President Emily Matthews called the meeting to order at 12:15.

 

This Week: Marc Lucchesi led the Pledge of Allegiance. Sheryl Young introduced the invocation. Sheryl’s dad was recruited by Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, to help with challenges they were having with youth.  Sheryl and Mike Heffernan have had conversations with tribal leaders over the past year about problems on the reservations (such as lack of connectivity) and their thoughts about solutions.  Mike then shared a Cherokee teaching moment—“a tale of two wolves”.  There are two wolves inside everyone.  One wolf is evil; one wolf is good; and they are fighting each other. The wolf that wins is the one you feed. 

 

Announcements: Doug Person introduced his guests, and today’s speakers, Yves-Langston Barthaud, the Director of Outreach and Development for San Francisco SafeHouse, and Reverend Glenda Hope, the founder of SafeHouse. 

 

President Emily gave us some important reminders:

 

 

Newscast+: Fritz Brauner told us that today is National Fudge Day. Yum! On November 20, it’s National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. Can’t wait!

 

Fritz then let us know that he joined with Mike Heffernan and Jennifer Pence to present scholarship awards to nine different BHS students. It was a great experience. Fritz polled the group about things we most remember from high school, besides making friends.  Chris Ramirez remembers his senior year English teacher (a tiny, older woman) would walk around the room reciting poems. She was very passionate about the poems and would get very worked up as she recited them. Jim Shypertt went to Serra High School and is still involved with the school. Jerry Winges went to high school in Stockton. He didn’t play football but was in band and orchestra. He remembers that at every football game, everyone did one particular cheer—“in Gott we trust” in honor of Coach Gott, the football coach. Nancy Bush (with Annie Rose Bush on her lap) had a crush on her high school biology teacher, a Frenchman. In the summer, she took a class with him at the Arboretum in Madison, WI, and has a scar from riding on his motorcycle and burning herself on the tailpipe. Ooh la la! Marilyn Orr shared a third grade memory. Her teacher wrote on the blackboard that there were three messes in the class, and our Marilyn was one of them. Hard to believe?!

 

Program: Doug Person reintroduced our speakers for today’s program, Yves-Langston Barthaud and Revenue Glenda Hope. Reverend Hope started out with a history of her founding of SafeHouse. She is a Presbyterian minister, and in 1973, she founded a ministry in the Tenderloin. After about 20 years, she had a calling to focus on women who were experiencing housing instability and sexual exploitation or trafficking by creating survivor-centered spaces, services, advocacy, and community education. In the mid-90s, after the murder of five women on the streets of San Francisco, she began the work to start San Francisco SafeHouse, and in June 1997, the City of San Francisco gave the organization a building to use for housing.

 

 

Yves-Langston then described SafeHouse. They have three programs: Transitional Housing with wrap-around services (including financial literacy), rental subsidies and emergency housing, and individualized intensive case management. The Transitional Home has been around for more than 20 years. They also have the Hope Center in the Tenderloin, which provides wrap-around services (food, clothes, case management, hygiene needs) without overnight accommodations.  

 

 

Reverend Hope then shared some success stories about graduates from the program. One is now a successful pastry chef. Another regained her nurse’s license. A third became the Executive Director of the program and started the Hope Center. Reverend Hope asked everyone to make a contribution to San Francisco SafeHouse to support the important work they do. People can make donations through their website:  www.sfsafehouse.org

 

Paul Watermulder gave a ringing endorsement of Reverend Hope and her work.

 

Following the presentation, Yves-Langston and Reverend Hope answered questions about the program.

 

President Emily closed out the meeting at 1:20 and presented our guests with a virtual certificate.