Comfort of home

A year after it moved into striking new quarters, the Kiwanis Family House remains one of Sacramento's best-kept secrets.

"I still think that not enough people know about our program," Mauda Butte, the house's director, said at the new building at 2875 50th St.

The $4.3 million facility provides affordable housing for out-of-town families of children being treated for serious illness or injury at the nearby UC Davis Medical Center.

So far, the tan brick-and-glass home has hosted more than 1,000 families in its 32 bedrooms.

Though impressive, the number of first-year guests would be greater if the nonprofit had a higher profile, Butte said.

Raising its visibility is the goal of Gary Christensen, the house's development manager.

"Over the past six or seven years, we've done everything we can think of," he said, to spread the word about the program through more than 80 Kiwanis clubs that support the facility from their bases in Northern California and northern Nevada.

One thing is for sure: The new house is hosting many more families than the original Kiwanis Family House on 48th Street did.

That home had only 13 bedrooms, a lack of capacity that forced many families to be turned away.

When the old home closed in July 2006 -- after serving more than 12,000 families over 22 years -- the new one opened.

Comprising 19,500 square feet, the new building has all the comforts of home.

Its amenities include a DVD-equipped TV in each room, full-service laundry rooms, oversized communal kitchens, a playroom for toddlers and a new playground outside. Unlike the old building, which had shared bathrooms in a hallway, each bedroom has a private bathroom and shower.

But for guests, the top feature is quick access to their stricken loved ones.

A UC Davis shuttle stops in front of the house every 20 minutes, whisking families to the main hospital two blocks away.

Current guests include Stacy Pottorff and her son Kylen, 10, who is completing nearly two months' of daily visits to a clinic for treatment of an anoxic brain injury.

The single mother and her son are from Crescent City, more than 300 miles north of Sacramento.

Without Kiwanis Family House, it would be hard for Kylen to get therapy to stimulate his dormant brain cells, a step toward fully regaining his motor skills and eventually rising from his wheelchair, his mother said.

"Without the Kiwanis Family House, I wouldn't be able to bring him down here," Pottorff said. "We would be at home."

Previously in robust health, Kylen went into cardiac arrest two years ago while bouncing on a trampoline in his backyard.

"He sat down and said he was dizzy," his mother said. "The cardiac arrest caused (him to feel that way). When the heart stops pumping blood, your brain doesn't get enough oxygen."

Kylen was immediately taken by air ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center.

Pottorff was maintaining an around-the-clock vigil near him when a nurse told her about the original Kiwanis Family House.

Pottorff was welcomed into the residence, where she was later joined by her son. They stayed more than two months as he underwent follow-up treatments.

"The new Kiwanis Family House is cleaner, more comfortable and can accommodate more people," Pottorff said.

"The one thing that hasn't changed is the staff," she said. "I just love them all. They're so nice. If you need anything, they're here to jump on it."

To stay at the home, families must be referred by medical center staff. The nightly fee is $40, but families unable to pay that amount pay what they can, or nothing at all, Christensen said.

The Kiwanis recently launched a "Sponsor a Family for a Night" program, which allows good Samaritans to donate cash to help pay for a family's lodging.

For more information on how to sponsor a family, visit www.kiwanisfamilyhouse.org and click on "how to help" at the top.

The new Kiwanis Family House was built on 2 1/2 acres donated by UC Davis Medical Center. The old house, also on medical center land, was demolished after the new one began operations.

At the old house, departing guests expressed their gratitude, in writing, in a book kept by the staff members.

In early 2006, the mother of a young cancer patient wrote: "My daughter is at the end of her chemo sessions. I've always felt welcome here and appreciate everyone's kindness.

"It's been one of the toughest times of my life fighting for the life of my daughter. But coming here has always been comforting. I'll never forget you. Thank you so much."

Guests at the new home jot down similar farewells.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Edgar Sanchez can be reached at (916) 321-1088 or esanchez@sacbee.com.