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Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our fundraiser “A Taste of Autumn”. We raised about $27,000 and succeeded in infusing love into the hearts of all who attended. The amount we raised is enough to fund the living costs for all our women at Gracenter for one month! We had over 200 people, uplifting music from the Pro Musica string quartet, stunning fall decor and a heart warming program and awards ceremony. We saw radical acts of generosity and random acts of kindness, gift giving and open arms. The room was filled with an air of warmth and gratitude, with a kind of magic in the air that happens only when there is authenticity, creativity, and goodwill. Our dream of creating a multigenerational environment to celebrate family, gratitude and grace came true! We had something for everyone, from our lively silent auction and raffle to games and a fun kids craft area. As part of our program, we honored John Brennan, Patrick Ryan, and Matthew Quane as the three men who helped build Gracenter. We remembered our dear friend John “Jack” Noonan with a heartfelt tribute. And we celebrated our awardees Tandy Iles and Benjamin Swig who received our annual Amazing Grace awards for outstanding contributions in the area of public health and recovery. Additional speakers included Teresa Mejia, a prior year Amazing Grace award winner, and Karen Guinn, a former resident and Gracenter graduate who is currently student in the Drug & Alcohol Studies Certificate Program at the City College in San Francisco. Special thanks go out to all our sponsors, supporters, Board of Directors, staff, Sisters, and residents. We could not have done it without you. Thank you for believing in us and supporting our mission of helping women without resources overcome addiction! |
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Good Shepherd Gracenter gratefully acknowledges its sponsors:
Glorious Gold – $5,000
Sisters of the Good Shepherd Province of Mid North America
Billiant Bronze – $1,000
Plumbers Union Local 38
Robert Summers
Cornerstone Insurance
Salesforce and Nora Hall
Alberta Boschetto
John Brennan
Graceful Green – $500
Kara and Anam McCartney
Diana and George Bacigalupi
Christopher Brown
Carpenters Union Local 22
Walden and Zane
RC Wehmeyer Design + Build
Bank of Guam
Original Orange – $300
Finkelstein Bender & Fujii LLP
Recology
Good Shepherd Gracenter gratefully acknowledges the individuals and businesses that have contributed goods and services to the Taste of Autumn:
| 18 Rabbits Alan Maffei Alcatraz Cruises Aquarium by the Bay Audrey Felzine Bay Area Discovery Museum Beach Blanket Babylon Blue and Gold Fleet California Academy of Sciences Canyon Market Chili’s City College of San Francisco Colorprint Costco Dandelion Chocolate Deborah Ann Jackson Elsa Jimenez Epic Steakhouse Fernando Velasco Framed & Cornered Custom Picture Framing Frank Jiminez Garry Galvan Garvey Golden Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park Golden State Warriors Guillia Maffei Hee Joo Hi Dive SF Hint water Holiday Inn In-N-Out Burger Janet Chapman Jeff Cohn Cellars Jerod Carmichael Joe Trott Kara McCartney Kendra Wehmeyer Kerry Breuer Linda Saytes Linda Hannawalt |
Lupita Perez Lynda Pace Maria Quirarte Megan Maffei Michelle Le Sieur Michelle Tapia Mineko Inouye Nancy Chew Nancy Rogers Nancy Walter Olive Garden Palace Games Patio Español Peg Gerard Pier 23 Pier 39 Presidio Golf Course Romy Scott Ruth Sanders San Francisco Fire Department San Francisco Zoological Society Shannon Kelley Sheldon Spicer Sibby’s Cupcakery Sisters of Good Shepherd Sr. Louis Sloat Garden Center Sr. Danielle Fung Sr. Marguerite Bartling Surayana Wildfawn Spicer The Good Shepherd Sisters The Market The Portola Garden District Scholarship Committee The San Francisco Giants Tony Ching Vitalia Fedossova Winchester Mystery House Yesica Arredondo Yiying Lu Young So Pak Zuni Cafe |
Amazing Grace Community Award
Steve Loveseth
Steve Loveseth is currently the CEO of Healthy Partnerships, Inc., a successful behavioral healthcare treatment organization with two outpatient facilities in Solano County. His contributions to the community and in the area of recovery are significant and multifaceted.
Good Shepherd Gracenter considers Steve Loveseth a co-founder of its primary drug and alcohol program in the late 1980’s. He was instrumental in developing Gracenter’s licensed drug program. For twenty-two years he was a drug counselor at Gracenter and ran the weekly group meetings. He always showed up. In fact, this was the advice he often gave: “just show up”.
Steve Loveseth was also involved with the Contra Costa Health Services as a Manager in the Alcohol and Other Drugs Services Division, joining in 1989. Steve has an extensive background in treatment program design and management and played a key role on the Health Services Department’s Dual Diagnosis Task Force – created to better coordinate Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment services. In addition, he served on the highly successful Forensic Multi-Disciplinary Services Team in collaboration with criminal justice, social services and behavioral health treatment partners seeking to proactively and compassionately intervene, at the street level, with homeless addicts, serial inebriates and other citizens burdened with severe mental illness. In his role as chair of the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act of 2000 (Prop 36) steering committee, Steve was responsible, in coordination with the Courts, Probation and the Mental Health Services Division, for developing a highly regarded dual diagnosis treatment track for non-violent Prop 36 drug offenders.
Steve’s dedication and effectiveness in helping those suffering from co morbid addictive and mental health disease is informed by his own struggles with addiction. He has been a consistent voice for the recovering community and continues to work tirelessly to eliminate the stigma associated with those suffering from behavioral health disorders.
Amazing Grace Community Award
Elyse Graham
Elyse Graham is the Deputy Executive Director of Five Keys Charter Schools and Programs. Many Gracenter residents have attended this wonderful school, learning important skills and developing themselves as contributing members of our community. Indeed, this school has made a positive impact in the lives of many women!
Elyse has over 6 years of successful Education Management experience and 20 years of experience working in incarceration settings. In her capacity as Deputy Executive Director for Five Keys, Elyse is responsible for oversight of all operations for Five Keys’ three distinct charter schools operating in the San Francisco County and Los Angeles County Jails as well as the community partner sites in Northern and Southern California. Elyse has a wealth of experience designing and overseeing successful community and re-entry programs which have provided direct service, education and counseling to support clients addressing issues of homelessness, poverty, substance use, violence and domestic violence. She holds a Masters of Science Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a Drug and Alcohol Counseling Certificate.
