2nd Annual Celebrating Mothers Tea Party Sells Out at 800!

Second Quarter 2008
Transforming lives.
Transforming the community.
One woman, one child
at a time.
The Women of St. John’s
Give Back!
On May 9th, eleven of our clients and one alumna participated
in Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week. We painted,
we dug an irrigation ditch, and we built a fence… all for a home
that will be offered to a family in need. There is not a group of
people more empathetic to this family’s cause than our clients. Not
only did participating in this project make us feel good, we had a
ball and learned a great deal at the same time!
2nd Annual Celebrating Mothers
Tea Party Sells Out at 800!
Who would have ever imagined a Tea
Party for 800 in Sacramento? On May 7th
at the Sheraton Grand, 800 people gathered
to celebrate and honor mothers and
to support St. John’s Shelter Program for
Women and Children. Honorees included:
Griselda Barajas, Carol Fowler, Cassandra
Jennings, Teri Munger, and St. John’s Shelter
alumna, Jolene Waite.
We were entertained by our Emcee,
Peggy Shannon; we were captivated by
Continued on next page
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
2nd Annual Celebrating Mothers Tea Party
artists David Garibaldi and Nina Ross;
we were mesmerized by the story of our
Shelter Mother of the Year, Jolene Waite
(see Jolene’s story on page 4); we were surrounded
by the success of over 70 alumnae
in attendance. It was a magical afternoon,
and if you weren’t able to join us this year, I
sure hope you can make it next year!
Thanks to your support and the support
of our sponsors (see next page), we raised
$165,000 to support mothers in making
better lives for themselves and their children!
You are making a huge difference for
these families, and we thank you!
2

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Tea Party Sponsors
High Tea Sponsor
AT&T
Tea Pot Sponsors
California Strategies & Communications; Chevron Corporation; CHW/Mercy Foundation;
Goddard Claussen; Kaiser Permanente; Kikkoman; Sierra Health Foundation;
Sutter Health
Tea Cup Sponsors
AKT Development Corp.; Allstate; Berryessa Castro Lordge Family Fund; California
Endowment; Golden One Credit Union; Granite Construction; HP; Intel Corporation;
Lyon Real Estate; PG&E; Rick & Carol Fowler; SkinStore; Surewest; Teichert; Wilson Miller
Communications
Scone Sponsors
UC Davis Health System; Bank of America; Boutin Dentino Gibson Giduisto Hodell,
Inc.; Bridge Bank; California Chamber of Commerce; CC Myers; Carriage House/Garage
Door Specialists; Day Carter & Murphy; Gifts to Share; HMH Builders; Mayor Heather
Fargo/Councilmember Steve Cohn/Councilmember Kevin McCarty; Jami Warner &
Ellen Warner; Jerry & Toni Greenwell; Kleinfelder; Lucas Public Affairs; the
Land Park/Curtis Park Office for Lyon Real Estate; Navigators, LLC; North
Sacramento Land Company; PRIDE Industries; Sacramento Association of
Realtors; Sacramento Business Journal; Sacramento River Cats; Schubert
Flint Public Affairs; Separovich; Domich/Ravel Rasmussen; Sloat Higgins
Jensen; Sonya & Marty Wilson; Taylor Properties Development Company;
The Martin-Middleton Family; Thunder Valley Casino; Trane; USAA; Wells
Fargo; www.sacmomsclub.com
Media Sponsors
Comstocks Magazine and Sacramento Magazine
Event Volunteers
Robert Ruggiero—Graphic Designer; Brenda Bisharat—Photographer;
Capital Valley Harp Circle—Musicians; Chuck Bartlett—Florist; Gary
Johnson—AV Services; Jami Warner—Public Relations; Nina Ross—Vocalist; St. John’s
Shelter Alumnae—Tea Pot Decorators; Sharon Roseme—Alumnae Story Documenter;
Space 07 Salon—Jolene’s Hair and Makeup
Tea Party Committee Members
Debbie Aspling, Amie Bergin, Doni Blumenstock, Kim Box, Rachele Burton, Julie
Carter, Susan DeMarois, Jeredith Duvall, Frank Espegren, Maureen Gagliardi, Greg Gonzales,
Marie Hall, Mary Gonsalves-Kinney, Veronica Knudson, Pam Lapinski, Kimbra
Lee, Shiloh London, Kathy McKim, Lindsay Miranda, Ralph Nevis,
Sandra Pizarro, Jim Reynolds, Susan Reynolds, Adina Stanfill,
Twyla Teitzel, Jami Warner, Joanna Wessman, Sonya Wilson,
Marilyn Wright
3

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Jolene Waite, St. John’s Shelter Alumna of the Year
Jolene Waite’s highest goal in life is to
create a loving stable home for all of her
children. She is a woman of grit, determination
and persistence. She knows when and
how to ask for help and how to use it when
she gets it. Her struggle to succeed has
been supported by everyone in her life at
St. John’s and beyond, though her triumph
is hers alone.
Today Jolene and all of her children
live together. They have dinner together
as a family every night. Her oldest daughter,
Janeen, plans on college; her son
Travis is committed to making his way
through school; her daughter Amanda is
in aerospace school; her son Joseph is a
4th grader; and her youngest daughter,
A big “thank you” to
Whole Foods
at Arden and Eastern for their
April and May donation drive.
Customers of Whole Foods were
given the opportunity to purchase
care packages for our women and
children. Thanks Whole Foods
customers for your purchases! All
combined, we received a total of 90
cases full of shampoo, lotion, bar
soap, lip balm and toothbrushes.
Thanks also to Matt Rosso, Whole
Foods Front End Team Leader,
for coordinating the collection
of these necessary items for our
residents.
Kayleen (born at St. John’s), is a happy toddler.
Like all kids, each of her children faces
challenges. Jolene says raising them is the
hardest thing she’s ever done, but now she
has the stability, skills and resources to do
it right.
Jolene herself is getting the literacy and
schooling she needs to achieve her ambition
to become a drug and alcohol counselor
so she can give back to women in her
position. She returns to St. John’s often to
work with, support and inspire their clients.
With help from her son’s 2nd grade
teacher in late 2005, Jolene was determined
to find a place to be a family. When
she first arrived at St. John’s, however,
she became overwhelmed by her issues
of homelessness, undiagnosed mental
illness, drug use and her pregnancy, and
she left almost immediately. Two months
later, Jolene realized that St. John’s was
the right place for her. It took over 50
phone calls and the help of everyone in
her life to get her back in. However, the
Today, Jolene Waite
and her children
(pictured left) all
live together and
have dinner as a
family every night.
decision was heart
wrenching—St.
John’s could not
take in her teenage
son, nor her
teenage daughter
Janeen, both of
whom ended up
living with her
boyfriend. Jolene
had never been parted from any of her children
before. Still, she recognized that she
needed help herself and that she needed
to do right by her kids. She knew this was
the path she needed to follow.
Jolene had already shown her ability
and the strength of her desire to be a
good mother. Despite her drug addiction,
See all the donations
we received from
Whole Foods!
Help Us Save Money!
she had managed to stay clean and sober
during each of her pregnancies. Against all
odds, despite homelessness and constant
moving, she had managed to keep her
youngest children in the same school for
their entire lives.
At St. John’s, Jolene struggled daily
with her desire to use, as well as with her
mental, economic and mothering challenges.
Everyone at St. John’s helped: the
staff, her fellow clients, the volunteers and
the outside doctors and counselors. Jolene
embraced and relied on their help. She
also took advantage of every program and
class available. She jokes that she attended
more classes than any other client before
or since.
Jolene knew that what she needed
more than anything else was housing—a
place to be a family. She was devastated
when her first application to Serna Village,
a transitional living program, was denied.
EVERYONE at St. John’s leapt into action to
fight to get her family approved. Thanks
to them, in March of 2006, Jolene and her
family were accepted into Serna. Even
though the two month wait to move was
difficult, she triumphantly took her entire
family to their new home on May 31, 2006,
nearly two years ago.
St. John’s After-Care Program has been
important to Jolene ever since. Both she
and her kids continue to participate in St.
John’s programs. She has already begun
giving back to St. John’s and its clients
by sharing her time, her support, and her
inspiration with St. John’s clients. For her
long struggle to create a loving and supportive
home for her entire family, Jolene
has truly earned the honor of being St.
John’s Alumna of the Year, and we congratulate
her!
We hope you enjoy receiving updates from us as much as we enjoy
keeping you posted on all that is happening at St. John’s! Please
help us save money by providing us with your email address so we
can send you, at no cost to us, the email version of our newsletter.
And by the way, we promise to keep your email address to ourselves!
Email addresses can be emailed to accounting@stjohnsshelter.org.
4

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Meet One of Our Latest Graduates, Jean Griffiths
I started using drugs at a very young
age. My parents moved to California when
I was 12 years old. From the age of 12 to 17
years old, I was in and out of various juvenile
halls and group homes. I used drugs
heavily. At age 18, I became pregnant with
my first child. Even though I stopped using
drugs while I was pregnant, as soon as my
son was born, I started using drugs again.
When my son was 1 ½ years old, I asked my
mom to take care of him so I could begin
living the “fast life”. I soon became homeless,
and I convinced myself that there was
no reason to stop using drugs, that there
was no reason to build a stable life for me
and my child. For the next 2 years, I spent
a lot of time in jail for drug related offenses.
I then became involved in an abusive
relationship. I tried convincing myself
that things would get better, but in 2004
while in jail, I found out that I was pregnant
again. I was released in November, and it
was at that time I decided I would never
use drugs again.
Although I have not
used drugs since November
8, 2004, I have
had to overcome many
more obstacles in my
life. My children and
I have been homeless
on way too many
occasions. My life was
drastically changed,
however, when I was
sitting at the Amtrak
Light Rail Station with
my daughter. A man
approached us and asked if he
could help. I told him no and thanked him.
He persisted and said he could not leave
me sitting at the station with my children
on such a cold night. He walked away and
said he would be back shortly. When he
returned, he gave me his cell phone and
said that someone wanted to speak with
me. The woman on the phone said that St.
John’s had beds available for us
if we wanted them. I immediately
started crying and told the
woman that I didn’t care if I had
to sleep on a chair. She gave me
directions to the Shelter. I knew
it would take a long time to walk,
but I was willing. However, the
man was nice enough to pay for
me to take a cab to the Shelter. I
walked into St. John’s at 1:00 am
and met the woman with whom
I spoke with over the phone. Her
name is Cheryl, but I call her “My
Angel”.
My stay at St. John’s was so wonderful.
The staff is great, and they will forever be a
part of my life. I moved into my own place
after living at St. John’s for two months. I
am forever grateful to everyone at St. John’s
because they saved me and my family from
a life of hopelessness and homelessness.
“In Our Words”
• A Column Written by the
Youth Residing in our Shelter
What are you looking forward
to this summer?
Amerion, 7
Swimming
Alize’, 12
Swimming and
Monarchs games
Naomi, 14
Jordan, 6
Swimming
Something fun
Our Donation Policies
and Hours
Please note that due to limited
staffing, we cannot accept donations
outside of the following hours:
• Tuesday: 1-6 pm
• Wednesday: 1-6 pm
• Thursday: 1-6 pm
• Saturday: 10-4 pm
Lastly, 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
Romeo, 14
Summer Job
5

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
St. John’s Saints
By Twyla Teitzel, Volunteer Services Coordinator
Jamie and Ashlyn
Jamie and Ashlyn and a Wish List
We would like to recognize two amazing girls from El Dorado Hills.
One day, Jamie and Ashlyn decided to help some people less fortunate
than themselves. They found St. John’s on the Web and immediately
knew they wanted to help our women and children.
Being the brave 13 year olds they are, they took the St. John’s
Wish List into their local Raley’s store. After explaining St. John’s to
the store manager, and what they were trying to do to help us, they
asked for a donation. Imagine how excited the girls were when the
manager said, “Sure! You can take one of each item on the list!”
Jamie and Ashlyn delivered the donations to St. John’s during
our 5:00 pm roll call. They told the 115 residents how they collected
the donations, and the women and children gleefully applauded their efforts.
Jamie and Ashlyn were so thrilled, they are now volunteering with St. John’s on a regular
basis… all the way from El Dorado Hills!
Might you enjoy volunteering
your time to:
« Prepare your favorite lunch or
dinner for 125?
« Help children with their
homework?
« Deliver furniture to the new homes
of our successful graduates?
« Organize clothing and shoe
donations in our Boutique?
« Hold a drive at your work for our
“in demand” items?
« Teach classes to the women and/or
children?
Want to volunteer but not sure what you can do? We can help! Volunteer
Orientation is held at St. John’s every Tuesday at 6:00 pm. We will give you a
tour of the Shelter and discuss the various volunteer opportunities at St. John’s.
There are so many opportunities for you to share your talents and time!
To get started, please contact Twyla Teitzel at 453-1482 or at tteitzel@
stjohnsshelter.org. We know you will feel so much better each time you leave!
« Paint, lay tile, or decorate?
« Garden on Sundays?
« Data entry?
Farmers and a Convertible
Although plowing a field may be different than folding clothes, an enthusiastic
group of farmers spent one day helping us to sort through and organize our clothing
donations! In addition, they brought bags and bags of sorely-needed items for
the women and children.
And as if that weren’t enough… they called back one month later with an out-ofthe
world donation. They wanted to give us a CAR… a convertible even! However,
it was donated with a heart rendering stipulation—to give it to a client in need.
In the photo on the right, you will see the recipient of that donation, Michelle
Erickson. Michelle arrived at St. John’s in December of 2007. With the support of our
career planning and placement program, she was hired by Delta Dental into what
she calls “a dream job.” In April, Michelle moved to Serna Village, a housing program
at the North end of Watt Ave. Delta Dental, however, was in Rancho Cordova, and
with public transportation, it was taking Michelle 2.5 hours to get to work, and 2.5 hours to return from work,
every day. The stress of her commute was becoming unbearable. You can only imagine the delight and the
tears when we told Michelle we had a car for her—an “in great condition” convertible to boot!
We are so grateful to our farmers, and to all of you, for all you do for the women and children we serve – you
really do make a difference in their lives!
Michelle
and her
new
convertible
If you are interested in donating a
vehicle to us, please contact Susan
Reynolds at 916-488-3845 or at
sreynolds@stjohnsshelter.org.
6

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
C.L.A.S.S.Y. and Smiles
C.L.A.S.S.Y. was formed to provide teens with life skills
and hands-on training to boost confidence and to help
them develop into successful women. The girls from
C.L.A.S.S.Y. decided to spend a day with the St. John’s
children: reading stories, playing games and providing
lunch. According to their leader, Keadrian Belcher-Harris,
the girls left with so much more than they came with! “This
experience made real for them what it means to struggle.
To hear the stories of the mothers that reside there, and to
see the smiles and determination on their faces throughout
the day, it was one of the most inspiring things C.LA.S.S.Y
members have ever experienced.” The girls so appreciated
the standing ovation the St. John’s clients gave them as
they prepared to leave. “Thank you St. John’s! This was an
experience that C.LA.S.S.Y. members will remember for a
long time.”
Dana and Computers
Dana Liu came by for a tour
of St. John’s Shelter and realized
that she didn’t just want to leave
saying she had toured the facility.
She wanted to get involved and
make a difference in the lives of
the women who reside here.
She decided she would like
to donate her time and her talents by teaching computer
classes to women on her weekends. She purchased all of
the materials, and our first Microsoft Word Course began.
Dana’s dedication and her ability to be flexible with
the schedule was a recipe for success. She is now in the
process of developing a course for Microsoft Excel. She
is also in the process of developing a curriculum for a MS
Word Weekend Workshop that will soon be available
for our women who are preparing for the workforce.
Our sincere thanks to Dana and we look forward
to seeing her back in July!
P.S. (Congratulations to Priscilla Tilton graduated
Dana’s first class with a score of 96%!)
Dana
with
graduate
Priscilla
Tilton
C.L.A.S.S.Y. members and the children
enjoy their picnic
Meet Our Newest
Board Member,
Joanna Wessman
Joanna Wessman is the Publisher
of the Sacramento Business Journal,
which she joined in 1995. Prior to that
she worked for Target Stores.
Joanna also serves on the Sacramento
City College business advisory
council.
She and her husband, John, have
two children, John and Kristina, and
three beautiful grandchildren, Tommy,
Adriana and Lee.
Her hobbies
include travel, golf
and time spent
with her grandbabies,
though not
necessary in that
order.
St. John’s Clients Graduate
from CSUS Career
Counseling Program
On May 12th, a graduation celebration took place at CSUS Career Counseling Center
honoring: Kristy Mitchell, Angel Taylor, Chamissa Bell, Candace Lewis, Michele Taylor-Castaneda,
and Rhonda Reed. Professor Nancy Carlton and her team of Graduate Students
commended our women for their participation in the 12-week course at CSUS!
During the 12 weeks, our clients attended classes and received one-on-one career
counseling. In addition, the CSUS Graduate Students came to St. John’s to volunteer in the
our Career Planning and Placement Center.
The newly formed partnership with CSUS has proven to be a mutually beneficial
program. Our clients gained enormous confidence by attending a class held on the CSUS
Campus. For most of them, this was the first time they had ever been on a college campus.
It was an exciting, informative and life-altering experience for each of them.
The Counselors told us time and time again that they received more from our women
than they could have ever imagined. For them, the experience of working with our clients
was the “icing on the cake” in their education.
As the fall semester begins, we hope to double the number of clients who will participate
in this program. In addition, a CSUS Graduate Student will begin an Internship in our
Career Planning and Placement Center. We are so grateful for this opportunity and for the
collaboration and partnership that we have formed with Nancy Carlton and CSUS!
If you are interested in employing any of our graduates, please contact Maureen
Gagliardi at 453-1482 or at mgagliardi@stjohnsshelter.org.
Pictured above: Graduates Chamissa, Angel, Candace and Rhonda.
7

Wish List
Donations are gratefully accepted Tuesdays from 1 to 6 pm, Wednesdays from 1 to 6 pm,
Thursdays from 1 to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm.
Due to your overwhelming generosity with donations, and with the limited space we have available to store
donated items, we are no longer able to accept donations outside of these hours.
Children’s Program:
(Due to State regulations,
all of the donations to the
children’s room must
be new. Thank you!)
Baskets for storage
Ball pump
Kitchen set (cookware)
Baby dolls
Linking cues
Puzzles (24 pieces or less)
Board puzzles
Play clothes
Sand toys
Locking journals for children 10+
Large toy cars that don’t make
noise
Play balls
Learning toys (i.e., blocks, linking
toys, etc.)
Jumbo crayons
New naptime mats
New circle time rug
Window shades
Educational board games
Children friendly cleaners (free
of toxins, chemicals, bleach,
etc.)
Rocking chairs
Walker
Sippy cups
Musical instruments
Kitchen Needs:
Oven mitts
18 x 24 inch white cutting
boards
14-inch chef knives
10-inch chef knives
Wooden spoons
30-cup rice cooker
8 oz. ladles
24” x 48” stainless steel table
12 oz. plastic scoops
6 oz. rice/ice cream scoopers
Industrial slicer
St. John’s also needs your financial
assistance to make ends meet. By making a
$1400 commitment to us this year, you will
underwrite the transformation of a life.
On-going Needs:
Powder bleach
Dish soap
Paper towels
Foil wrap
Powder-free gloves
Twin-sized pillows
Twin and full sized sheets
Travel size tubes of toothpaste
Women’s deodorant
Hair grease
Batteries (AA/AAA/D)
Silverware (forks)
Laundry detergent
Heavy duty garbage bags
Napkins
Toilet paper
Ziploc bags: sandwich and
gallon
Pull-up diapers
Depends
Sanitary napkins
Tampons
Dish soap
Kleenex
High Priority:
Commercial washer
Commercial dryer
Bold items
are in high
demand!
Field Trips:
Our women and children could
really use some outings …
otherwise known as field trips!
If you are able to donate any
of the following, please let us
know:
• Skating rink excursions
• Roseville water slides
• Music Circus tickets
• Kayaking excursions
• Chipotle gift certificates
• Movie theater excursions
Are you able to drive the
women and children to:
• A Monarchs game
• Oakland A’s game
• Folsom Zoo
• Library
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, 4410 Power Inn Road, Sacramento, CA 95826
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

4410 Power Inn Road
Sacramento, CA 95826
Ph. 916-453-1482
Fax 916-453-1425
www.stjohnsshelter.org
Board of Directors
• Kathy McKim (Chair), AT&T
• Frank Espegren (Immediate Past President)
St. John’s Lutheran Church
• Greg Gonzales (Treasurer), Sutter Health
• Susan Reynolds (Secretary),
Reynolds Business Services
• Debbie Aspling, Kaiser Permanente
• Amie Bergin, Consultant
• Kim Box, Hewlett-Packard
• Julie Carter, Day Carter Murphy LLC
• Peter Hugenroth, Trane
• Mary Gonsalves-Kinney, Consultant
• Veronica Knudson, Methodist
Hospital of Sacramento
• Kimbra Lee, Wells Fargo Bank
• Ralph Nevis, Day Carter Murphy LLC
• Sandra Pizarro, CAHP
• Adina Stanfill, Shelter Alumna
• Joanna Wessman, Publisher,
Sacramento Business Journal
• Marilyn Wright, California Museum for History,
Women and the Arts
Meet Our New Director of Shelter Operations… Marie Hall
Marie comes to St. John’s with 25 years
experience working with both large fortune
500 and small local companies in the Bay
Area and Sacramento. Her experience includes
the establishment and maintenance
of long-term relationships with corporate
partners, to
the creation
and management
of
systems for
increasing efficiency
and
production.
Over the
years, Marie
established
protocols
for policies
and procedures,
as well
as education and training programs for
personnel. She has written business plans
for start-up companies and has developed
sales and marketing goals and forecasts.
Most recently, Marie served as Vice
President of California Central Corporation
Home Loans.
Prior to her role with California Central
Corporation, Marie continued to use her
skills in the classroom as a middle school
teacher at a local private school, establishing
programs to help students achieve
higher standards for writing and verbal
expression. Many of her students went on
to participate on their High School Debate
teams, and to have their work published in
the National Anthology of Young Authors.
Throughout her career, Marie has been
active in the community as a volunteer
and in local charities and fundraisers. She
has been a member of the Country Club
Optimists and served as President of the
St. John Evangelist Art Docent Program
and Chairperson of the Art Docent Annual
Fundraiser. For the past 18 months,
she served as a member of the St. John’s
Shelter Program Board of Directors. In the
Bay Area, Marie worked as a volunteer for
WEAVE, providing administrative support
and as a Group Home Counselor for the
Cupertino Group Home Organization.
As a St. John’s Shelter Board member,
Marie has had the opportunity to work
with many of the St. John’s Shelter personnel
and clients. She absolutely loves the
work that is being done at St. John’s, and it
is with great excitement that she joins us as
our Director of Shelter Operations.
Welcome Aboard, Marie!
Our Children’s
Room has a
bright new look
thanks to the
efforts of Melissa
Cates, one of our
case managers
for the Children’s
Program.
8