Family House History: A Timeline
Campaign to purchase 50 Irving Street begins
January 1, 1980
Dr. Ray Linegar of UCSF Medical Center told Dr. Arthur “Art” Ablin that a building on 50 Irving Street in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset District and directly adjacent to the UCSF Parnassus campus, was coming up for sale. Dr. Ablin negotiated a $500,000 price, put down $1,000, and arranged a…
Read moreFamily House Opens on Irving Street in San Francisco
February 1, 1981
Family House opened with just nine bedrooms and a capacity for nine families. A dental student and his wife moved into the apartment above the garage to be House Managers in exchange for free rent.
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Family House is Officially Incorporated
April 15, 1981
Thanks to Jesse Grove and Mike Alvarez, some of the members of the Family House board, officially incorporated Family House. Return to Family House San Francisco Timeline.
Read moreInaugural Annual Fundraising Event Pays for 50 Irving Street
February 1, 1982
An annual dinner-dance fundraiser was initiated at a local hotel. In 1982, the dinner dance paid off the balance of the mortgage for 50 Irving Street. Family House co-founder Dr. Arthur Ablin was the auctioneer of the event, and the auction items came primarily from Joan Finton, a San Francisco…
Read moreGeorge Lucas Premieres “Return of the Jedi” Movie to Family House Fundraiser
May 23, 1983
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.
Read morePam Baer Chairs Family House Events
January 1, 1992
Dr. Mike Edwards, a pediatric neurology surgeon at UCSF suggested that Pam Baer join the Family House board of directors. Pam and Larry Baer became involved with Family House and the fundraiser events became more organized and successful. Pam served on the Family House board for approximately ten years, and has been a Lifetime Director on the San Francisco General Hospital board for the past 17 years.
Read moreInaugural Cabernet for Connoisseurs Fundraiser Held Near Union Square
February 1, 1994The 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.
Read moreNew Staff at Family House
January 1, 1995In 1995, the first Executive Director, Cliff Berg, was hired at Family House, along with the first paid Resident Manager, Meg Alexander. In 1997, Family House hired Jessica (Presson) Creager as Assistant Administrator. As of 2021, Jessica serves as CFO of Family House.
Read moreAnnual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Moved
March 1, 1998On the evening of the annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs event, Rumpus Restaurant caught on fire, and the fundraiser had to be moved to Oliveto’s.
Read moreJordan & Kyra Golf Tournament
September 1, 1998
The Jordan & Kyra Memorial Foundation was created in memory of Jordan Stuart and Kyra Pillsbury. Both Jordan and Kyra, along with their families, were guests at Family House before they lost their battles with cancer. This annual event is a great way to cherish their memories, and keep their…
Read moreSecond Family House Location Purchased
January 1, 2000
The Family House board of directors signed a purchase agreement with Linda and Freirich Breder, both holocaust survivors, to purchase property at 1234 10th Avenue. Their daughter and son-in-law, Dasha and David Grafil, were generous in decreasing the purchase price because they wanted “The Breders Villa” to go to a good place. Read more about Linda Breder here.
Read moreAlexandra E. Morgan hired on as CEO
June 1, 2001The Board of Family House hires Alexandra E. Morgan as CEO to spearhead a $5MM capital campaign for the new Koret Family House. Alexandra came to Family House with experience from many nonprofit development and special events positions in San Francisco, including The Asian Art Museum, the de Young Museum,…
Read moreNew Koret Family House Opened
November 24, 2002
The new Koret Family House opened at 1234 10th Avenue on Thanksgiving Day. This second Family House served an additional 24 families per night.
Read moreStar Wars Revenge of the Sith Premiere Held as a Benefit for Family House
May 12, 2005
A Premiere of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith was hosted as a benefit for Family House. The movie was released to the general public on May 19, 2005. The benefit raised $500k for Family House. George Lucas and Jake Lloyed, who played Anakin in the movie, were in attendance….
Read moreYoung Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC) Established
September 8, 2009
Family House’s Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC) was formed and their first meeting was held. YPAC set out to be a group of diverse and passionate young leaders who, through fundraising and volunteering, have built awareness of Family House as a place of hope. In the first three years of…
Read moreYPAC Organizes First Fundraising Event in Support of Family House
February 11, 2010
Family House’s Young Professionals Advisory Council holds their first event. They organized a happy hour Valentine’s Day fundraiser which raised $1,370 through sales of a special drink and auction.
Read moreTrain Adopts Family House As Hometown Charity
April 20, 2012
Pat Monahan and Train, an American rock band from San Francisco, visit Family House for the first time. Train adopts Family House as their hometown charity, and become big supporters. Train donates the proceeds from their wine sales from Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. as well as their chocolate…
Read moreFamily House Begins Expansion Plans To New Mission Bay Location
December 12, 2012When UCSF announced plans to move the children’s hospital to Mission Bay, Family House knew they needed to move locations to be close by. Family House started a $42 MM capital campaign to purchase land, design, build, and furnish a new building nearby. The first major grants are pledged to the…
Read moreGrands Make Pledge for New Family House at Mission Bay
February 1, 2013
Nancy and Stephen Grand make the naming pledge to build the Nancy & Stephen Grand Family House at Mission Bay.
Read moreLamborghini Fundraiser
December 7, 2013
Lamborghini, Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury cars, holds an event at 10th Avenue location, to fundraise for Family House.
Read more18th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Reaches New Record
February 7, 2014
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.
Read moreGuinness World Record Broken at Family House Event
June 30, 2014
The Tony’s pizza tossing event was held in North Beach in San Francisco, and a Guinness World Record was set for 263 people tossing pizza at the same time. Held at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Tony, his crew, local children and families, along with Family House staff members and families all simultaneously tossed pizza dough to set the record.
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UCSF Children’s Hospital at Mission Bay Officially Opens
February 1, 2015
The opening of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital new campus at Mission Bay, a few blocks away from the yet to be completed new Family House location.
Read moreIrving Street House Closes
February 1, 2016Family House’s 50 Irving Street location closes, and the move to the Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House in Mission Bay begins.
Read moreMission Bay Opening Celebrations
March 2, 2016
Multiple community events are held to launch the new Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House. Groups of volunteers helped support the transition plan from disassembling furniture at 50 Irving, hauling out items for donation or recycle, to cleaning, and vacuuming. Once 50 Irving was closed, volunteers came to help at…
Read moreStaff Welcomed to New Location
March 28, 2016
Family House staff officially moves into Mission Bay.
Read moreFamilies Welcomed at New Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House in Mission Bay
May 9, 2016
Family House is thrilled to welcome its first families in the brand new Mission Bay building. Family House opened a brand-new facility built from the ground up in May 2016 in Mission Bay. Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House includes 80 bedrooms, a family atmosphere, communal kitchens, living rooms, teen…
Read moreSan Francisco Giants Visit at Family House
January 18, 2017
Kristin and Buster Posey, former catcher for the San Francisco Giants, visit Family House.
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Remembrance of Founder Dr. Arthur Albin
November 1, 2017
Family House San Francisco founder Dr. Arthur Ablin passed away on August 17, 2017 and a remembrance ceremony was held a few months following. Dr. Ablin left a lasting impression as a pioneer in the field of pediatric hematology-oncology and a tireless supporter of Family House.
Read more23rd Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Breaks Another Record
March 20, 2018
The 23rd annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Wine Auction held for fundraising is the most successful one yet, raising more than $1.2MM.
Read moreYPAC’s Brewtastic Fundraiser for Family House
June 23, 2018
YPAC´s 6th Brewtastic Bash raises funds for Family House. The Bash included beer tasting, food trucks, and a silent auction held to benefit Family House.
Read moreTrain Performs Private Concert at Family House
August 7, 2018Pat Monahan and Train perform a live, acoustic concert at Family House for children, their families, and staff.
Read moreFamily House Gala Breaks $1M Fundraising Record
October 1, 2018
The 37th annual Family House Gala was held at the Westin St. Francis hotel and co-chaired by Nancy Grand and Susan Mall. Okta was honored for their philanthropy and volunteering at Family House. It was the first Family House Gala to gross more than $1 million! Click here to watch the recap video of the event!
Read moreNetflix’s Somebody Feed Phil Films at Family House
August 22, 2019
Netflix and Phil Rosenthal were in San Francisco filming an episode for season four of his show Somebody Feed Phil, and stopped by Family House with some of the best local chefs. World champion Tony Gemignani, Chef Dominique Crenn, Elisabeth Prueitt, Mourad Lahlou and Kenji Lopez Alt all came to cook for the families and make a special guest appearance in the San Francisco episode of the hit show. Check out a behind the scenes look of the day here!
Read moreNew Volunteer Record Set
December 31, 2019Family House reaches 5,000 volunteers in a single year of support.
Read moreCOVID-19 Changes Life at Family House
March 16, 2020
The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shelter in place mandates enacted in San Francisco drastically changed services at Family House. The abrupt shutdown of Family House’s Volunteer Program was something unimaginable. Having to cancel all visitors and volunteers that were signed up to provide meals for the next few months was a crushing blow. In the first couple weeks of the shutdown, Family House’s wonderful community sent various meals – from pizzas totacos to sandwiches – to ensure our families were eating during this confusing and scary time. Family House pivoted to hosting virtual volunteer activities including reading, tutoring lessons, music sessions, bingo, among others. Additionally some of Family House’s corporate partners stepped up in new ways to volunteer. DocuSign, for example, hosted a virtual trivia fundraiser that raised over $8,000 for Family House. Click here for more information.
Read moreFamily House presents its first ever virtual Gala, Rock The House
November 14, 2020
Family House pivots to present its first ever virtual fundraiser in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pat Monahan was honored for his years of service and support of Family House, guests from all over the world enjoyed a live music performance by Train, live and silent auction, with the…
Read more25th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs Breaks $2M Fundraising Record
October 2, 2021
After 18 months without in-person events, Family House hosted the 25th Annual Cabernet for Connoisseurs in Napa at Silverado Resort & Spa. The event honored Dan & Kathleen Toney, featured live music and once-in-a-lifetime live auction items and special guests Ayesha & Steph Curry. The event raised a record-breaking $2.1…
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