Oprah and the Emerging Faces of this Recession - St. John's Shelter ...

First Quarter 2009
Transforming lives.
Transforming the community.
One woman, one child
at a time.
Oprah and the Emerging Faces
of this Recession
Most reading this article are aware that
St. John’s was one of three Sacramentobased
homeless services providers featured
by The Oprah Winfrey Show on February
25th. The show told the story of the devastating
impacts this economy, foreclosures
in particular, is having on families.
The viewing party held at the Shelter included
over 200 graduates, volunteers and
clients—in addition to KCRA and the Sacramento
Bee! (Please see the “News” section
at www.stjohnsshelter.org to view the local
media coverage we received. Thanks to
Jami Warner who made the coverage happen!)
Wonderful hors d’oeuvres were underwritten
and provided by the Firehouse
Restaurant, Town and Country Catering,
the Kitchen Academy, Gold Rush Grille,
select students from St. Francis High
School, and the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.
Anderson Audio Visual and Gary
Johnson underwrote the AV so we could
have 200-plus watching at the Shelter simultaneously.
(If you aren’t already doing
business with these fabulous organizations,
please consider doing so!) It was a
very special and memorable afternoon for
all of us—to know that St. John’s had been
included in this important and just-emerging
dialogue and that Oprah recognizes the
plights of those we serve.
While the national exposure was
tremendous, the local exposure was even
more tremendous… so few people realize
what is going on in our own backyard. St.
John’s is now turning away over 240
women and children every day, up from
80 per day last year. Please know that
your support is needed now, more than
ever before, to help us meet the rapidly
growing demand for our services. With an
additional $25 a day, we can serve an
one more woman or child in the shelter.
Please consider making a contribution at
www.stjohnsshelter.org or by mailing it to the
address included in this newsletter. Please
also consider volunteering at St. John’s, where
we employ the help of more than 300 volunteers
each and every month to support these
families in becoming self-sufficient.
There are some “less direct” ways you
can help us as well. You can purchase your
office supplies from www.GiveSomething-
Back.com, a supporter of St. John’s! (Please
see their article on the next page.) You
can also make a purchase from local artist
Gayle Rappaport-Weilands who is donating
50% of the proceeds from the sale of her
art to St. John’s! (Please also see her article
on the next page.) You can support our
3rd Annual Celebrating Mothers Tea Party
on May 8th at the Hyatt downtown. (See
enclosed invitation.) And you can share our
story with your friends and colleagues.
We cannot meet this demand alone—
we need the help of this entire community.
Most gratefully,
Michele Steeb
Executive Director
St. John’s is now turning away
over 240 women and children
every day, up from 80 per day
last year. Please know that
your support is needed now,
more than ever before, to help
us meet the rapidly growing
demand for our services.
Your donations to St. John’s,
received between March 1
and April 30, up to $50,000,
will be matched by
Alan Shawn Feinstein,
as part of the Foundation’s
2009 Challenge to End Hunger!
Inside you’ll find the stories of some of the families interviewed
by Lisa Ling…the emerging faces of this recession.
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
Even though our name is Give Something Back (www.GiveSomethingBack.com), we
don’t ask people to give anything up when they shop with us. We provide them with quality
office supplies at superstore prices, and then donate our profits to community groups,
including St. John’s Shelter.
We support a wide range of non-profits, from arts to environmental to animal rescue
organizations. Through an annual balloting process, we let our customers decide where
and how much we donate to each group. We also set aside some of the donations so that
our organization can choose which groups to support.
After seeing The Oprah Winfrey Show featuring those helped by St. John’s Shelter,
we’re more committed than ever to supporting organizations that provide basic needs
– food, shelter, health care. This economy has made life rougher for almost all of us, but
when you see individuals without a home to sleep in, a place to shower, food to eat,
and/or a place to recover when they’re sick, it’s simply
unconscionable.
When Michele shared with us that St. John’s is turning away
over 240 women and children every day, I thought, “We must
provide more support to this organization because the need
is much more than dire.”
We urge you to provide more support as well. One way
you can help is by doing business with our company, and
voting for St. John’s when you receive our annual ballot. It
won’t cost you a cent more on your office supplies, and
you’ll be increasing your support of St. John’s.
2
Local Artist Gayle Rappaport-
Weilands Inspired by Oprah to
Assist St. John’s
Gayle, whose award-winning watercolors and acrylic
mixed media paintings are being shown at the Sacramento
County Administration Center, was so inspired to help St.
John’s when she saw us on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she
has offered St. John’s 50% of the proceeds of her current
show. You can view the show (and make a purchase!) at the Sacramento County Administration
Center (SCAC) located at 700 H Street in the main lobby. You can also view Gayle’s
work, and contact her directly, through her website at www.grappaport.com. Her show
runs through April 1st—no foolin’—and the hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Please call
874-8110 for additional information.
Why We Support St. John’s Shelter – and Why
You Should, Too
By Tracy Bowers, Sacramento Manager, Give Something Back Business Products
If you are interested in donating a vehicle to St. John’s,
please contact Jen Macias at jmacias@stjohnsshelter.org.
Christmas Adopt-
A-Family Program a
Resounding
Success!!
Thank you to all who participated
in our Adopt-A-Family
program! It was a huge success,
thanks to so many generous organizations
and individuals.
A special thanks to Intel who
adopted 50 St. John’s graduate
families and to Christmas Convoy
who adopted eight graduate
families!
Below is a photo of one of
our graduate families, the Llamas
family, who was able to celebrate
Christmas because of the generosity
of Kathy
McKim, her
family
and Girl
Scout
Brownie
Troop
1888.
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
• Expired Food
Thank you for your support!

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Profiles of Families Interviewed
by Lisa Ling for The Oprah Winfrey Show
Elanda Wash, Age 42
Children: Sha’ronda Williams (15) and Ja’nayziah Williams (13)
Mercy Bracamonte, Age 39
Children: Shanice (16) and Paris (15)
Mercy became homeless when
she was laid off from a local mortgage
company where she had worked for
three years. She lost her apartment
when she could no longer afford to
pay the rent. She sent her children to
live with their father to give her some
time to figure out next steps. She was
living in her car for four weeks, and
doing a bit of couch surfing, when she
finally got into St. John’s on December
11th. By this time, however, her
son had run away several times. CPS
became involved and put her son in
foster care.
Mercy is a certified medical
receptionist and a certified massage
therapist. She is working to get
housing and to find a job. With these
things in place, she can achieve her
#1 goal, which is to have her son and
her daughter returned to her, to be a
family once again.
Save the Date:
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Tee off for St. John’s!
Two enthusiastic Sac State
students are coordinating
a golf tournament with all
proceeds going to
St. John’s.
Elanda became homeless in April when her landlord received a foreclosure
notice from the bank. (Elanda had been a faithful tenant until then.) At just
about the same time, she lost her job. She and her girls were living from motel
to motel from April through January,
when they were finally able to
get into St. John’s after months of
calling.
Elanda has a computer certificate
from her time in junior college.
Within three weeks of coming to St.
John’s, she secured a job at Home
Depot. Her goal is to get housing
for her family and to begin school in
the summer to become a paralegal.
Elaine Ramirez, Age 30
Children: Isaac Ramirez (9), Kerrin Smothers (3), and Miranda Smothers (1)
Elaine became homeless in November when her employer of three years
(a private school for special needs children) demoted her due to missing too
much work. (She had her gallbladder removed.) They cut her pay from $14.46 to
$9.00/per hour. With rent, a car payment, and the costs of raising three children
and taking care of her mother, Elaine defaulted on her rent and was evicted.
She and her children, and her mother, moved in with her mom’s friend, in a one
bedroom apartment. They endured for one month, but it became too difficult
on everyone. In early December, they
began calling St. John’s. She called every
day for one month and was finally able
enter the program in early January.
Elaine’s goal is to find housing for
her family and to become an in-home
care giver for disabled adults.
Please contact
Jennifer Lee at
jlee009@yahoo.com
for more information.
3

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
My
Patricia Kindred,
St. John’s alumna
Story
I was born in a house of horror. Each day was
like an R-rated episode of Law and Order: Special
Victims Unit. The men on my father’s side are
alcoholics, child molesters and rapists. As
the eldest, I was the child battered the
most often and most severely.
I was about nine years old when
my father moved out of New Jersey
to California to escape the police.
As far as I know, they never found
him. What I do know is that no matter
who I told about my abuse, no one
believed me. Over time, I stopped telling
people. I honestly thought that it must have
gone on in every home. It wasn’t until I hit high school that I started
getting suspicious that mine was not a normal family. When I turned
twenty-one, I had a baby girl named Priscilla. Also about that time, I
became a Christian … and finally realized the abuse was wrong and that
it wasn’t my fault. At 34, I had another daughter, Naomi. We bounced
all over the country trying to protect and take care of my children and
finally came to the Sacramento area in 1994.
For fifteen years, we were somehow able to stay together by living
with friends and staying in motels in between. However, our resources
were finally wiped out. A friend told me about St. John’s Shelter. In November
2007, after several weeks of calling, St. John’s welcomed us and
made us feel at ease right away.
Our time at St. John’s taught my family many things. My oldest
daughter, Priscilla, began working in the computer lab and gained confidence
and job skills. My youngest was able to get serious about her high
school education and finally have consistency in her teaching. For me,
most importantly, the staff at St. John’s listened to my story and believed
me!
St. John’s worked hard to locate housing for my family, but it was
made more difficult since my oldest daughter is an adult and therefore
she would be seen as a “single” and would not qualify under family housing.
However, keeping my family together was our top priority. We had
been through so many difficult times and had come to depend on each
other.
Eventually, thanks to tremendous advocacy on the part of St. John’s,
Saybrook Housing agreed to accept our family, all three of us! We moved
into our own two bedroom apartment and began to start our lives over,
as an independent family. I have learned that recovery is not just for
alcoholics or drug users, it’s for anyone who has been abused or hurt.
Even though my family lives at Saybrook, St. John’s is still a big part
of our lives. Priscilla volunteers in the St. John’s computer lab helping
other women learn computer skills. I come back once a week to take the
Self-Esteem class and to help where I can. We see St. John’s as part of our
family, a family that we have chosen and who has chosen us. For this, I
am forever grateful.
Mary Ann Olivas,
St. John’s resident
My name is Mary Ann Olivas. I am 24 years old. I currently
reside at St. John’s Shelter, along with my 2½ year
old daughter, Aviana. I’m also eight and a half months
pregnant with a second child, a boy. I came to St. John’s
the first week of December—I was broken, tired and
alone, with no money, nowhere to stay, and nowhere to
turn. I had no hope for anything positive to come out of
staying in a shelter with my 2½ year old daughter. To my
surprise, it was nothing like what I expected. St. John’s
was warm and had a comfortable feeling to it. People
were welcoming to me and Aviana with big smiles and
open arms. I have met great people and have made some
unexpected, but good, friendships. The staff here is also
great support. They treat you with respect no matter
where you came from or what you look like. I am happy
to call them friends and my support network.
During Christmas, volunteers came from all over
Sacramento. They donated not only their time but their
good cheer and their support to make it a special Christmas
for the 115 women and children then living here.
They came with presents, clothes, shoes and crafts for the
children to be able to make Christmas presents for their
families. In the week leading up to Christmas, volunteers
joined us to decorate cookies, drink hot chocolate, and
sing karaoke. This was, by far, one of the best Christmases
I ever had! Aviana got to see Santa not just once but a
few times.
Aviana gets tons of love here. And in return, she has
brightened many days here for everybody. She brings
comfort to those who have gone through what we
have. She calls this place home, which is so comforting
to me. I am grateful for the three hot meals we eat and
all the necessities they provide for us. St. John’s asks for
nothing but that we continue to progress towards our
goals. While here, I’ve saved enough money to get on my
feet and possibly get my own place. I have found hope
for a positive future for me and my kids. I would like to
thank St. John’s staff, case managers, customer service,
volunteers, and all the residents for making my life and
the lives of my children so much better! Without your
support, I’d be lost!
4
“Recovery is not a place, a destination to be reached. It is a journey…
A journey of hope and healing and peace.” - Unknown

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
In Our Words
A Big Thanks
for Your Help at
Christmas!!
We realize that it seems like such a
long time ago, but we couldn’t go without
mentioning the amazing Christmas
we enjoyed at St. John’s. There are so
many people to thank! Please know
that we appreciate all who so generously
gave money, time, food, gifts,
Rocky Road, cookies, gift cards, toys,
etc. Just to name a few. . .
• Thank you to the 20/30 Club for
delivering so many gifts for the
graduate families of St. John’s!
• Thank you to Ed Nichols for doing
everything and anything we
needed and handling all the last
minute details.
• Thank you Orangevale Open for
the beautiful scarves and all the
socks!
• Thank you to Connie Emerson and
her children for raising money to
purchase Christmas presents.
• We had so many Christmas gift
wrappers … Thank you!
• Thank you to Joe for bringing Santa
to the Shelter … as well as for helping
in the kitchen and for donating
so much time to St. John’s!
• Thank you to Rio Americano’s
Civitas program for their enthusiasm
and delicious dinners!
What’s the nicest thing anyone’s
ever done for you?
Jailyn Crenshaw, 3 years old
My Mom is so nice because she tucks me into
bed every night and gives me a BIG kiss!
Charitee Brainard, 11 years old
My Mom is so nice because even when I make mistakes, she
doesn’t yell. She talks to me about it. And she always forgives me.
Elijah Utsey,11 years old
On Christmas, my Mom wasn’t able to buy us gifts so Francis
House paid for my family and me to stay at Motel 6. A really nice
friend from the running club, Michelle, bought us all gifts. I got
my very own video game system. It was the best Christmas ever!
Lane Valdez, 8 years old
When my sisters and my dad saved me
when I fell off a dirt bike.
Dejah Crenshaw, 4 years old
My sister Kiara because she gives big hugs
and helps me take a bath. Kiara is the best
big sister ever!
Shadijah Utsey, 8 years old
Everyone at St. John’s is so nice because they gave me and
my family a place to stay so my family and I don’t have to
be on the streets. I love it here because I know that all of
the St. John’s staff really cares about me and my family.
“Seven Reasons To Love Myself,” a project completed
in our Art and Poetry class.
5

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
St. John’s Saints
By Twyla Teitzel, Volunteer Services Coordinator
Alex Kleeman at Rio Americano
High School!!
Whenever one of our children has
a birthday coming up, Alex
generously bakes cupcakes
for the child to take to
school to share with
his or her classmates.
Thanks to Alex, our
children can feel
just the same as their
classmates do on their
birthdays! This has such a
positive impact on the children
of St. John’s and their emotional wellbeing.
Thank you, Alex. Your generosity
of time and talent is so inspirational!
AT&T!!
Thank you so much to Yen Marshall
and the Women of AT&T. Yen and her
hardworking and dedicated volunteers
have been providing food and
much needed financial donations to
St. John’s. Yen has also mobilized her
son’s Boy Scout troop
and her daughter’s
Girl Scout troop, in
addition to AT&T, to
contribute to St. John’s
in a variety of ways.
We would not be able
to make ends meet
without the support
and dedication of
volunteers like Yen.
6
UPS delivers … again!!
Thank you UPS for all the gifts your
generous employees gave to the women
and children of St. John’s over the holidays.
Thanks to your generosity, and the generosity
of so many individuals and businesses,
our women and children had an absolutely
wonderful Christmas.
We’d also like to thank UPS for providing
us with a grant that has enabled us to upgrade
some four-year-old technology at the Shelter! UPS, thank you
for continuing to go above and beyond for the women and children
of St. John’s!
Rio RAIDERS!!
A special thanks to John Butterfield
of the Civitas Club, as well as the
Peace Club, the Key Club and many
other clubs for all of your hard work
in organizing a wonderful monthly
dinner for the women and children of
St. John’s. Dinner was fantastic, and
we are already looking forward to next
month! We’d also like to thank Ms.
Reed and Ms. Armstrong at Rio for their
dedication to the students and whose
leadership continues to spark their
student’s enthusiasm for giving back to
the community.
Junior League of Sacramento!!
Thank you so much to Mindi Stewart
and the Junior League of Sacramento
for their ongoing support of St. John’s.
Their latest show of support is that
groups from the League now come out
twice each month to prepare and serve
dinner for the women and children of St.
John’s (versus once per month last year)!
If you are interested in providing
a meal to the residents of St.
John’s, please call or email Twyla
at 916-453-1482 or
tteitzel@stjohnsshelter.org.
Jesuit High School!!
The Team Parker Jesuit boys gave so much
of their time to St. John’s over the holidays,
and we can’t thank them enough! The boys
wrapped gifts, sorted donations and served
food. We’d also like to thank Mercy Parker-Helget
for organizing all the events. Thanks Team!

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Claire Gliddon, Sacramento
Coordinator for Project Linus!!
Project Linus provided over 100
handmade blankets to the women and
children of St. John’s. This was a wonderful
holiday gift for the ladies and
children. The blankets were beautiful
and the families were so thankful and
appreciative. Thank you, Claire, and
everyone at Project Linus!
Staci Zolnikov!!
Staci recently completed her Civitas internship at St. John’s. In
addition to working every Tuesday afternoon at St. John’s, Staci
organized a Thanksgiving food drive. She and her
friends collected enough food to feed over 25 After-
Care families! Thank you, Staci. We so appreciate
your dedication to St. John’s. And, thank you to Allie
Armstrong, the Civitas coordinator for connecting us
with Staci!
Alan, Naturewood and RC Willey!!
Alan approached Naturewood and RC
Willey on our behalf. Now when their customers
purchase new furniture, they are
offered the opportunity to donate their
no longer needed furniture to the After
Care Clients of St. John’s. Thank you, Alan!
Alan is currently working on
securing some much needed
warehouse space to store the donated
furniture for the clients until they are
ready to move out. If you can help,
please contact Twyla at 453-1482.
The Strong Family!!
Thank you to Justin and Sandra for the
$500.00 donation to St. John’s! Justin and
Sandra organized a used cell phone drive along
with their son’s Boy Scout troop and generously
donated the proceeds to St. John’s.
If you are interested
in hosting
a “drive” for St.
John’s, please
contact Twyla
Teitzel, tteitzel@
stjohnsshelter.
org, for our most
pressing needs,
or you can visit
our Web site to
review our Wish
List. (The most
pressing items
are in bold.)
Dr. Mitra Choudri,
family and friends,
donating coats from
their coat drive to the
women and children
of St. John’s. Thanks
to all who made this
happen!
Thank you to Point West Rotary
Club for making Karaoke night
at St. John’s possible!
NCBW 100!
In addition to having
presented us with a $1000
check in December, NCBW
100 (National Coalition of 100
Black Women, Inc.) presented
St. John’s with an array of
much needed items: kleenex,
soap, paper towels, batteries,
body wash, toothpaste,
toothbrushes and they also
presented us with a generous
cash donation. Thank you
so much to the Sacramento
Chapter of NCBW 100. NCBW
is a non-profit volunteer
organization dedicated to
community service, leadership
development and the
enhancement of career opportunities
through networking
and programs. As part of
their National Day of Service
on January 19, 2009, NCBW
chose St. John’s to be the
recipient of their generosity.
Thank you Elnora, Denise,
Cheryl and all your wonderful
members for your kindness
to the women and children
of St. John’s.
Thank You!
7

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
And the Blue Ribbon goes to ...
BLUE RIBBON Personnel
and the Board of the California
Staffing Professionals!!
Thank you so much to Jodi Krieger and the Board of the California Staffing
Professionals who hosted our annual Christmas celebration. With over 400 people
joining us to celebrate Christmas, including clients and alumnae, the event was a
major undertaking!
We are so thankful to Jodi and her team for securing a tent, tables and chairs to
support the number of people wanting to attend, and for supplying a wonderful meal,
entertainment, gifts, party favors, dancing, crafts, and just plain fun!
This event is just like a family reunion as it reconnects our graduates with one
another and with our current clients. It is a wonderful experience for both the clients of
the Shelter, as well as the staff, to see our graduates doing so well.
Jodi shared the following quote about their day: “The staff at St. John’s are amazing
individuals. The love and energy they put forth each day to support their clients is
unprecedented. Each and every one of us walked away from this experience smiling
ear to ear, content in knowing that for that one day we were able to help make a difference
in someone’s day.”
If your civic group,
church, business or club
would like to host one of
our quarterly alumnae
association events, please
contact Twyla, Volunteer
Coordinator at tteitzel@
stjohnsshelter.org or
916-453-1482. As Jodi will
attest, hosting these events
is a rewarding and fun
experience!
Thank you, Santa Mark!
8
Thank you to everyone who helped
make Christmas 2008 a most
memorable Christmas for all of the
families we serve!

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Career Planning and Placement Corner
By Maureen Gagliardi
2008 ended with many successes in
the Career Planning and Placement Center.
The Career Center served the needs of over
300 women by providing them with an
opportunity to grow personally, socially,
academically and professionally.
Many of our women returned to further
their education, whether it be through
completing high school, enrolling in City
College or signing up for vocational training
programs. We celebrated a diverse
number of graduations, ranging from
Women’s Empowerment to CSUS Career
Counseling to completing truck driving
school. In addition, women have become
employed at organizations including
Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, Macy’s, Home
Depot, Delta Dental, Costco, United Way
and various call centers and in-home health
care programs. Though the unemployment
rate is increasingly high, it has not stopped
our women from seeking employment and
continuing to progress on the path to selfsufficiency.
In January 2009, the Career Center
assisted 23 women in completing applications
for the Martin Luther King 365
Grant. This grant was offered to women
of all ages and color to assist them with
their search for employment. There were
over 200 applications submitted across
the County. Twenty-four were selected
and, of those, seven were from St. John’s
Shelter! It was a great experience for all.
We continue to seek similar grant opportunities
for our women. Please contact me
at mgagliardi@stjohnsshelter.org if you are
aware of anything.
We have continued our important
partnership with CSUS and now have
four women attending the weekly Career
Counseling Course at Sacramento State.
Three of the women are residents of St.
John’s and the fourth is an After-Care client
who was recently laid off from her job.
This year promises to be a challenging
year for all of us. However, the women at St.
John’s Shelter remain positive and hopeful.
Each and every day, the Career Center is full
of women actively seeking a better future
for themselves and their children.
We thank all of you who have donated
your money and time to assist us in our
mission to support these families in getting
back on their feet.
We hope that you will consider
employment opportunities for
our women … and that you will
continue to support St. John’s
Career Center by making a
financial contribution and/or by
volunteering with us.
Please contact Maureen Gagliardi
at either (916) 453-1482 or
mgagliardi@stjohnsshelter.org.
Career Center Welcomes 2009 Interns
Once again we are blessed to have
interns who come to the Career Center
each week to assist our women. Returning
is Michelle Upchurch, a former client, and
most recently a member of the St. John’s
Alumnae Association Board of Directors.
Michelle is a full-time student at Sacramento
City College, a mother of two and
a devoted alumna of St. John’s. Michelle
interns on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
mornings. A former client, she knows
first-hand what these women are going
through and what it will take for them to
reach their potential. She assists them with
client orientations and pre-employment
skills training. Michelle is an asset to our
program and respected by the staff and the
clients. Her presence, her enthusiasm and
her spirit are invaluable.
Also returning is Priscilla Tilton, also
a graduate. During the time she and her
family were at St. John’s, Priscilla basically
ran the computer lab. She has an Associate
Degree in Interior Design with an emphasis
on Computer Aided Drafting and Design
(CADD). While Priscilla continues to seek
employment, she assists in the Career Center
every Thursday. She is so creative and
talented, and we are so fortunate to have
her in our program!
Trish Fountain, a CSUS graduate
student in the Masters Career Educational
Counseling Program, a wife of 30 years and
mother of two grown children, interns on
Monday and Wednesday afternoons. She
provides individual and group counseling
and assists the women with their resumes
and career assessments. The women look
forward to seeing her—and so do we!
Dorothy Gordon, a St. John’s graduate
and mother of three, recently joined our
team as an intern. Until one month ago,
Dorothy was employed full-time; however,
she was laid off along with several of her
co-workers. While she continues to seek
employment, she has offered to intern on
Tuesday mornings to assist the women
with basic computer skills and online application
forms. Dorothy is another wonderful
example of “giving back” to St. John’s
Shelter.
We are always in search of additional volunteers for the Computer Lab,
in particular on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
If this is something that might be of interest to you, please contact Maureen Gagliardi
at mgagliardi@stjohnsshelter.org or at (916) 453-1482.
9

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children
Meet Tiffany Fields, Our New Director
of Shelter Operations
St. John’s is such a wonderful program. It drew my attention
like opposite polls of a magnet. My family and I had been
reading about different non-profit organizations in Sacramento
County as we were in the process of relocating here. St. John’s stood out like a
sore thumb… a program with a track record of assisting homeless women and children
in getting back on their feet … this was a dream of which I wanted to be a part.
My career began with various marketing assignments for a large development
firm. My responsibilities grew in my first weeks there, and I was quickly elevated to a
management position. After a couple of years, I started my own marketing company
serving small businesses. At a business leadership conference, I met a woman whose
story changed my life forever. This woman shared her history as a survivor of domestic
violence. She spoke of a wonderful program that helped her and her children escape
abuse and allowed her to get on her feet. She told me that without that program, her
success would not have been possible. Her story was so inspirational to me. I realized
that I wanted to be a part of a program that could benefit others so intimately.
I began the quest several years ago as a family developer for a statewide adoption
and foster agency. I specialized in fitting families to children in need of a loving home.
After my time working with foster and adoptive services, I was offered a job at a nonprofit
agency specializing in domestic violence and sexual assault. I was responsible for
all operations of two domestic violence and sexual assault shelters. During my tenure,
we incorporated trauma-informed services in the shelter, including dual services in Domestic
Violence/Substance Abuse, and Domestic Violence/Mental Health. Shelter staff
were diversified and trained on trauma-informed services, which focused on the client’s
lifetime of traumatic experiences, rather than a single incident that brought them to
need shelter.
My calling has now led me to one of the most well-respected agencies in the greater
Sacramento area, St. John’s. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of such a wonderful
team. I promise to bring compassion, experience, a strong work ethic and a heart of
service to St. John’s. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at
tfields@stjohnsshelter.org or at 916-453-1482.
State Senator Gloria
Negrete McLeod Visits
St. John’s
December 7, 2008 will be remembered
as a special day for the residents of
St. John’s Shelter. Senator Gloria Negrete
McLeod and her press secretary, Alfonso
Sanchez, made a visit to St John’s Shelter.
Senator McLeod was greeted and
given a tour by several of the women in
our On the Job Training Program. She
listened intently to their stories and to
how, in just 90 days, St. John’s was helping
them to get back on their feet. She
was so kind and gracious and spent extra
time to pose for photos with the women
and children. It was an afternoon full of
excitement and a day that will long be
remembered.
We wish to acknowledge and thank
Senator McLeod for her generous contribution
to St. John’s Shelter. And we commend
her for her continued support of
the women in our region and around the
state who are homeless but not helpless—women
who desire
to make better
lives for
themselves
and their
children, but
who need a
hand up.
Huge Thanks to
Lynn Zender!
Lynn, who retired from
The Effort in 2007, served as
our interim Director of Shelter
Operations for the past six
months. She made a significant
difference during her
tenure at the Shelter … for
which we are very grateful.
Thank you, Lynn! We’ll miss
you!
Help Us Save Money!
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.
St. John’s enjoys a Kings game, thanks to the Kings!
10

Wish
St. John’s Shelter Program
List
for Women and Children
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 not able to accept donations outside of these hours.
Immediate Needs:
• New porta-cribs
• New bassinettes
• Forks
• 45- or 54-gallon heavy duty
black trash bags
• All sizes of towels
• Storage space: We really need
some empty warehouse storage
space to store the furniture
donations
Shelter Needs:
• Vacuum cleaner
• African-American hair products
• Bleach
• Ajax
• Laundry detergent
• Bunk beds
• Batteries—AAs, Ds, Cs and AAAs
• Dishwashing liquid
• Brooms/mops/dust brooms
• Air freshener
• Commercial washers and dryers
Kitchen:
• Non-latex gloves
• Durable eating utensils (forks, spoons,
knives)
• Soup bowls
• Plates
• Drinking glasses
• Blender
• Table setting napkins
Children’s Program:
• Durable play pots and pans, and food, for
our play kitchen
• Pencil sharpeners for the after-school
program
• Paintbrushes for toddler art and teenage
art projects
• Disinfecting wipes (Lysol wipes)
• Pacifiers
• Teething rings
• Baby wipes
• Healthy kids’ snacks
• Bottles
• Sippie cups
• Bean bags
• Nap-size pillows with removable
pillowcases
• Gel pens (for children to use in their
diaries)
• Fabric (to make curtains to cover our
windows during naptime) instead of using
sheets to cover the windows
St. John’s needs your financial
assistance to make ends meet. By making
a $750 commitment each month, you will
support a mother in making a better life for
herself and her children.
Office Supplies:
• Electric pencil sharpeners
• Office chairs
• Ink cartridges (Epson cx 5400 &
HP Desk-Jet 5440 - 93 & 92)
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
• Kathy McKim (Chair), AT&T
• Kim Box (Vice Chair), Hewlett-Packard
• Greg Gonzales (Treasurer), Sutter Health
• Andrea Anderson, SureWest
• Debbie Aspling, United States Air Force
• Ruthie Bolton, Olympian
• Julie Carter, Day Carter Murphy LLC
• Janelle Fallan, Sacramento Association of REALTORS®
• Chet Hewitt, Sierra Health Foundation
• Peter Hugenroth, Trane
• Veronica Knudson, Methodist
Hospital of Sacramento
• Ralph Nevis, Day Carter Murphy LLC
• Adina Stanfill, Shelter Alumna
• Dan Wilson, Fremont Presbyterian Church
• Joanna Wessman, Publisher,
Sacramento Business Journal
Thanks Again to the Center
for Contemporary Art!!
The Center hosted Home for the Holidays
throughout the month of December. The
exhibition featured dream homes made by the
families of St. John’s. We have heard from so many
of our supporters that the exhibition was incredibly
touching and beautifully put together. A big thanks to the Sacramento
State Art Department and the entire Board of Directors of
the Center who made this wonderful event happen!
The St. John’s
Hip Hop group
performed two
evenings at the
Center!
One of
the artists
discussing
her work
Our 3rd annual
Celebrating
Mothers Tea Party
will be held on May
8th at the Grand Hyatt
downtown.
Volunteers
Desperately Needed
in All Areas,
But in Particular:
• Drivers with muscle to pick up
furniture donations and deliver
furniture to our graduate families
• Individuals or groups to sort and
organize donations
• Someone who can make curtains
for the playroom
• Childcare volunteers on weekends
from 2:00 pm - 5: 30 pm
If you’re able to assist us, please
call or email Twyla at
916-453-1482 or
tteitzel@stjohnsshelter.org
See inside for details.
12