building Material 

Distributors Association (NBMDA), Board 

of Directors and Chair of the Executive 

Committee; Associated Building Material 

Distributors of America (ABM), Board of 

Directors. 

Community Boards and Activities: Sarah 

House (Hospice and HIV/Aids indigent care 

facilities); St. John’s Shelter, Board of Directors; 

BMD Scholarship Foundation, Board of 

Directors. In addition to these service opportunities, 

Mr. Tabor has been an invited 

speaker at the University of Pennsylvania, 

Duke University, Ohio State University, 

Santa Clara University and has been a LeadershipOne 

CEO panelist. 

Mr. Tabor spent the early portions of his 

career in executive positions with American 

Pacific and Georgia-Pacific, two of the nation’s 

largest manufacturers and distributors 

of building products. 

Mr. Tabor attended Santa Clara University 

earning a Bachelor of Science degree 

in Management, as well as being a member 

of the school’s baseball team. He is also a 

graduate of the Wharton Executive Leadership 

Program. He and his wife, Trish, reside 

in El Dorado Hills, California with their 

youngest son, Daniel. 

John V. Crisan 

John’s professional 

career spans over 35 

years of financial and 

administrative experience 

to companies in 

the retail, technology 

and healthcare industries. 

Most recently, 

he served as chief 

financial officer of Salu, Inc. dba SkinStore. 

com where during his ten-year tenure, the 

company grew from a start up to annual 

revenues of $45 million, made several acquisitions 

and helped establish businesses 

in three foreign countries. 

Prior to that, John served five years 

as chief financial officer of Access Health, 

Inc., during which time the company grew 

annual revenues from $7 million to over 

$100 million, made several acquisitions 

and successfully completed a $100 million 

secondary public offering. He also served 

for four years as chief financial officer of 

Value Health Sciences’ behavioral health 

subsidiary, two years as Vice President Provider 

Relations with Blue Cross of NE Ohio, 

and three years as Chief Operating Officer 

of Partners National Health Plan’s Western 

Pennsylvania HMO. John is a Certified 

Public Accountant and worked six years for 

Ernst & Young, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Honors include being named CFO of 

the Year finalist by the Sacramento Business 

Journal in 2008 and co-recipient of 

the Entrepreneur of the Year award from El 

Dorado Ventures in 2009. John previously 

served on the Boards of Directors of Liftthe-Children 

Foundation, the Child Abuse 

Prevention Council of Sacramento and The 

Effort. 

John is married to Marolyn and resides 

in Gold River, California. He is the proud father 

of two children and two step-children 

and boasts six beautiful grandchildren. 

Kimberly C. 

Oxholm 

Kimberly C. Oxholm 

recently relocated to 

Sacramento from Philadelphia, 

PA, where she 

and her husband had 

resided for over thirty 

years, and had raised 

two wonderful sons. In her career there Kim 

focused her efforts on social service nonprofits, 

conservation organizations and 

progressive political campaigns. 

Kim has a deep passion for women’s reproductive 

rights and a long commitment 

to Planned Parenthood. In Philadelphia, 

she served as chair of Planned Parenthood 

Southeastern Pennsylvania’s “Owning Our 

Future,” a successful $6 million Capital Campaign. 

She also served on the boards of the 

Women’s Law Project, CHOICE (a hotline 

service), and the Women’s Medical Fund 

(a small non-profit providing emergency 

funds to low income women and girls 

needing access to safe, legal abortions). 

Kim served as turnaround Executive Director 

for the Women’s Medical Fund, saving 

it from closing its doors to thousands of 

needy clients, and as interim Vice-President 

of Development for PPSP. In her political 

life, Kim served a term on the Lower 

Merion, PA Board of School Directors and 

served as Treasurer to several State Senate 

candidates. She also served on the Board 

of the Philadelphia Zoo, the oldest Zoo in 

America. 

Since moving to Sacramento in early 

2009, Kim has eagerly sought to engage in 

the community. She has become a member 

of the Sacramento Zoo board, the Planned 

Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte board, 

and just recently joined the board of St. 

John’s Shelter. She and her husband are enjoying 

their new community and its many 

hiking and biking opportunities. 

10

Wish 

St. John’s Shelter Program 

List 

for Women and Children 

Career Center: 

o Binders: 1” and 2” either hard 

or soft cover 

o Flash Drives 

o Gift Cards to Office Supply 

Stores 

o Paper: Standard Copy & Card 

Stock 

o Pens: Blue/Black Ink 

o Printer Ink: HP Color LaserJet 

o CP2025 & Dell All in One Printer 

922 

Children’s Programs: 

o Backpacks 

o Balls: all types 

o Boy’s Deodorant 

o Children’s CDs (for nap & play 

time) 

o Children’s DVDs 

o Math Flash Cards 

o School Uniforms: Polo Shirts - 

White, Blue; Pants - Blue, Khaki 

o Stickers 

o Tube Socks 

Kitchen Needs: 

o Cutting Boards: White Plastic or 

Thick Poly 

o Floor Mats: Heavy Duty, Brick 

Color, Qty 6-7 

o Foil wrap 

o Hotel Pans: Stainless Steel, 2”, 

4”, & 6” with Lids 

o Ice Cream Dishers/Portioners: 

all sizes 

o Kitchen Towels: Qty 100, White 

o Kitchen Utensils, i.e. Tongs, 

Spoons (stainless steel/all sizes 

- no plastic please) 

o Melamine Bowls: 8 oz., Qty 100 

o Mesh Skimmers 

o Non Dairy Creamer 

o NSF Pots and Pans, with lids 

o Oven Thermometers: Small 

o Paper Goods (Paper Towels, 

Napkins, Plates, Cups) 

o Pasta Basket Strainers 

o Plastic Tumblers: Clear, Pebbled 

o Pot Holders 

o Powdered Beverages 

o Rice Cooker, 50 Cup 

o Roasting Racks (for full sheet pans) 

o Roasting Racks: Qty 4-5 (that 

fit inside a hotel pan) 

o Sanitation Buckets: Red, 

Plastic, 2-3Qt. 

o Scale: Portion Control 5lb, and 

Receiving 25lb 

o Sippy Cups 

o Soup Warmer 

o Spatulas: Metal/Rubber 

o Stainless Steel Cleaner 

o Storage Containers with Lids: 

2qt, 4qt, 6qt, 8qt, 12qt, 22qt 

o Sugar 

o Tea 

o Whisks/Whips 

General Shelter Needs: 

o Antibacterial wipes 

o Batteries: Sizes AA/AAA/C/D 

o Bike Lights 

o Bike Tire Patch Kits 

o Blankets: Twin Size, Qty 200 

o Bleach: Powder and Liquid 

o Clothing Racks: Round 

o Commercial Power Washer 

o Cordless Tool Combo 

o Dryer: Commercial, Gas 

o Duct Tape: Colored 

o Dusters 

o First Aid Kits 

o Flash Lights 

o Furniture Dolly: 4 Wheel 

o Gift Cards: Home Depot, Jiffy 

Lube, Lowes, Orchard Supply 

o Hand Sanitizer 

o Hand Tools Kit (screwdriver, 

drill, reciprocating, and circular 

saw) 

o Laundry Detergent: Liquid and 

Powder 

o Lice Treatment and Spray 

o Mattress Covers: Twin Size, 

Zippered, Qty 150 

o Mattresses: Twin Size, Vinyl, Qty 

100 

o Mirrors (20 needed to mount 

behind dorm doors) 

o Moving Truck 

o Nails and Screws 

o New Playground Structure 

o Open Face Letter Board (36” W 

x 30” H) 

o Pillowcases 

o Pillows 

o Platform Hand Truck 

o Portable Battery Charger 

o Rocking Chairs 

o Rollers, Paint Thinner, Paint 

Remover 

o Rubbermaid 35 Qt. WaveBrake 

Side Press Combo Mop Bucket 

and Wringer System, Yellow 

and Brown 

o Rubbermaid BRUTE 44 Gal 

Trash Container with Lid 

o Rubbermaid BRUTE Dolly for 

Trash Container 

o Rubbermaid BRUTE Dome Top 

for 44 Gal. BRUTE Containers, 

Gray 

o Rubbermaid Utility Cart 

o Spray bottles (40) 

o Storage Containers: all sizes 

o Sun Shade for Playground 

o Tires: Truck and SUV 

o Toilet Paper 

o Tooth Paste 

o Tough Turf for Playground 

o Towels & Washcloths 

o Trash Bags: Large Plastic 

o Washing Machine: Commercial 

o Wet Dry Vac 

o Windex 

o Zip-loc bags: Sandwich & 

gallon size 

Women’s Needs: 

o Breast Pads 

o Brushes/Combs 

o Chapstick 

o Deodorant 

o Feminine Hygiene Products 

o Hair Products: Mousse, Gel 

o Maternity Clothing 

o Plus Size Clothing 

o Reading Glasses 

o First Aid Kits 

o Small Sewing Kits 

Baby Needs: 

o Baby Bottles: plastic 

o Baby Food 

o Baby Juices 

o Baby Powder 

o Baby Wipes 

o Diaper Cream 

o Diapers: Sizes 1,2,3,4,5,6 

o Disposable Thermometer 

Strips 

o Enfamil A.R.® 

o Nutramigen® with Enflora 

LGG® 

o Enfamil® EnfaCare® 

o Enfamil® Gentlease 

o Enfamil® ProSobee® 

o Enfamil Lipil 

o High Chairs 

o Cribs 

o Strollers 

o Playpens 

o Pacifiers 

o Pedialyte® 

o Pull Ups 

o Similac NeoSure 

o Similac Sensitive R.S. 

o Similac Sensitive 

o Sippy Cups 

o Vaseline 

Materials for Classes: 

o Art Canvases/Boards: 8x10, 

9x12 or 11x14 

o Acrylic Paints: all colors 

o Crochet hooks 

o Gift cards to Michaels and 

Aaron Brothers 

o Guitars: new or gently used 

o Yarn 

Office Supplies: 

o Clip Boards 

o Cork Bulletin Board 

o High Lighters 

o Masking Tape 

o Plastic Brochure Display Stands 

o Sharpies: Black and Multi Color 

o Stamps 

o Pens 

Café: 

o Banquet tables (8’ Round) and 

Chairs 

o Cake Turner (for Decorating) 

o Champagne Flutes 

o Charger Plates 

o Egg Pans: Non-stick 6-8 

o Fresh Flowers 

o Ice Cream Maker: 5 qt 

o KitchenAid Mixer: 8 qt 

o Legal Notepads 

o Locker Locks: Qty 20 

o Mail Station: Multi-Slot 

o Masking tape 1” 

o Pens 

o Post-It Notes 

o Proof Box 

o Ramekins (for Brulee) 

o Robot Coupe Food Processor 

o Salt and Pepper Shakers: Qty 40, 

Glass 

o Sauté Pans: Large 

o Serving Trays 

o Sharpies 

o Silverware 

o Spatulas: Rubber Heat Restraint 

o Spice Grinder 

o Stainless Steel Hotel Pans: 9th 

pans, 6th pans, 200 pans, 400 

pans, etc. 

o Staples 

o Stock and Sauce Pans: Heavy 

Duty 

o Storage Containers on Casters 

o Torch 

o White Out Correction Tape 

o White Table Cloths 

o Wine Glasses 

o Wood Top Table: 5 ft by 29 ½ inch 

wide 

o Zesters 

Please consider supporting us in helping homeless women with children get back on their feet. We need your support 

now more than ever! 

Name Amount Enclosed $ 

Address 

Phone 

Email Address 

Please return with your check or money order to: 

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children, 2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #369, Sacramento, CA 95825-7684 

Donations may also be made with a credit card online at www.stjohnsshelter.org. 

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. We rely on donations from the community, 

local business and civic groups to continue to provide assistance and hope to homeless women and children. We do not loan or sell your 

information. Tax ID#: 68-0132934 

55


2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #369 

Sacramento, CA 95825-7684 

Ph. 916-453-1482 

Fax 916-453-1425 

www.stjohnsshelter.org 

Board of Directors 

• Kim Box (Chair), Pathway to Prevention 

• Chett Hewitt (Vice Chair), Sierra Health Foundation 

• John Crisan (Treasurer), Consultant 

• Janelle Fallan (Secretary), Sacramento Association of REALTORS® 

• Kathy McKim (Immediate Past President), AT&T 

• Andrea Anderson, SureWest 

• Ruthie Bolton, Olympian 

• Dave Cloniger, Merrill Lynch 

• Pastor Rick Cole, Capitol Christian Center 

• Jennifer Duggan, Porter Scott 

• Kimberly Delinger Dunn, Personal Insurance Federation of California 

• Connie Sanders Emerson, Political Fund-Raiser 

• Veronica Knudson, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento 

• Monica McCain, Alumna 

• Scott Myers, Wells Fargo 

• Ralph Nevis, Day Carter Murphy LLC 

• Kimberly C. Oxholm, Consultant 

• Claire Pomeroy, U.C. Davis School of Medicine 

• Marco Rodriguez, Principal Financial Group 

• Deborah Royalty, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. 

• Garry Tabor, Signet Advisory Group 

• Renee Nunes Taylor, Forma Communications 

• Joanna Wessman, Sacramento Business Journal 

Happy Holidays 

from St. John’s 

Shelter! 

Plates Café can help with 

your holiday pies, desserts 

and parties! 

Plates Café and Catering is taking orders 

for pies and desserts for your special holiday 

meals. We also have banquet space and catering 

services available for your holiday party. 

See page 2 to learn more. 

Our Donation Policies 

and Hours 

We are so grateful for your help in 

clothing and housing more than 1,200 

women and children so far this year. 

Our donation center has new 

hours effective November 1st. 

We are now open to receive your 

donations Monday – Saturday from 

10am – 5pm. 

Please note that due to a 

combination of factors ranging from 

state regulation to need, we cannot 

accept the following donations: 

• Used Toys 

• Happy Meal Toys 

• Office Equipment 

• Used Baby Equipment 

• Soiled/Heavily Worn Clothing 

• Non-Essential Household Items 

• Expired Food 

• Used Mattresses 

12

Creating better tomorrows - St. John's Shelter Program for Women ...

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