St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children Celebrates Sacramento Mothers at Second Annual Tea Party
Five Sacramento Area Activist Moms to be Honored

Sacramento, April 7, 2008...Five “Super Moms” will be honored by St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children on May 7th, announced Michele Steeb, Executive Director of St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children. These five honorees will be recognized for their contributions to the Sacramento community at the second annual “Celebrating Mothers 2008, A St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children Tea Party” benefit set for 3:30 p.m., May 7, 2008 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.

St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children is the only shelter program in Sacramento County focused exclusively on women with children - the most vulnerable of the homeless population.  Its mission is to assist these families in advancing from a point of crisis to a position of self-sufficiency in 90 days. Since 1985, the Program has served more than 23,000 displaced women and children.

The five honorees are as follows:

Teri Munger—External Affairs and Media Relations Manager, Intel
Cassandra Jennings—Assistant City Manager, City of Sacramento
Carol Fowler—Community Volunteer
Griselda Barajas—Small business owner/restaurateur
Jolene Waite—St. John’s Alumna Mother of the Year

“These women are ‘Super Moms’ in every sense of the phrase said Steeb. “We could not continue this work without the commitment of women like them, our amazing Board of Directors, and our major sponsors, such as AT&T. Last year’s event, the first annual Celebrating Mothers Tea Party, wildly exceeded our expectations,” said Steeb. “And this year we are expecting almost double the number of attendees—700. It’s so gratifying to see the Sacramento community respond to the needs of this rapidly growing population. Though we have 100 beds, our average daily capacity this year is 115 women and children, and yet, we are turning away more than 100 women and children each day,” said Steeb.

The Tea Party is co-chaired by Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta McGlashan and Sacramento City Councilmember Kevin McCarty, and Kathy McKim, Vice President-External Affairs, North/Central AT&T California. The event will be emceed by Peggy Shannon from the Sacramento Theater Company.

About the honorees:

Cassandra H.B. Jennings—Ms. Jennings is the Assistant City Manager for the City of Sacramento. She has been instrumental in the $90 million Community Reinvestment Capital Improvement Program; Rental Housing Inspection Pilot Program; Homeless Initiatives and the creation of the Office of Youth Development. As Deputy Executive Director of Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency she established the countywide First time Homebuyer programs and micro-lending programs. She has served on numerous boards including the American Leadership Forum, Florin Road Foundation; Oak Park Outreach Program and the Interagency Council to End Homelessness. In 2005, she received the prestigious “Women Who Mean Business” award from the Sacramento Business Journal for her efforts to revitalize Franklin Villa. Ms. Jennings and her husband, Rick, who runs the Center for Fathers and Families, have devoted their lives to encourage kids and healthy families. She and her husband are the proud parents of two grown children.

Carol Fowler—Ms. Fowler is a “Super-Volunteer,” offering her time and talent to the United Way, Red Cross, American Leadership Forum, Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento. She is a member of the UC Davis Health System Leadership Council, as well as Women in Philanthropy. She and her husband, Rick, have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Griselda Barajas—Ms. Barajas operates two restaurants in the State Capitol Building, a catering company and Texas Mexican Restaurant in downtown Sacramento. She started her first business in 1993 at the age of 21. Her philosophy is to treat her employees like family and give back to the community. She is an active and vocal advocate for small business owners and currently serves on the board of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She has been recognized for her leadership by receiving the following awards: 2002 Role Model of the Year; 2000 Small Business Advocate of the Year; 1999 Business Woman of the Year; and 1996 Business Woman of the Year.

Teri Munger—Is the External Affairs and Media Relations Manager for Intel’s Folsom site. She joined Intel in 2005 after a 12- year career at HP directing their Public Affairs Team. She is active in the community as a member of numerous non-profit organizations, including the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Investment Board, Folsom Chamber of Commerce, Hwy 50 Transportation Management Authority, American Leadership Form and Vice President of the South Place UCD Breast Cancer Endowment Fund. She and her husband, Curt, live in Granite Bay and have three grown children.

Jolene Waite—Is St. John’s Alumna Mother of the Year. Jolene and her children first arrived at St. John’s in 2005. Overwhelmed by her issues of homelessness, undiagnosed mental illness, drug use and pregnancy, she left almost immediately. Two months later, Jolene realized that St. John’s was the right place for her. Even though it meant separation from her some of her children, she knew this was the path for her to take. Jolene’s highest goal in life is to create a loving, stable home for all her children. Today, against all odds, Jolene and all of her children live together. Her oldest daughter plans on college, daughter Amanda is in aerospace school and the rest of her five children are all in school. Jolene is working to fulfill her ambition of becoming a drug and alcohol counselor so she can give back to women that used to be in her position. She returns to St. John’s often to work with, support and inspire its clients.

About St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children:
St. John’s mission is to support homeless women with children to advance from a point of crisis to a position of self-sufficiency. St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children is the ONLY shelter program in Sacramento County focused exclusively on women with children - the most vulnerable of the homeless population. Since 1985, the program has served more than 23,000 displaced women and children.

St. John’s offers a 90-day program, rooted in one-on-one case management, the development of a Progress Plan with weekly and monthly goals, required attendance at classes/workshops each week, and community service requirements. Services and classes include domestic violence counseling, mental health counseling, drug and alcohol treatment programs, weekly health services from a nurse, employment services, parenting classes, fitness and nutrition classes, art therapy, budgeting and financial management class, and other self- development classes.

The “secret” to St. John’s success in transforming the lives of homeless women and children in only 90 days is that all of the necessary services are under our roof. To accomplish this, we collaborate with many local agencies including: The Effort, Project Teach, the Sacramento Unified School District, Sacramento County, Sacramento State University, St. Francis High School, and PRIDE Industries to name a few.

In 2007, the lives of more than 1,300 women and children were transformed at St. John’s.

About the Tea Party:
Tickets are $50.00 each and are available by calling (916) 448-2881 or you can purchase them at www.stjohnsshelter.org.