Tea Party a Success! - St. John's Shelter Program for Women and ...

Second Quarter 2007
Transforming lives.
Transforming the community.
One woman, one child
at a time.
Tea Party a Success!
A Note from Michele Steeb, Executive Director
Our Celebrating Mother’s
Tea Party on May 10 th
was a huge success! On
page 2, you’ll find profiles
of the five fabulous
mothers we honored
at the event. We’ve
also included a
number of pictures
for your enjoyment
and have
enclosed a list of
our sponsors and in-kind
donors. If you are doing business
with any of these wonderful folks, please
mention how much you appreciate their
support of St. John’s. If you have not
yet done business with them, please
consider doing so!
When we first began planning this
debut event, we were hoping to sell 200
tickets and raise $30,000. After all, we
only started planning in February, and
moreover, it was our first time doing
such an event. We couldn’t be more
grateful to report that we sold out at 450
guests and raised almost $120,000 to
support homeless women with children
in advancing from a point of crisis to a
position of self-sufficiency! Thank you for
your part in making this a success. For
those of you who weren’t able to join us,
we look forward to your joining us next
year for an even more enjoyable and
more successful event!
Unfortunately, even with the success
of the Tea Party, we still need financial
assistance to help to make ends meet
each month. Your continued support is
crucial, and we thank you in advance.
New Board Members
We have added several new members
to our Board of Directors to whom
I’d like to introduce you:
Mary Gonsalves-Kinney: Mary, now
a stay-at-home mom, is a former lobbyist
and still very active in the Capitol.
She has abounding energy, even after
chasing around their almost one year
old, Stella. In just two months, Mary has
already made a significant contribution
to St. John’s, and we are delighted to
have her on board!
Peter Hugenroth: Pete is Trane’s
regional Healthcare Market Leader and
is responsible for implementing Trane’s
environmental control solutions. He is
a longtime member of the Active 20-30
club and loves to raise money. Pete, we
can’t wait until you get going! Pete and
his wife are the proud parents of two
girls, and we welcome them all to St.
John’s!
Veronica Knudson: Veronica is
COO of the Methodist Hospital of
Sacramento. Being relatively new to
Sacramento, St. John’s is Veronica’s first
step toward getting more involved in the
community, and we are looking forward
to the many talents she brings as our
newest member of the Board! Veronica
is the proud mother of a daughter who
resides with her husband in Seattle.
These three highly qualified individuals
will add a great deal to our Board,
What’s a tea party without a
fabulous hat? See page 2 for more
and we thank them in advance for their
service to St. John’s. I’d also like to recognize
several outgoing board members:
Robert Blumenstock, Denise Ruggiero
and Janet Pedrotti. Robert, Denise and
Janet have been of great assistance to
the Shelter, and we cannot thank them
enough for their service and support!
And I can’t thank you enough for your
support as well!
Save the Date!
Please mark your calendar
to join us for our first
annual Open House on
September 29 th at 2:00 pm!
Tours, entertainment,
refreshments, and speeches by
alumnae are among the items on
the agenda for the afternoon, and
we’d love to have you join us.
For more information,
please call 453-1482.
Our Mission: Support homeless women and children to
advance from a point of crisis to a position of self sufficiency.

St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
Tea Party Honors Five Remarkable Women
Doni Blumenstock is
a nationally recognized
expert on collaborative
leadership, coalition
building, and community
development. Since
1997, Ms. Blumenstock
has served as the founding
Executive Director
of the Sacramento region chapter of the
American Leadership Forum, a national
organization dedicated to joining and
strengthening leaders to serve the public
good. She has also served as Assistant
Director of The National Assembly
in Washington, D.C., a consortium of
national human service agencies. She
serves on the board of Project Help, the
Sacramento County substance abuse
coalition and the Sacramento Healthy
Marriage Project.
She is the mother of three daughters
and grandmother of three.
Charlotte Chandler was
honored for her remarkable
efforts to keep her family together
in the face of daunting
odds. The day Charlotte
came to St. John’s two
years ago, she was suffering
from drug and alcohol
addiction. Charlotte and
her youngest son, Amir,
then six years old, were homeless.
Her 10-year-old son, Dontray, and her
11-year-old twin girls, Dawn and Donise,
were in foster care. Her three-year-old
daughter, Trinity, was living with her
father.
Charlotte’s mother, who lives in Indianapolis,
could not offer any assistance
Celebrating Mother’s Tea Party
to Charlotte, nor could Charlotte’s
siblings who also live out
of the area. Charlotte does not
know her father, and the father
of her three oldest children was
in prison and had not been of
assistance for years. Welfare
was Charlotte’s only source of
income, and it could not sustain
both her drug habit and her family.
Realizing it was time for her to get
clean and sober AND to get her children
back, Charlotte came to St. John’s at the
recommendation of her Child Protective
Services case manager. She credits
the full range of support and services
she received at St. John’s, offered with
hope, skill and generosity, as making
the difference. St. John’s gave Charlotte
a second chance at life, and Charlotte
made the most of it.
Today, all five of her children are
once again living under one roof with
Charlotte. She has insurance, a car, a
driver’s license, and she’s been sober
for more than two years. She works
for St. John’s Shelter Program and
loves helping to give other women
what St. John’s has given to her.
Her ambition is to be a drug and
alcohol counselor and to eventually
take Michele’s job – to run St.
John’s.
Lina Y. Fat is Director
of Food for Fat City Incorporated.
She came
to the United States
from Hong Kong to
earn her Doctor of
Pharmacy Degree
from the University
of California. During that time she met
her future husband, Ken Fat, whose
father, the late Frank Fat, owned the
Sacramento restaurant where many of
the state’s most influential figures have
dined for more than five decades.
With no formal training in the culinary
arts, she learned restaurant cooking and
managing on the job. After 10 years in
the business, she traveled to Hong Kong
to take private lessons from a master
chef and has taken culinary courses at
Le Cordon “Bleu” in San Francisco and
the Culinary Institute of America. She is
the author of The Lina Fat Cookbook:
Recipes from the Fat Family Restaurants.
In her spare time she appears on
a monthly cooking segment on KCRA
TV.
Among her numerous recognitions,
she was named Sacramento Chef of the
Year in 1998 and was honored as one
of the “Women Who Mean Business”
by the Sacramento Business Journal in
1999 and 2000 and California Restaurateur
of the Year from the California
Travel Industry in 2005.
She is the mother of
three and the grandmother
of six.
Matina Kolokotronis
has been practicing
law since 1989 and
has served as a legal
adviser to Maloof Sports and Entertainment
for the last ten years. In
that capacity she has worked as the
foundation director for the Sacramento
Kings and Monarchs Foundation, in
basketball operations with President of
Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie, and
as an adviser to Joe and Gavin Maloof.
Matina primarily practices sports
and contract law and also serves as an
adjunct professor at the University of the
Pacific, teaching sports law.
Matina has served on various community
boards and commissions focusing
on improving arts, education and
helping people with special needs. She
is the mother of three children.
Shirlee Tully-Fong is a
former professional ballerina
turned business
professional who served
as marketing manager for
AT&T Wireless in Sacramento
and Director of
Marketing for Northern
California for Comcast.
Ms. Tully Fong has served on numerous
community boards, focusing mainly
on supporting the growth of the arts
in our community and education. She
completed a term as President of the
Board of Directors of the Sacramento
Ballet in 1999 and continues to volunteer
her time in fundraising for the arts and
working to close the achievement gap in
local schools.
Her husband, Rob, was elected to
the Sacramento City Council in 2004.
She is the mother of two.
OUR SPONSORS:
HIGH TEA
Chevron
Kikkoman Foods, Inc.
Placer Sierra Bank
Potter-Taylor & Co.
SKK Development/Sioukas Investments
Teichert
TEA POT
AKT Development
Berryessa Castro Lordge Family Fund
Citibank
Doug Ose
Granite Construction
Kaiser Permanente
PG&E
SkinStore
SureWest Foundation
SCONE
Allstate
Amie Bergin
Assemblymember Roger Niello
AT&T
Bank of America
Boutin Dentino
California Chamber of Commerce
California Strategies &
Communications, LLC
Carriage House
Diepenbrock Harrison
Downey Brand
Hefner, Stark & Marois, LLP
Intel Corporation
Janice & Chuck Iverson
Kleinfelder, Inc.
KP Public Affairs
Kris Martin
Lyon Realty - Land Park
Mark Nobili, Nobili and Associates
North State Building Industry Association
St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
Omega Nu Kappa Tau
Janet & Kevin Pedrotti/Marie & Don Hall
Raley’s
Reynan & Bardis Communities
Sacramento Association of Realtors
Schubert Flint Public Affairs
Sierra Health Foundation
Sloat Higgins Jensen
Stafford King Wiese Architects
Stickel Chrisitan Foundation
Sutter Medical Center
The Sacramento Bee
The USAA Foundation
Thunder Valley Casino
Wells Fargo
Western Health Advantage
In-kind Donors:
Randy Reynoso and Sierra Placer Bank
Robert Ruggiero
Tab Berg
Brenda Bisharat of Bisharat Photography
Artist Stephanie Taylor
Capital Valley Harp Circle
Jami Warner of the Jami Warner Group
Chuck Bartlett of Bartlett’s Flowers & Gifts
Pete Kolak
Dave Hall
Gary Johnson of Anderson AV
Thanks to those who purchased
the six live auction items!
• Randy Reynoso purchased a heavy
duty cart for our warehouse!
• Judie Trisle purchased a display board
for volunteer recruitment!
• Tab Berg purchased a waterslide for
our Children’s Program!
• Maralee MacDonald purchased a
fireproof safe for our office!
• John Crisan purchased taxi pick up
service for our victims of domestic
violence!
• Jennifer Crabb, Kim Younger, Denise
Transtrum, Jennifer Teel, Linda
Wilson, and Helen Singmaster
purchased a day at Six Flags for 21 of
our children!
3

St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
4
After-Care Program
Items Needed!
Bedroom Bin:
• Sheets (Full and Twin)
• Pillowcases
• Blankets
• Alarm Clock
• Lamp
• Night Light
• Bible
Kitchen Bin:
• Dishes
• Glasses
• Cups
• Silverware
• Basic Pots & Pans
• Cooking Utensils
• Toaster
• Dish Towels
• Dish Rack
• Coffee Maker
• Mixer
• Crockpot
• Dish Soap
• Paper Towels
• Napkins
• Sponges
• Microwave
• Pot Scrubber
• Waste Basket
Bathroom Bin:
• Body Soap
• Shampoo
• Toilet Paper
• Cotton Towels
• Wash Cloths
• Bath Mat
• Tub Mat
• 1st Aid Kit
• Shower Curtain
• Feminine Hygiene
Cleaning Bin:
• Cleanser (Comet)
• Broom
• Dust Pan
• Mop
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Windex
• Bucket
• Pledge
• Dust Rags
• Sponges
• 409 Cleaner
• Garbage Bags
St. John’s Rolls Out a New
After-Care Program
Realizing that the effects that the “sharp
cut off” has left for those women and children
leaving the Shelter, St. John’s recently
launched an After-Care Program to ensure
that our clients remain successfully selfsufficient.
For both women and children,
services in our After-Care Program include
their ability to return to the Shelter for counseling
and classes, transportation to continue
to access services and classes, continued
budgeting and financial management support,
regular calls from both the child’s and
the adult’s case managers, support
for involvement
in 12-step programs,
continued help in attaining
educational goals
(i.e., GED, high school
diploma, etc.), job training
and placement, and an
alumnae program that will
include quarterly meetings,
special events, and regular
communication.
Also as a significant component
to this program, we are
now offering “move in” assistance
to our graduates transitioning into their
own place. To both congratulate them on their
success at St. John’s AND to prevent them
from having to spend money to furnish their
new place (we want them to save their money
for rent!), we will attempt to furnish their home
for them.
Sleep Train is our first major community
investor! They have agreed to provide brand
new mattresses and box springs to our graduates
who need them. Due to Sleep Train’s
generosity, we have been able to deliver 18
new mattress sets to eight needy families.
Above are some photos of the happy children
who now have their own beds! THANK YOU
SLEEP TRAIN!
Our second major investor is the Blue
Thong Society, a relatively new organization
who has adopted St. John’s as its primary
focus. The Blue Thongs are putting together
kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and
cleaning bins that will be given to each successful
graduate who needs these items.
At left are the lists of items needed for each
bin, and we desperately need the help of
the community to secure these items! Several
companies have already offered to do
a drive on a particular item. If an organization
with which you are affiliated can also
help by doing a drive for a
particular item, or if you
have some of these items
on hand that you are
willing to donate, please
contact Jim Reynolds at
453-1482 or at
jreynolds@
stjohnsshelter.org.
Top: AJ and Darius, two former clients,
carrying in their new mattresses donated
by Sleep Train!
Bottom: Until we arrived with their new
mattresses, Zaraeya and Lulu were sharing
this bed with their mom and their new
baby brother.
Thanks, Sleep Train!
Orientation for volunteers
is held on Tuesday
evenings from
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Please call Louise Mishler at
213-1652 to sign up.
“In Our Words”
A Column Written by the Youth Residing in our Shelter
• What are you most proud of
accomplishing this school year
and why?
• What are you most looking forward
to doing this summer and
why?
Tyna
• I am most
proud of getting
better at math
because I am
not that good.
• To get a
house with a swimming pool
and front yard.
Tyna, 10 yrs.
• I am most
proud of
doing math
good because
I did a
lot better.
• I am looking
forward to
the summer
so I can run
around in
the water
and play
with my
sister because it’s fun.
Jordan, 6 yrs.
• I am proud of doing
spelling good, and I
did better in the test.
• In the summer I am
looking forward to
going to the ballet.
Sade, 8 yrs.
Sade
Jordan
• I am most
proud of turning
my B- to an A+
on my math so
when my mom
sees my report
card it can put
a smile on her
face.
• I’m looking
forward to practicing
basketball so I can beat
my friend.
J.T., 10 yrs.
J.T.
• Math because at first I didn’t know
how to divide. Now I can divide at
least 3 to 4 digits and I got better at
multiplication because I can do big
numbers on multiplication.
• I want to go to Water World in
Roseville because it is very hot and
every time we go by it looks fun.
Braylan,
10 yrs.
Braylan
To learn
more about
volunteering
at St. John’s,
please call
Louise Mishler
at 213-1652
Children’s Program
Needs Your Help
The school year is coming to
a rapid end and summer is fast
approaching. Over the next several
months hundreds of families will call
St. John’s Shelter hoping to find relief
from the hot sun and shelter for their
children. For the lucky families that
make it through our door this summer,
we hope to provide a summer
full of fun and laughter.
The children who will be spending
their summer with us are generally
victims of unfortunate circumstances
which they cannot control
nor change. It is our mission to give
homeless youth a safe place in
which to play and thrive.
One of our goals is that the
children who stay with us remember
their time at St. John’s as a happy
and positive experience. Part of
creating such an experience is getting
the kids out into the community
to have a good time. Fieldtrips and
other outings are very important for
our youth. They provide displaced
children opportunities to experience
normalcy and be integrated into the
community in a positive way.
With your help we can provide
some of our community’s most
vulnerable children with a summer
of enrichment and happiness. We
will need volunteers throughout the
summer, as well as sponsors for
fieldtrips. Our kids will be visiting the
zoo or Fairytale Town every Monday
afternoon over the summer. Volunteers
are appreciated to help chaperone
these trips, as well as various
other outings.
We appreciate your interest in
St. John’s Shelter, and hope you
have a wonderful summer!
5

St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
Case Management: A Central Guiding
Force at St. John’s
by Wanda Jackson, St. John’s Lead Case Manager
On hearing the word, “homelessness,”
one may believe that it only occurs
to those who are using drugs or are
“crazy.” However, anyone can become
homeless for many different reasons:
inability to pay medical bills, eviction,
domestic violence, mental health crisis,
and job loss, to name only a few. St.
John’s is here to help anyone and everyone
who wants to become self-sufficient
again.
At St. John’s, case management
is the central guiding force to ensure a
client’s success in re-intregrating into
society as productive members of the
community. Each client is given longterm
goals for each month and shortterm
goals for each week in that month
(a client, if needed, may
stay for 90 days).
Each case manager
individually meets
their clients twice a
week, providing advocacy,
support, and
encouragement. The
individualized goals
of a client’s Progress
Plan include mental
health, sobriety, physical
health and wellness,
financial management,
housing, and employment
readiness and
preparedness.
As an advocate with other agencies,
St. John’s case managers diligently
work in finding housing, beginning with
the client’s first meeting. When the client
gets housing, case managers have
already begun the process of planning
that client’s After-Care Program to ensure
that the other goals of the Progress
Plan, if needed, will be reached either
on-site through St. John’s services or
through other community agencies.
Case managers strive each day to
provide each woman and child with a
hope that is grounded in building blocks
of self-sufficiency—a mission that continues
for three years after they leave St.
John’s.
St. John’s Case Managers:
GIVELINE:
Introducing Giveline as a Revolutionary Way to Support
St. John’s Shelter Program for Women And Children!
Elaine Loman, Wanda Jackson, Monika Paschal,
Cathy Maloy, and Josh Cottingim
LUCINDA PINS
Purchase a Lucinda pin
and/or sell Lucinda pins to an
organization in which you are
involved to benefit St. John’s
Lucinda Yates was, at one
point, homeless. To pick herself
back up, Lucinda used her creativity
and drive to launch a successful line
of fashion jewelry. It all began with a
simple pin in the shape of a house.
That was the moment Lucinda knew
she could help others.
The House Pin she created that
day became the perfect fundraiser
for a local shelter. It gave the shelter
greater visibility and financial support.
It started a business dedicated
to helping shelters and other nonprofits
succeed, and she is succeeding
right along with them.
To order pins, please call Louise
Mishler at 916-213-1652.
St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
Wish List
We are now accepting
household items!
Donations are gratefully accepted Tuesdays from Noon to 6pm,
Thursdays from 1 to 3 pm and 6 to 8 pm, and
Saturdays, from 10 am to 2 pm.
If you are unable to come to the Shelter during those times, please call
our donation line at 453-1482, Ext 10, to schedule another day and time.
Tax ID#: 68-0132934
Ongoing Needs:
• Laundry detergent
• Powder bleach
• Heavy duty garbage bags
• Napkins
• Kleenex
• Dish Soap
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Foil Wrap
• Plastic Wrap
• ZipLoc bags: sandwich and gallon
sizes
• Powder-free gloves
• Antibacterial and baby wipes
• Sanitary napkins and tampons
• Twin size pillows
St. John’s Shelter also needs
your financial assistance to
make ends meet. By making a
$1200 commitment to us this
year, you will underwrite the
transformation of a life.
• Twin and full-size sheets
• Blankets: twin and full
• Women’s undergarments, pajamas,
and sweats (especially sizes 1X-4X)
• Career/interview clothes
Children’s Program:
• Diapers, especially 3, 5, and 6
• Baby bottles, bottle brushes and
nipples
• Sippie cups
• Baby toiletries: powder, shampoo,
lotion, diaper rash ointment
• New fold-up playpens
• Underwear
• Pajamas
• Socks
Bold items
are in high
demand!
• Large foam blocks
• Computer academic software
• Tricycles, scooters, and bikes
• Board games for kids over 6
• Beach towels for swimming at
McKinley Park
• Gift cards: Fandango, Target,
WalMart
Kitchen:
• Lunch food: canned tuna, chicken,
granola bars, box drinks
• Non-perishable foods: spaghetti
sauce, applesauce, vegetables,
canned fruit
• Breakfast foods: cereal, instant oatmeal,
hot chocolate mix
• Metal forks, knives, and spoons
• Coffee mugs
• Fruit juice
Office Supplies:
• Copy paper
• 9x12 mailing envelopes
6
Giveline.com is an online store created for the community-minded shopper,
offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies,
music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a
substantial donation to St. John’s – an amazing average of 16% of store sales,
sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and
great prices – the only difference between Giveline and other major online
retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization.
Please visit our Web site and click on the Giveline link. Alternatively, you
can visit them directly at http://www.giveline.com, then select St. John’s as
your preferred charity in the upper right hand corner of the Web site.
Precious Baby Kevin, whose mom
has been at the Shelter since early
May, was born on June 6th!
Name Amount Enclosed $
Address
Phone
Email Address
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

St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children
HATS OFF
A column by Louise Mishler, St.
John’s Volunteer Coordinator
Our Mother’s Tea was absolutely
worth a shopping trip for the perfect hat
to wear! Now I toss my hat into the air
for all the people that attended our event
and giving of their time, talents and
sponsorships. St. John’s depends on
the resourcefulness of others to be able
to support the more than 1000 women
and children who come through our door
each year.
Each month, it is my pleasure to
assist volunteers in finding their niche
at St. John’s. In May, I had the pleasure
of working with 345 individuals who assisted
us in the kitchen both preparing
and serving meals, in the office helping
to answer the constantly ringing phone,
in the playroom assisting our children
with homework and with having fun, and
in organizing clothes donations to get
them ready for our clients. We salute all
of our volunteers … we simply could not
do it without you.
Remember, the secret
of being happy is doing
things for others.
Our collaboration with both CSUS
and St. Francis High School provides us
with a great deal of help in the Children’s
Program. As these students break for
summer, we wish them a great summer
and want them to know how terribly
much we will miss them!
We’d also like to thank Southpointe
Christian Center, who on May 26 th ,
provided a Luau for our women and children.
The lunch included tri-tip, chicken,
salads, drinks and coffee donated by
Starbucks. Their truck opened up into
a stage on which they performed a
fun musical program during the lunch.
For the children, they provided a jump
house, popcorn and all the prizes. The
women and children had a blast – they
are still talking about it! And in a recent
conversation with Daniel Gutierrez, the
organizer of the Luau, he said that his
group received so much joy from it that
they are planning to come back and do it
again in August.
As we enter the summer months,
when the children are out of school and
need A GREAT DEAL TO KEEP THEM
BUSY, we need additional help with
field trips, games, activities and reading
hours. If this might be of interest, please
consider attending our volunteer orientation
on Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m.
Alternatively, you can call me, Louise
Mishler, at 213-1652, to discuss volunteer
opportunities in more detail.
4410 Power Inn Road
Sacramento, CA 95826
Ph. 916-453-1482
Fax 916-453-1425
www.stjohnsshelter.org
Board of Directors
• Frank Espegren (Chair),
St. John’s Lutheran Church
• Julie Carter (Vice Chair),
Day Carter Murphy LLC
• Greg Gonzales (Treasurer),
Sutter Health
• Susan Reynolds (Secretary),
Reynolds Business Services
• Amie Bergin, Consultant
• Kara Howard Drobny,
CK Consulting
• Mary Gonsalves-Kinney, Consultant
• Marie Hall, CC Home Loans
• Peter Hugenroth, Trane
• Veronica Knudson, Methodist
Hospital of Sacramento
• Kimbra Lee, Wells Fargo Bank
• Ralph Nevis, Downey Brand
• Sandra Pizarro, Kahl Pownall
• Helen Singmaster, Raleys
• Marilyn Wright, California ISO