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65th Anniversary CelebrationHouse of Hope’s 65th Anniversary Celebrationwas a livestream occurrence this year. Pasttalent shows were typically held as liveproductions at the Armstrong Theater and othervenues, but due to COVID restrictions, thisyear’s event had to be modified. The fundraiserwas held on November 15th and was a live,three-hour broadcast on YouTube.Theoccasionwasamemorable tribute toHouse of Hope’s 65years of service to therecovery community.“When COVID hitwe had to askourselves, should weevenhavethisevent?”saidEdStorti, chair of theannualfundraiser.“But we made a decision to move forwardbecause we knew women will continue to needhelp and come in for treatment, and we neededto make this happen. We put our team together,each of whom put in a lot of time to make thishappen. We came out with a wonderfultelethon-style event that we’re very proud of.”The livestream event featured past talent showwinners Vanessa K. with a sparkling dancenumber, and Kristen K. with a hilarious comedyroutine. Many sponsors and friends of House ofHope participated with videos recognizing the65th Anniversary. Ed Storti and Bobbi Tshirgiprovided insightful historical retrospectives,and the McMillen Family Foundation wasrecognized for their continued generous support.The event team included Johnny Bjorge, wholed the talent and production, as he has formany years. Kristin Witzenburg headed updigital marketing andJuanita Hahn spearheaded ticket salesagainthisyear.Kimberly James wasa new member of theteam this year, providing a boost to thefundraisingefforts.Anotherwelcomeaddition to the teamwas Teresa and KyleTucker of StudioVenue, who handled all the video productionand editing. Maricela Gray and Paul Edmeierfrom the House of Hope executive office alsoplayed critical roles on the team.“In spite of these difficult times, so many peoplestood up to help and donated to this wonderfulevent, and showed up for the women who needtreatment, knowing now more than ever thattheir help is needed,” added Storti.If you missed the live event, you can watch therecorded video on the House of Hope website.
Changing Things Up in 2020Barbara Bishop is the Clinical Director atHouse of Hope.Because our commitmentat House of Hope is tohelp women recover fromsubstance use disorders,we are always looking forways to improve ourdelivery of services. In2020, we experiencedmany changes, some weinitiated with carefuldeliberation, and others were imposed upon us.Some changes felt like whiplash, while othersgave us deep satisfaction and pride.by Barbara Bishoptrained in trauma-focused care and EMDR—atreatment protocol that stands for “EyeMovement Desensitization Reprocessing.” Itallows patients to re-process trauma throughtechniques that have been researched carefullyand found to have effective outcomes. With thetraining that our therapists are receiving, theyare able to use the latest therapeutic methods toaddress the damaging traumas that oftencatapult young women into substance abuse.We have officially moved from mere traumaawareness to trauma-focused care, which isgood news for our patients who need evidencebased practices to address the issues underlyingtheir substance use disorders.In March, with COVID-19 cases soaring invarious locations, Los Angeles County requiredimmediate changes in the ways we offered careto our patients. Never have we had to change soquickly, and so dramatically. Suddenly staffwere working from home, which requiredlaptops, telephones and the use of telehealth thatwas compliant with privacy laws. Suddenly alltreatment and recovery activities occurred onZoom—staff meetings, assessment, individualtherapy sessions, relapse prevention groups, andAA meetings. We quarantined new patients andpatients who had possible symptoms of COVID19. We adopted mandatory mask-wearing andsocial distancing practices to keep staffmembers and clients safe. We’ve succeeded inthis endeavor thus far. We will continue to takethe necessary precautions and follow medicalguidelines so that our mission to help womenrecover from substance use disorders continueswithout pause.Our newly-hired substance abuse counselorsshow patients that treatment doesn’t have to be asolemn affair. Although we guide womentowards earnest efforts to change every aspectof their lives, our committed counselorsdemonstrate that sobriety includes joy andlaughter, comradery with their peers andinspiration. They share games, art projects,physical activities, and other fun ideas that showingenuity and creativity. We hold holidaydecorating contests and encourage maskwearing with a game. We “catch” our patientsmaking good choices, and highlight theirpositive achievements in process groups.Person-centered care means that our staffmembers are always searching for activities andprojects that can guide each individual patienttowards a wide-range of goals, beginning withlong-term sobriety, and including everythingfrom employment and school to re-unificationwith children and improving communicationwith other family members.Other changes this year have been implementedwith the goal of improving upon alreadyawesome treatment methods. We have hirednew staff members that bring with themcreativity, enthusiasm, and solution-focusedcare. We now have three therapists at House ofHope, and by the end of 2020, all three will beI’m pleased with the changes that we haveimplemented this year, and know that we willcontinue to search for and implement bestpractices for our patients. Best wishes for apeaceful and healthy holiday season, and thankyou for your love and support.Post Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921 235 West 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Executive Office: Phone (310) 521-9209 Program Office (310) 831-9411 website www.houseofhopesp.org2
Two Success StoriesLuukia - UpdatedHouse of Hope wasfirst recommendedto Luukia seventeenyears ago. With amessy family lifefurther complicatedby her own selfmedication, Luukiaentered HOH andlived there for fourmonths, trying towork the program,but she was not ready. She soon picked up drugsagain, and her life spiraled downwards quickly.Many years later Luukia remembered her experienceat HOH and returned there. This time she wasready.Like many alcoholics, Luukia grew up with analcoholic parent and difficult childhood. To get awayfrom her problematic mother, she left home in Hawaiiat the age of 15 and moved to Seattle to live with anaunt. Four years later she married, moved to L.A.,and briefly tried a career in nursing. She had threedaughters, and loved taking care of her daughters as astay-at home mother. However, that dream wasshattered when her daughters were six, eight and ten,and mistakenly taken from her through a custodybattle that stipulated no visits in the fine print. At thetime, she did not realize she would not be able to seethem at all, or ever regain custody.Once she understood that her dream of motherhoodwas shattered, Luukia pursued a dangerous life filledwith even more drugs and alcohol, DUI’s, and arrests.Couch surfing, she moved from friend to friend, andfrom one dangerous relationship to another. She triedout different rehabs, but without hope. She was evenarrested for assault with a deadly weapon whichturned out to be a high heel shoe!With all self-esteem lost, Luukia came back to Houseof Hope in October 2018. This time she entered thenew outpatient program and was willing to do thework required. She feels that being in outpatient kepther accountable. She learned to face life head on,testing the new skills she learned at the House.She also believes two things helped her the most:Awakenings, the morning meeting at the House, andthe EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization andReprocessing Therapy) therapy she received. EMDRhas been used successfully for PTSD victims,especially veterans and victims of sexual assault.Using this experience, Luukia now volunteers withWaymakers, a crisis center in Orange County forvictims of sexual assault. She is also student at UCIworking on a degree in psychological science,hoping to become a counselor herself. Today her lifeis filled with God, prayer and nature. She is back ontrack. “Relapse” she says, “is no longer part of mylife” and one day she hopes to get her daughters,now aged 23, 20 and 19, back in her life.MiYawnMiYawn came toHouse of Hope witha 20-year history ofdrug and alcoholuse. The daughterof a single mom,she’d had a fairlynormalchildhoodandadolescence.Her drug use did notbegin until she wasin college when she fell in with the wrong crowd.She soon dropped out of college. In the beginning itwas glamorous with the clubbing and celebrityparties, but her drug and alcohol use increased until2003 when she ended up homeless. In 2008 she wasdiagnosed as bi-polar. She bounced around skid rowand spent brief periods sober or in rehabs in differentareas of Los Angeles, always turning back to thedrugs. A counselor at a mental health facility onskid row recommended an inpatient program in SanPedro. MiYawn recalled liking San Pedro from anearlier time in rehab there, and followed his advice.Upon completing that inpatient program, shetransitioned to the outpatient program at House ofHope.(continued on page 6)Post Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921 235 West 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Executive Office: Phone (310) 521-9209 Program Office (310) 831-9411 website www.houseofhopesp.org3
1971Main House1955Founded1996Welbourn HouseHouse of Hope relocated from Long Beachto San Pedro when alumnus, LasEsperanzas member, and Board memberHelen Gilbert found the current house(now known as the Main House) andcottages in San Pedro. Money was raisedto purchase the property a McKee establishedthe original House of Hopeat her home in Long Beach.Welbourn House on 9th street wasacquired and named for its benefactor,Dotha. It is used today for Sober Living. In1999 the Board of Directors named DothaWelbourn as Board Member Emeritus.1999Adams CenterThrough the diligent negotiation of BillJohnson and the financial help of theAdams Family Foundation, House of Hopeacquired a liquor store on a lot adjacent tothe Main House. The building was dedicated in October 2000 and named theAdams Center. It currently houses the Outpatient Treatment Center.1997McMillen House2019Bobbi’s HouseHouse of Hope bought another SoberLiving facility on 10th Street. It was laternamed the McMillen House when theMcMillen Family Foundation generouslyretired the mortgage.Through the remarkable generosity of theMcMillen Family Foundation, Bobbi’s Housewas acquired in 2019, providing additionalbeds for the Recovery Bridge Housing program. It is named to honor Bobbi Tschirgi,who has served HOH for over 25 years, retiringfrom her Executive Director role in 2019, andcurrently serving as a Board member.2000Mary Lou HouseHouse of Hope purchased the property onPalos Verdes Street which is now used forRecovery Bridge Housing, a three to six-monthprogram for homeless women. Bill and MaryLou Steinmentz were instrumental in payingoff the mortgage. Bill named the building afterhis wife, Mary Lou.2017Chris McMillen HouseHOUSE OF HOPEMILE S TONE SHouse of Hope purchased a property across thestreet from the Main House with help from theMcMillen Family Foundation.This locationexpanded the Recovery Bridge Housing Program.The house is named for Karl McMillen’s son, Chris.
ResilienceClaudia Murillo is the Chief Operations andCompliance Officer at House of Hope.In discussing resilience,Margaret Thatcher said,“You may have to fight abattle more than once towin it.” The battle ourworld is fighting with thispandemic is one we neverexpected to fight. In spiteof the difficulties thisyear, it also shines brightwith hope, perseverance,and resilience. This year at House of Hope,unwavering resilience has been seen in ouroperations, our staff, our patients, and our faithfuldonors.At the onset of the COVID pandemic, ourmanagement team got into action. Decades ofproviding services primarily in person had to berevisited and reconfigured to allow for the provisionof these services safely. The difficult decision hadto be made: do we close and leave our patients inneed of these dire services (this was never really anoption) or do we create, overnight, a telehealthsystem that will keep both our patients and staffsafe? I can assure you we never closed. Instead, ouragency rose to the challenge and honor of beingcalled essential workers.MiYawnby Claudia MurilloOur staff also exhibited amazing resilience this year.Despite the panic that ensued at the onset of theCOVID pandemic, they were called to put their ownfears aside while encouraging and calming anxiouspatients. They went from spending years refiningthe art of counseling face-to-face to having to masterovernight the ability to create engagement and buyin over a computer monitor. They had to adjust andfind ways to recreate the magic of the therapeuticrelationship through the impersonal and often offputting computer screen.And the resilience we have seen in our patients islike no other! Not only have they continued to strivefor recovery while dealing with the wreckage oftheir past, working to reunite with family, andhealing from years of abuse and trauma, but theyhave done it amidst the uncertainty and anxieties ofthe pandemic. That is resilience at its core.And our donors? What can we say, but THANKYOU! Thank you that despite the uncertainty ofyour own health and finances, you continue to give.Thank you for rising above the anxiety and worry,and for continuing to sow seeds of hope at House ofHope. Thank you for modeling resilience andresolve for all to see.As this year comes to a close, I pray we rejoice inthe victories of yesterday, reflect on the preciousnessof today, and resolve to show resilience as we facetomorrow. From our family to yours, may healthand peace abound.(continued from Page 3)Today with 16 months of sobriety under her belt andresiding in HOH’s independent living, MiYawn is adifferent woman. Through out-patient classes,especially “Self-Esteem” and “Awareness andRelapse Prevention,” she has learned what hertriggers are and how to handle them. ThroughEMDR she has gained a better understanding of thetraumas in her earlier life, particularly her father’sabandonment of her when she was born. The warmand loving environment at the House and knowingthat she is never treated “as just a number there”have helped MiYawn pull out of the depressionwhich had dogged her for years. She now has arelationship with her birth father and has continuedto maintain a good relationship with her mom andbrother. Eventually she wants to become a peeradvocate through SHARE (Self-Help and RecoveryExchange). In January she will be starting theircertificate program.You may be wondering how the COVID-19pandemic has affected clients at House of Hope. ForMiYawn, it has brought minor difficulties to herprogram in that she can’t go to live meetings, butZoom has also introduced her to meetings she wouldnot have otherwise attended. In fact, it seems toMiYawn that the program at House of Hope is justas strong, if not stronger, than it has always been.Post Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921 235 West 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Executive Office: Phone (310) 521-9209 Program Office (310) 831-9411 website www.houseofhopesp.org6
Looking Back in TimeDo you ever wonder who lived at House ofHope before it became the House of Hope? Weare privileged to have a personal account froma member of the family that lived there in themiddle of the last century. Here is her accountof what it was like back then.Carmela (Monti) Di Meglio and Crescenzo DiMeglio lived in New York before coming toCalifornia to find work on the fishing boats inSan Pedro. They both originated from theisland of Ischia, Italy off the coast of Naples.They bought the house and cottages on 9thstreet from a doctor in the mid-1940s.They had four children: Raffella, Frank,Nickolas and Anna. Raffella married GaetanoAbbatiello and gave birth to their first son,Dominic in 1950 and second son Chris in 1952.They lived together in the first cottage for fiveyears. Carmela and Crescenzo's other childrenalso got married and eventually all the childrenmoved out of the cottages.The grandkids loved going down the stairs tothe cellar, where a mural of a Mexican scenewas painted on the walls. The grandkids playedin the other rooms as well, running up and downthe stairs. Popo always sat in the front room inhis special chair watching westerns on TV andlooking out the window facing the sidewalk. Hewas a quiet man.In 1970, Raffella and Gaetano's first son,Dominic, got married to Victoria Donner andthey lived in the third cottage for one year,during which their first daughter, Rachael wasborn. [Editor’s note: it was Victoria “Vicki”that provided this family history to us, for whichwe are grateful.]Crescenzo (Popo) died in April 1972. The bighouse and cottages were too difficult forCarmela to care for on her own, and she decidedto sell the property. She sold the house andcottages to the House of Hope in the early1970s. The rest, as they say, is history!Every holiday and birthday was celebrated inthe main house, which the family affectionatelycalled, "Grandma and Popo's house." The majorholidays were Easter and Christmas Eve, whereGrandma cooked rabbit and homemade raviolifor Easter. On Christmas Eve, Grandma wouldcook the traditional Seven Fishes, starting withLobster sauce for the homemade pasta.All the adult women in the family would gatherin the kitchen to make the homemade pastas.They grew and canned their own vegetables,which they stored in the cellar (basement).Grandma and her daughters, Raffella and Anna,would gather wild mushrooms from AverillPark. Grandma knew which ones were good tocook up in a thick tomato sauce. They madetheir own wine, which was poured at everydinner. The big table in the dining room wasalways set up for the whole family to enjoythese special meals.Raffella and Gaetano Abbatiello bringingtheir first son, Dominic home.Post Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921 235 West 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Executive Office: Phone (310) 521-9209 Program Office (310) 831-9411 website www.houseofhopesp.org7
NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGEPAIDSAN PEDRO, CAPERMIT NO. 312Post Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921th235 West 9 Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Mission StatementHouse of Hope provides a safe, clean and sober,nurturing environment for substance-abusingwomen. Our mission is to help women to regaintheir dignity and learn how to live life withoutalcohol or drugs.We at House of Hope know that substance abuse,the interactive disease of alcoholism and drugaddiction, can never be cured. We know that thedisease can be arrested, given time, with anencouraging environment, educational tools,knowledgeable support groups and, mostimportantly, the woman’s sincere desire to changeher life.* * *Newsletter Committee: Karen Herrin (Editor-in-chief),Liz Zuckerman, Kristin Witzenburg, Gavi JimenezBoard of DirectorsMelanie Poturica, PresidentJeff Egertson, Vice PresidentTom Christie, TreasurerBobbi Tschirgi, SecretaryJohn AndersonJackie GardenerClinton Kakazu, M.D.Dianne KlineAlya LucasDick Merrick, M.D.Pat WeinstockManagementMaricela Gray, Executive DirectorDick Merrick, Medical DirectorBarbara Bishop, Clinical DirectorPaul Edmeier, Chief Financial OfficerClaudia Murillo, Chief of OperationsPost Office Box 921 San Pedro, CA 90733-0921 235 West 9th Street San Pedro, CA 90731-3711Executive Office: Phone (310) 521-9209 Program Office (310) 831-9411 website www.houseofhopesp.org
Dotha. It is used today for Sober Living. In 1999 the Board of Directors named Dotha Welbourn as Board Member Emeritus. 1955 Founded. Gloria McKee established the original House of Hope at her home in Long Beach. 2017 Chris McMillen House. House of Hope purchased a property across the street from the Main House with help from the McMillen .
