Transitional Housing for Women

Transitional Housing Program for Women and Children

The Transitional Housing Program for Women and Children program provides homeless mothers a safe environment for their children while they seek permanent housing and employment.

The program also offers individual and group counseling, life-skills and parenting training, as well as permanent housing referrals.

Denise Cornell, program director
916.441.7800

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving comes early to transitional housing program

JeNae Wendell’s volunteer team included
husband Jayson, children Cameron, Emily and Spencer, father-in-law Gary (not pictured),
sister and brother-in-law Tanea and Dustin DeVriend, sister-in-law Heather Wendell and Heather’s boyfriend Aaron Jacobson.

Wendell Family
It was a Thanksgiving Day parade of the gastronomical variety when 10 members of the Gary and JeNae Wendell family delivered an elaborate turkey dinner to Volunteers of America’s Transitional Housing for Women and Children Program Nov. 20, 2007.

It was the second consecutive year the Wendell clan came calling with turkey in tow.

JeNae Wendell of Orangevale says she discovered Volunteers of America two years ago when she was organizing a canned food drive at her church. That led to her introduction to the Transitional Housing for Women and Children Program and to her family's first Thanksgiving project.

“Everybody was so thankful and it was so much fun that this year my kids were like, ‘Mom, when are we going back?’”

“It was a really good experience.”

Some 30 residents and their children attended the celebration, delighting in the array of food and flavors, including a choice of desserts ranging from pumpkin and apple pie, to brownies, cookies and Jell-O.

“It’s really good,” said resident Jacqueline Jones. “I never had anyone else’s cooking but mine.”

THANKSGIVING

Volunteers in action

UC Davis students lead arts and crafts workshop

UC Davis students presented a fall-themed arts-and-crafts workshop at the Transitional Housing for Women & Children program Oct. 26.

Halloween came early to Volunteers of America’s Transitional Housing for Women & Children program when a quartet of students from the University of California, Davis, ARE 112 business organization presented an arts and crafts workshop to the children in residence Oct. 26.

Third-year student Giselle Willeford led the group that included Ora Sraboyants, Deanna Delevati and Melissa Anderson, who showed the children how to create super-scary trick-or-treat bags.

The treats came early as well, as the group brought plates of homemade cookies.

"It was an amazing experience to be able to put a smile on the children's faces and to see how excited they were at such a simple thing as making Halloween bags," said Sraboyants, 22, a fourth-year student. "They are a great bunch of kids and I hope they had a great Halloween."

Anderson, 20, echoed her fellow student's sentiments.

"Working with the kids was a rewarding experience," she said. "Watching their faces light up while they crafted their bags, played balloon races, and ate homemade cookies was rewarding in the sense that it confirmed that what we did for them had made a difference in their week."

"We all love working with kids and love Halloween,” said Willeford, 21. "I had so much fun doing crafts with the kids. I love Halloween and being creative and I wanted to share that with the kids. Everyone deserves a fun, safe Halloween. From the smiles on their faces, I could tell they had a fun time. I hope they all had a great Halloween and I look forward to working with Volunteers of America again in the future.”

UC Davis