Family House Cronología

When 50 Irving Street came up for sale, Dr. Art Ablin put down just $1,000. With crucial gifts from the Koret and McKesson Foundations and support from founding board members, Family House San Francisco launched its first capital campaign, turning a single building into a home for families in need.

Thanks to Jesse Grove and Mike Alvarez, some of the members of the Family House board, officially incorporated Family House.

Family House board member, Dan Toney was able to get American film director, George Lucas, to use the Return of the Jedi premiere as a Family House fundraiser. This paved the way for another premiere fundraiser in 2005 for Revenge of the Sith.

The first Cabernet for Connoisseurs event took place at Rumpus Restaurant near Union Square. It was launched by Dick Grace, Emma Hechler, Jim Koop, Bill Shea and Faith Wheeler.    

On the evening of the annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs event, Rumpus Restaurant caught on fire, and the fundraiser had to be moved to Oliveto’s.  

Family House purchased property at 1234 10th Avenue from Holocaust survivors Linda and Freirich Breder. With the generosity of their daughter and son-in-law, Dasha and David Grafil, who lowered the price so “The Breders Villa” could go to a good place, the home became part of Family House’s story.

The new Koret Family House opened at 1234 10th Avenue on Thanksgiving Day. This second Family House served an additional 24 families per night.

Family House’s Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC) was formed to unite passionate young leaders in fundraising and volunteering. In its first three years, YPAC built awareness of Family House as a place of hope and raised more than $15,000 through happy hours and holiday events.

Pat Monahan and the San Francisco band Train first visited Family House and soon adopted it as their hometown charity. Through concerts and creative partnerships—including donating proceeds from their Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. and Ghirardelli chocolate sales—Train has become one of Family House’s biggest supporters.

Nancy and Stephen Grand make the naming pledge to build the Nancy & Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay.  

The 18th annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs event raised one million dollars for Family House San Francisco, which was the first fundraiser to ever break the million dollar mark for Family House.

A groundbreaking event celebrating the start of construction organized for the new Family House at Mission Bay. Watch a timelapse of part of the construction! 

A Topping Off Ceremony is held to celebrate the end of construction on the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House building. Watch the virtual tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VaKz7BWrhE

To launch the new Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House, volunteers rallied to disassemble furniture, donate items, and clean at 50 Irving before moving on to Mission Bay. With hard hats on, they assembled beds, organized closets, and moved supplies—working seamlessly alongside construction crews.  

In May 2016, Family House opened the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House in Mission Bay, welcoming its first families to a brand-new 80-bedroom facility. With kitchens, living spaces, a teen room, and a courtyard, the new building more than doubled Family House’s capacity.

Celebrations are held in Mission Bay at the new Family House with a spectacular first birthday party, where Fozzy’s Toy Room is unveiled to families. Watch the ribbon cutting for Fozzy’s Toy Room.

The 23rd annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Wine Auction held for fundraising is the most successful one yet, raising more than $1.2MM.    

Pat Monahan and Train perform a live, acoustic concert at Family House for children, their families, and staff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNo0vg5cvbk

While filming season four of Somebody Feed Phil in San Francisco, Phil Rosenthal and top local chefs—including Tony Gemignani, Dominique Crenn, Elisabeth Prueitt, Mourad Lahlou, and Kenji Lopez-Alt—visited Family House to cook for families and appear in the show’s San Francisco episode.     

During the COVID-19 shutdown, Family House pivoted when volunteers and visitors were suddenly restricted. The community stepped up with delivered meals, virtual activities like tutoring and music, and corporate support—such as DocuSign’s virtual trivia fundraiser raising over $8,000—to ensure families continued receiving care and connection.    

After 18 months without in-person events, Family House hosted the 25th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs at Silverado Resort & Spa. Honoring Dan & Kathleen Toney and featuring Ayesha and Steph Curry, the event raised a record-breaking $2.1 million for Family House.