Mather Community Campus Graduation
This month we celebrated the 2009 graduates of Mather Community Campus. Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center
runs the Family Site of the program, which serves 55 families and over 100 children. As many of you know, the funding
for this program has been in serious jeopardy over the last few months. That made this graduation all the more special
and heart-wrenching.
On May 20th, we gathered together with 39 graduates to listen to their stories and marvel at their accomplishments.
For students to be eligible for graduation, they must be employed full-time, have a savings account, and be ready to move
into permanent housing. When families and individuals enter this two year program, they are homeless, usually the residents
of a local shelter. The students that donned blue caps and gowns on the 20th were individuals who have worked hard to
succeed. We encourage everyone to take a look at the video of highlights from this moving ceremony to see the faces of
success.
In honor of the event, Good Day Sacramento and the Hair Doctor Shawn Brown provided makeovers to 20 students and staff
of the program. As you can see, the results were stunning! Thank you to Redkin for their donation of products, Benefit Cosmetics
for the day of make-up and the wonderful stylists from local salons that helped make these transformations a reality!
Family Shelter Dining Room Spruced Up
Our Family Shelter dining room has been spruced up thanks to Kelli Winfree of Anytime Painting
(anytimepainting.net) and our local West Sacramento IKEA
(www.ikea.com). Kelli continued her beautiful mural around the room
and IKEA provided us with new high chairs for the children. These new high chairs are not just stylish, they are easy
to keep clean for the 25+ children that we serve at a time. Together, these two businesses have created a dining room
that anyone would be happy to eat in!
May Birthday Wishes
In May, AT&T Pioneers hosted a Cars themed birthday party for Raymond and Daniel, who both turned 4. The party
included pizza, face painting, and a piñata (always a hit.)
Mother's Day
Mother’s Day did not go uncelebrated at our Family Shelter and Women’s Refuge. The Friday before, employees from
Deloitte helped facilitate a Family Fun Friday to make Mother’s Day gifts. Photos were taken of the families and
children and frames were decorated to hold the new memento. On Sunday, goodie bags from Bath and Body Works in Folsom
were handed out full of lotions, body washes, and hand sanitizers. Thank you our volunteer Lynn Halsted for nominating
SAEHC to be this year’s recipient of Bath and Body Works generosity.
April Birthday Wishes
In April, Umpqua Bank hosted a fabulous Hannah Montana themed birthday party for Breanna, Age 11, complete with a
piñata. Good Day Sacramento documented the event and the video can be viewed here.
Earth Day
The youth group from the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection helped our Family Shelter celebrate Earth Day by tie dying
t-shirts and making Earth Cookies (sugar cookies decorated with blue and green frosting.)
Easter With Shut Up and Ride, MC
The Easter Bunny came to the Family Shelter this year courtesy of Shut Up and Ride, MC. Easter Baskets for the children
were delivered Easter Sunday and the shelter staff made a holiday meal to celebrate.
Mather Community Campus Easter Egg Hunt
Mather Community Campus partnered with the Rancho Cordova Parks & Recreation Department by volunteering to assemble
over 400 Easter eggs for the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Hagen Community Park. Over the span of a week, campus students
gathered in the MCC Recreation Room working diligently to stuff candy inside of plastic Easter eggs. The collective
hard work and dedication paid off as 4 large boxes of candy filled Easter eggs were hunted for on April 11, 2009.
1st Annual MCC Spring Basketball Tournament a Huge Success!
Although our own team did not come out victorious, all of the families, friends, and staff of SAEHC, St. John’s
Shelter, and Serna Village had a fantastic time. We even had an unofficial cheerleading squad - some of the older
girls took initiative and trained the younger ones with some cheers. Next year we hope to host the tournament on
our own All-Purpose Sports Court. Please visit www.saehc.org/sportscourt.php
for more information about our fundraising effort.
Thank you to the wonderful sponsors of our basketball tournament:
Gold: SMUD
Silver: Child & Family Institute
Additional Sponsors: Friends of Roger Dickinson, North Highlands Parks and Recreation
A special thank you to Zareena Anwar, MCC Youth Development Specialist, for her amazing coordination of this event!
Sathya Sai Baba Center
Families from the Sathya Sai Baba Center of Elk Grove helped spruce up our Family Shelter planting beds and our
community garden on March 21st. The center is a multi-faith spiritual organization with approximately 30 members.
When they are not helping out at our organization, they are lending their time to animal shelters and handing out
meals to the homeless.
Omega Program Field Trip
The teenagers in the Omega Program took a field trip to Berkeley, CA for a University of California, Berkeley
campus tour and an Alvin Ailey dance performance on Saturday, March 7. The Omega Program is a permanent housing
program for individuals and families with multiple and severe disabilities. Encouraging the children in the program
to go to college is one of our main focuses. The Youth Development Specialist works with the teens on college
applications, arranges tours of local schools, and works with their high school to ensure that they are on track
to graduating. This is all part of our goal to end the cycle of homelessness that can entrap the children as well
as their parents.
Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op
On March 6th, SAEHC and Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services teamed up with the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op
to provide a cooking class for our clients. Women from our Women’s Refuge and the Sacramento Food Bank’s Mother Baby
Program attended a 2 ½ hour class lead by Eileen Murray and her wonderful team. The participants learned to prepare
and cook healthy, delicious dishes made with low cost and widely available items. The menu consisted of spinach lentil
soup, roasted sweet potatoes, and a vegetable frittata and after the dishes were prepared, participants were able to
sit down as a group and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
February Birthday Wishes
Thank you to the Sacramento Legal Secretaries Association for hosting February’s Birthday Wishes at our Family
Shelter. They threw our lucky birthday girls and boys a Disney themed party complete with a musical, magical clown.
Alpha Phi Omega Family Fun Friday
The CSU Sacramento co-ed fraternity Alpha Phi Omega threw a Family Fun Friday for our Family Shelter. The kids
and students took advantage of beautiful weather and played games outside. Indoors was a trivia game, snacks
and prizes. Thank you!
Kids These Days
In December, we have received an outpouring of support from teens and even pre-teens. For those worried about
the moral character of the next generation, fear not, I assure you that they are doing just fine. The month
was started off with a youth group from St. Michael’s church, five kids from grades 6-8 planted a bright cheery
flower garden in front of our Head Start classroom. Then on the 20th, a youth group from First Covenant Church
painted the offices at our emergency family shelter. In the middle of the month we received a donation of seven
handmade blankets from A Warm Feeling (www.awarmfeeling.org), a local group that makes and donates blankets to
nonprofits. This is no normal group, it was started and is completely staffed by two local high school girls,
Jennifer Judge and Camile Kaslan. Students from Franklin High School Key Club in Elk Grove sorted our Christmas
gifts for us on the 23rd and students from the National Honor Society at Monterrey Trail High hosted Family Fun
Friday on January 2nd. And of course, we always have our dedicated teens that volunteer with us on a regular basis
in our children services department. They help children with their homework and work on crafts. See our Volunteers
of the Month this month for a great example.
Dress for Success
On December 5th, young ladies from Deloitte’s Women’s Initiative group presented a workshop to the clients
of our Women’s Refuge entitled “Dress for Success.” This workshop taught the women what to wear to an interview,
provided makeup tips, and a “store” full of professional clothes to choose from. The women spent the rest of
the afternoon showing off their new clothes, as proud as peacocks. The day was just what they needed to boost
their self-esteem.
Muralist Stella Calles-Norris Creates a Dream Seascape
Stella Calles-Norris volunteered her skills to give a beautifying touch to our CPS Home Finding
Program Group Home. This facility has a children’s services area that has always been mistaken for an
additional living room and was in need of being more kid friendly. The house is full of artwork depicting
seascapes and fish, so we thought that it was only fitting to continue this in the children’s services area.
A group of AmeriCorps volunteers painted the room a lovely blue and Stella created a picture
perfect interpretation of our dream seascapes mural.
2nd Annual MCC Fashion Show
October 24th: Mather Community Campus (MCC) held its second annual fashion show featuring client models.
As the event came to a close, there was not a dry eye in the house as attendees witnessed the amazing
transformation of the clients into beautiful, self-confident models. Staff purchased the clothes for the
fashion show after holding fundraisers like car washes and hot dog sales. The goal of the fashion show is
to help promote self-esteem. The men and women at MCC are working hard to improve themselves on the inside
and this event helps them to improve how they look and feel on the outside. By providing new clothes and
showing them how to maintain their appearance, we are hoping that their self-confidence will help them
on their path to inner self-improvement. As a special treat, clients get to keep the clothes that they
model, which provide them with business attire for interview sessions and clothes for school and prom.
This event has been such a success, that we plan to move our 3rd Annual event to a larger venue and invite
members of the community. So we hope that you will be able to join us next year as we celebrate the
clients of MCC.
Wirestone Marketing Hosts a Family Fun Night
October 24th: Employees from Wirestone Marketing hosted Family Fun Friday at our Family Shelter. As a
marketing company, they were focused on creativity and let our families express themselves with a
cookie-decorating bar. Fresh baked ghost, pumpkin, cat, and bat cookies were donated from Ettore’s Bakery
and multiple options of frostings and sprinkles. Outside was t-shirts, stencils, and spray paint and, with
the assistance of two very dedicated graphic artists, our clients were able to create awesome Halloween
t-shirts. At the end of the event a raffle was held and everyone walked away a winner. This was the first
time that we had an employee group host a Family Fun Friday, but it definitely will not be the last.
SAP Employees Paint and Garden
October 22nd: Ten employees from SAP painted our Women’s Shelter bathroom and case management office and
put the finishing touches on our community garden by weeding, laying weed blocker, and spreading mulch.
These were all last minute projects coordinated after the group’s volunteer opportunity at another
organization was cancelled. We felt lucky to have them and kept them busy with our list of many projects.
Capital Christian School Perform a Day of Service
October 10th: Capital Christian School sent their junior high and high school students out into the community
to perform a day of service. At SAEHC, this included painting the living room of our Women’s Shelter and
gardening at our Family Shelter. We had 25 enthusiastic junior high students eager to get their hands dirty
and help out for a cause. Most said that this was their first experience with community service and that they
enjoyed the feeling of giving back. Capital Christian School and SAEHC both hope that this will be the start
of a life full of volunteering.
Muralist Kelli Winfree Spruces Up the Family Shelter Dining Room
With the Family Shelter dining room still needing that homey touch, we put out the call and it was answered
by Kelli Winfree an accomplished muralist and owner of Anytime Painting (www.anytimepainting.net).
We envisioned a happy, woodland mural and Kelli did not disappoint. Her mural includes a gorgeous tree, blue
birds, butterflies, and frolicking squirrels. Now our Family Shelter is complete with a forest theme that will
give our shelter the feel of a summer camp all year long.
Muralist Andrea Murphy Creates a Centerpiece for our Family Shelter
When looking for the centerpiece of our Family Shelter, we turned to Andrea Murphy. She was able to create a
welcoming mural for the front of our building. The first thing that you see when you walk on site, this colorful
artwork is the highlight of our shelter.
The River City Stencilers Add Beauty to the Women's Refuge
Looking for a philanthropy project this year, the River City Stencilers, a group of local muralists, faux finishers,
and stencilers, banded together to create a beautiful forest mural for us. The mural took them over four monthly
meetings to complete with everyone working together to create this masterpiece. Originally the plan was to hang it
in our Family Shelter dining room, but after seeing the mural we knew that it had to go to our Women’s Refuge. The
mural is so beautiful and peaceful; it creates the perfect atmosphere for our ladies.
Active 20-30 Club Shopping Spree
July 19th: The Active 20-30 Club (www.active20-30.com) of Sacramento
has been a very important part in the lives of the youth at Mather Community Campus. Twice a year, they treat the youth,
ages 5-18, to a shopping spree. In the summer, the youth shop for back to school clothes and receive backpacks. In the
winter, they shop for warm clothes and receive gifts from Santa. These days begin at 6:00 a.m. with 65 youth accompanied
by the MCC Children’s Services staff arriving at the Rancho Cordova Mervyn’s store. They are greeted by the Active 20-30
Club members and served breakfast. Each youth is then paired up with a club member/personal shopper and a $100 Mervyn’s
gift card. Free haircuts are offered onsite to complete the looks. The event ends with a morning of bowling and skating.
Muralist Niki Gamboa Spruces Up the Family Shelter Day Room
July 10th: Muralist Niki Gamboa (www.nikiart.net) spruced up the freshly painted
walls (courtesy of the CHP cadets) in the day room of our Family Shelter with two beautiful murals. The day room is
the place that clients can go to socialize and relax outside of their rooms. It has also become the place where children
do homework in the evenings after our Children Services room has closed. We have wanted to have a muralist decorate
this area for a long time, and Niki generously agreed to donate her services. While she was working she drew quite a
crowd of interested children and she ended the day by becoming a volunteer face painter for the happy children. Niki
is interested in tackling more of our projects, and we can’t wait to have her back.
California Highway Patrol Cadets Break a Sweat
June 28th: What do 100 volunteers working all at once look like? That’s what I was wondering all week prior to our
big event with the California Highway Patrol. On June 28th, 108 cadets came to our Family Shelter and CPS Home Finding
Program to do whatever they could to help. The cadets braved the heat and the smoky air to paint the exterior trim, fences,
and curb as well as the interior walls and doors of the dorms and offices at our Family Shelter. A dedicated and creative
squad also worked in our Community Garden pulling weeds, creating a pathway, and painting the gazebo. I’ll let the pictures
speak for themselves on the amazing transformation. At the CPS Group Home, they painted the exterior, trim, railings,
fences, and doors. You name it, it was freshened up. They took our two buildings that needed the most work and turned them
in to our crown jewels. Now we can offer more than just a roof and a bed, we can offer a warm, inviting, beautiful place
to call a temporary home. We cannot thank the hardworking cadets enough for their help. It would have taken years for our
one maintenance man to complete the projects that they finished in just one day. Keep an eye out, our helpful cadets just
graduated on July 11th and are now serving a community near you.
Fine Dining With the Junior Board of the California Capitol Chefs Association
June 22nd: Residents of our Family Shelter and Women’s Refuge dined on a southern meal of: Hard Boiled Eggs with
Cajun Remoulade; Mardi Gras Salad; Jerked Pork Loin with Black Beans and Sauce Ti Malice; Shrimp Gumbo with White
Rice; and King Cake (Chicken Strips with BBQ Sauce for the kids) thanks to the hard work of Marvin Jones. The event
was coordinated by Marvin Jones, a former Family Shelter client who is now a Junior Chef and the President of the
Junior Board of the California Capitol Chefs Association. Senior Board members Chef Jeremy MacVeigh, Chef Patrick
Tracey, and Chef Fred Sullivan along with culinary students assisted with the preparation and serving of the meal while
Reuben Marquez and Thomas Jones assisted with the prep work. A fine dining experience was created with a menu at every
place setting, silver flatware, white ceramic plates and wine glasses for drinks (non-alcoholic of course). Marvin
shared not only the nice meal, but also his inspirational story to the clients. As someone who has been in their place,
he let them know that anything was possible with hard work. One of the most touching moments of the night was when
Marvin presented the desert of King Cake. It is a long-standing New Orleans tradition for a small prize to be baked
inside the cake; the person who gets the slice with the prize will have good luck all year long. Marvin chose not to
put prizes inside the cakes that he baked; instead he said that whoever ate the cakes would have good luck. Cheers to that!
Volunteer Chefs
Fancy Table Settings and Mardi Gras Salad
Hard Boiled Eggs with Cajun Remoulade and King Cake
Makeovers By the Students at the Paul Mitchell School at MTI College
May 23rd: Students at the Paul Mitchell School at MTI College came and practiced their skills on our happy ladies.
This Friday night treat included painting nails and cutting and styling hair for the ladies of our Family Shelter
and Women’s Refuge. While most of the services were for the mothers and single women, the young girls couldn’t resist
having their nails painted and got to join in the fun. The services will be a big help as the ladies go to job
interviews, not to mention a much needed boost to their self-esteem. Next up for the beauticians is taking on the
hair and makeup for our MCC Fashion Show. Stay tuned for photos!
Eileen Murray and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Cooking Classes
May 18th: Eileen Murray and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op teamed up to put on a wonderful cooking
class for clients from our Women’s Refuge, Family Shelter, and CPS Home Finding Program. Eileen focused on making
simple, whole foods that would be both healthy and low cost. The menu included white bean chili, summer black bean
& rice salad, polenta pizza, tabouli salad, hummus, boiled vegetable salad with creamy herb dressing, and orange
ginger oatmeal crunch cookies. Yum!
The President's Club from Umpqua Bank Clean Up
May 14th: The President’s Club from Umpqua Bank showed us that when it comes to volunteering, the important
thing is not how much time you have, but how much energy! Twenty volunteers painted our dining room, completely
rearranged our Children Services department, removed 12 shrubs, and landscaped the front our Family Shelter and
Women’s Refuge (not to mention tending to our new flower garden) all in only TWO hours! Our mouths are still hanging
open in amazement.
First Covenant Church of Rancho Cordova Mother's Day Event
May 10th: First Covenant Church of Rancho Cordova made sure that our mothers were not forgotten this
Mother’s Day. Volunteers made brunch for the families in our Family Shelter, worked with the children to make cards,
and finally presented the cards, a photo of each family, and a red carnation to each of the moms. It was a wonderful
treat and a good time was had by all.
Lutheran Church of the Resurrection Garden Renovation
April 26th: A youth group from the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Granite Bay helped us realize our
dream of a beautiful garden for the clients by clearing away debris, preparing the soil, and planting an amazing
assortment of plants that were donated by Chris and Tina Janda from Norman’s Nursery. A gazebo built by our
Maintenance Assistant, Ron Hayward, completed the look.
Muralist Lisa Spurney
Lisa Spurney has become the resident muralist at Mather Community Campus, an advocate for the homeless.
Lisa has been happy to take on two large projects for MCC Children Services including a large jungle mural in
the infant/toddler room and a unifying world mural in the waiting room.
Volunteer Center of Sacramento Birthday Wishes Celebration
March 28th: The Volunteer Center of Sacramento held their first Birthday Wishes celebration at our Family
Shelter. Every month a group of volunteers will be throwing a birthday party for the children who had a
birthday that month. A special thanks to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Mujeres Ayudnado la Raza, and Umpqua Bank
for their generous support. For more information about the program, please visit- www.sacbirthdaywishes.org.
Easter with Shut Up and Ride MC
On March 23, 2008, the children at the Family Shelter saw the Easter Bunny arrive on the back of a motorcycle.
The local group, Shut Up and Ride MC, delivered Easter Baskets to the excited men, women, and children of our
Family Shelter and Women’s Refuge. This year the riders provided approximately 1,000 candy filled eggs for a
large Easter Egg Hunt. The bikers and parents hid the eggs in the grassy area in the back of the Family Shelter.
On the count of 3, the children ran with a look of joy and awe at the large amount of eggs covering the grass.
Each child over-filled their baskets with eggs. Together the parents and bikers were laughing and enjoying watching
the children participate in this Easter tradition.
Since 2004, Scott Ivey has organized the Run 4 Teens with SAEHC as the beneficiary. This year they raised more
than ever, over 900 dollars! This was a wonderful holiday for our families and single women. Thank you to Scott
Ivey and Shut Up and Ride MC for their ongoing support to Sacramento’s homeless!
Shut Up and Ride MC
Scott Ivey, Carolyn Brodt, and Marvin "BamBam" Boyer
Sacramento Bee's Book of Dreams
This year we were included in the Sacramento Bee's Book of Dreams. We asked for, and received, 7 new cribs for our
Family Shelter. These new cribs provide a homier environment at our Family Shelter. A special thanks to the
Sacramento Bee and all of the donors who made this "wish" possible.
Stein Mart
Since last July, SAEHC has been partnering with Stein Mart to provide new clothes for our program participants
through Dignity U Wear, a Jacksonville, Florida-based national nonprofit that provides brand new clothing to men,
women and children in need. This Christmas, the Rocklin Stein Mart had a beautifully decorated tree with ornaments
for our children who have left the shelter program but whose families still require assistance. The ornaments were
available to customers and employees and the store collected gifts for over 75 children. Additionally, the employees
were so enthusiastic that they raised money to buy more gifts by having soup on Fridays, which was made and donated
and sold to fellow employees. A heartfelt “Thank You” from our families and children to the employees of Stein Mart.
Holidays Made Brighter by Department of Corrections
For the last three years, the children of SAEHC have been “adopted” every Christmas by the employees of California
State Prison, Folsom. Trees are placed in the administrative offices and are decorated with ornaments that include
information about the children in our programs and their wishes. Employees select ornaments and then begin to work
at creating the kinds of Christmas memories that their own children and families get to experience. For little Anna,
age 5, who loves the color orange and everything Dora the Explorer; a Dora backpack and doll, and a pretty orange
sweater. For Anthony, age 5, a basketball, a big boy tool set, and a tool belt. The presents are wrapped and labeled.
Some say “To: James, From: The Carson Family”, but many of the donors don’t even want to be acknowledged. They simply
write “Love Mom and Dad” on the present. This year another Correctional Department, Out of State Transfers, joined with
the Prison employees to adopt even more children, over 100! SAEHC is so grateful for this ongoing support. We would be
unable to provide the holiday experience without their generous help.
Aerojet Gives Big
A special thanks to the employees of Aerojet for another generous donation this holiday season. They collected $605
and two full truckloads of toys and clothes for the men, women, and children in SAEHC programs. We can’t thank them
enough for their continued support and overwhelming generosity!
Dress for Success!
On December 7, 2007 staff volunteers from Deloitte Consulting presented “Dress for Success”, a workshop for the ladies
at SAEHC’s Women’s Refuge and Family Shelter. This workshop was designed for women to learn the basics of looking good
for interviews and for everyday life. Through clothing donations from Deloitte Consulting employees, the volunteers
assisted the women in creating professional wardrobes. Every participant was able to put together a minimum of 3 new
outfits including shoes. In addition to the professional attire, sweaters and casual clothing were available for the ladies.
Two professional make-up artists volunteered to give mini make-up application and personal consultation for each participant.
A consultant from Mary Kay provided all the ladies with make-up bags and samples. The energy of the “Dress for Success”
workshop had a positive impact on the ladies’ self esteem and motivation. We would like to thank the generous volunteers
and donors from Deloitte Consulting for this inspiring workshop.
Deloitte Brings Thanksgiving
During a season of thanks and gratitude the families of SAEHC housing programs have once again benefited from the
generosity of others. In what has turned out to be a holiday tradition, the employees of Deloitte Consulting have
come through with Thanksgiving meals for all. Deloitte employees gathered and delivered truck loads of thanksgiving
donations. These donations provided complete Thanksgiving meals for all of the families staying in the Family Shelter,
Women’s Refuge, 5th Avenue Group Home, and Parkside Apartments. Deloitte employees also put together individual meals
for the families of the Omega Program, which were delivered by the case managers. On top of all the great food,
Deloitte employees also donated $1,000 in gift cards for Safeway and Lowe’s stores. These gift cards will be very
useful in providing families in permanent housing with hardware and housing goods for minor home repairs and household
needs. It is because of great community partners like Deloitte that we at SAEHC are able to work diligently in the fight
against homelessness.
Thank You Deloitte!
Halloween with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
For the past two years Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (formerly Dade Behring) of West Sacramento has put together an
entertaining Halloween event with all donations benefitting SAEHC. Their event involves a potluck, costume contest,
costume parade, prizes to the top three costumes, and a raffle. To draw donations, each employee that donates is
awarded raffle tickets. This year, through the dedicated work of their Community Involvement Team they were able to
raise over $2,500 worth of in-kind donations for SAEHC. These donations were used for many of the families in our
transitional housing programs and as Christmas presents for our program children.
We would like to thank the members of the Community Involvement Team and the donors listed below. We look forward to
working with you in the future!
Patricia Antonoplos
Tim Antonoplos
Harjot Bains
Bill Bleakly
Joyce Bray
Theresa Chavez
Charlene Griner
Lisa Hamel
Bruce Harshman
Kurt Holmsen
Judith Johnston
Jeff Klein
May Morishima
Janet Owens
Christophe Royer
Sharon Shinn
Jeff Wilson
Barbara Zimmer
First Annual MCC Fashion Show
As the daylight dwindled, the Mather Community Campus dining hall lit up with the glow of the runway lights. Prior
to the fashion show start, excitement and anticipation peaked, much like in Los Angeles and New York during Fashion
Week. Approximately one hundred and eighty students, families, and guests came out to support the 1st Annual Mather
Community Campus Fashion Show. The chatter and banter of the gathering crowd rose and fell. Whispers of what the
models were going to wear, who was going to strut their stuff, and of course if there was going to be snacks served
were all heard. The models were comprised of adults, teens, and children from Mather Community Campus and the apparel
ranged from business casual to eveningwear. As the house lights dimmed, Master of Ceremonies, John Amato from DHHS
started the event off. With smooth jazzy sounds playing in the background he announcing the models as they started
hitting the catwalk with grace and precision. The show garments were provided by Stein Mart, who also generously
gifted the prom dresses to the teen models who were going to their high school proms the next night. As the last
model of the evening exited backstage and the house lights came back up, it was apparent from all the applause that
the 1st Annual Mather Community Campus Fashion Show was not going to be the last. A huge round of thanks and
congratulations for all the event student volunteers, support staff, models, and garment contributors who donated
their time and talents. And yes, cake and punch were served.
Wash Away Homelessness
Early in August we received a call from an eager and bubbly young lady, Michelle Mariano, from College Greens Wash & Dry.
She and her business partner, Eric Riddell, were interested in doing a Wash Away Homelessness fundraising event to
benefit SAEHC!
That event took place on Saturday, October 20th at College Greens Wash & Dry on 3309-B Julliard Drive, near Sacramento
State University. It was wonderful to see all of the promotion that Michelle and Eric put into this event! Their
customers rallied to wash away homelessness by bringing in all of their laundry from which Michelle and Eric donated
all of their profits for the day! They also held raffles with prizes donated by local merchants, created press and
radio releases, distributed flyers, and enthusiastically talked the event up to friends, relatives and associates.
This all resulted in the raising of over $300 in cash for our homeless at SAEHC, a generous donation of about 1,500
snacks by Campbell’s Soup, and many other generous contributions.
Michelle and Eric recently left careers at Hewlett Packard to found this business true to their pioneer spirit.
We are further delighted that Michelle has agreed to join our Fairytale Town After Hours committee to assist with
next years’ fundraiser scheduled for September 12th, 2008.
Events
For the last three years, the children of SAEHC have been “adopted” every Christmas by the employees of California
State Prison, Folsom. Trees are placed in the administrative offices and are decorated with ornaments that include
information about the children in our programs and their wishes. Employees select ornaments and then begin to work
at creating the kinds of Christmas memories that their own children and families get to experience. For little Anna,
age 5, who loves the color orange and everything Dora the Explorer; a Dora backpack and doll, and a pretty orange
sweater. For Anthony, age 5, a basketball, a big boy tool set, and a tool belt. The presents are wrapped and labeled.
Some say “To: James, From: The Carson Family”, but many of the donors don’t even want to be acknowledged. They simply
write “Love Mom and Dad” on the present. This year another Correctional Department, Out of State Transfers, joined with
the Prison employees to adopt even more children, over 100! SAEHC is so grateful for this ongoing support. We would be
unable to provide the holiday experience without their generous help.
Early in August we received a call from an eager and bubbly young lady, Michelle Mariano, from College Greens Wash & Dry.
She and her business partner, Eric Riddell, were interested in doing a Wash Away Homelessness fundraising event to
benefit SAEHC!