
Our Mission
The mission of the Kiwanis Family house is to build a supportive, healing community around families who are impacted by medical emergencies.
The mission of the Kiwanis Family house is to build a supportive, healing community around families who are impacted by medical emergencies.
Our vision is to create a place of respite that does not burden families or individuals financially, while they are seeking the medical care they need.
The KIWANIS FAMILY HOUSE encourages the following core values:
Service and Generosity
Dedication to Dignity for each Individual
Respect for Families
Collaboration
Leona Bright, wife of Southeast Sacramento Kiwanis club member Vern Bright, heard about the need for temporary housing, and asked her husband, “Why doesn’t Kiwanis do something about this?” The idea was born and a group of Kiwanis Club members found a site, donated by the UC Davis Medical Center. They purchased five surplus construction trailers, converted them into a seven bedroom facility, and provided furnishings, carpeting, appliances, and all that was required to make the Kiwanis Family House a home.
The Kiwanis Family House was built through the efforts of many Kiwanis club volunteers from the Sacramento area. It opened on July 23, 1984 to answer an urgent need for temporary housing for the families of pediatric patients at the UCD Children’s Hospital in Sacramento. Prior to our response, there were no accommodations available at the hospital, and no nearby hotel or motel facilities that were safe and affordable. When a child was in a life-threatening condition as a result of cystic fibrosis, cancer, prenatal difficulties, or trauma from an accident, the distraught families who needed to be near their child were forced to sleep in their cars, with no access to bathing, bathrooms, laundry facilities or a place to gain respite from their overwhelming fears.
Our reservations can only be made through a referral by your medical social worker.
Once we receive your referral, we will make a reservation on your behalf.
If we are at capacity, we will put you on our waiting list and contact you as soon as we have an opening.
Guests can stay as long as they need to, and can return as often as needed to get the medical care they need.
The Kiwanis Family House is a non-profit organization and is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3). IRS Federal ID #68-0016996