For the 2020/21 school year, members of our club participated in Distance Learning Support, a program that assists 4^th-8^th grade refugee youth in our community with distance learning.  We supported students in working toward completing their online school assignments and providing online tutoring assistance for math and history.  It was a great way to get to know and help the refugee students in our community.

The Gift Of Happiness

Four years and running with Natoma Station Elementary. This school, their students and families are amazing. What a thrill it is to be a part of this great community in Folsom. We are so appreciative of the generous donations each year that help families in need. This Warm & Fuzzy Drive helped benefit refugee families at White Rock Elementary in Rancho Cordova. We would love to thank Courtney Morales and the student council at Natoma Station as well as the Assistant Principle of White Rock Elementary, Kim Christierson for all of the work done on this project. 

Building Community Through Serving

We are so thankful for all the supplies donated by the Lakeridge Ward for this move in. This group of youth were especially helpful as we unloaded, set up and decorated a new home for an incoming family of seven from Afghanistan. It is always amazing that we come to serve and give to others and yet we are the ones who leave with our burdens lightened and our hearts full. 

Without A Roof Club members at ORHS

Supply With Love

Our first apartment move in this year was for a family of six from Afghanistan. It was a joy to work with a new group, The Freedom Foundation Club at Folsom High School. This club focuses on understanding their responsibilities as a US citizen, getting involved and contributing service to the community. 

Carson Fellows and Clara Zinn led a group that organized and collected donations for all of the household supplies needed for this incoming family. As well, this youth group went above and beyond making sure that the kids had books, toys, puzzles, clothing and darling stuffed animals placed on each of the children’s beds. 

Thank you for all of your great help, the donations from the Folsom 3rd Ward and for volunteering your time to move everything in. We appreciate the final touches of decorating this apartment with pumpkins, and a welcome sign and your loving touch.  

Freedom Foundation Festival

Had a great time handing out awards and swag bags to participants in the 5K and 10K run at the Freedoms Foundation Festival.

Club Signing Day

Today was a great success with the students that showed interested and joined Without A Roof.  We have many great activities planned throughout the year and are excited to get to work. Our first meeting will be held on October 3rd, and we will start to coordinate plans for our first upcoming event. We hope that the smoldering look on our faces actually encouraged others to get involved!?! 

Back To School

We had a great service project this summer where we helped with funding, collecting and making of 36 blankets. We also collected back to school supplies and donated all of this to refugees in the Sacramento Area. This was a part of the Folsom Stake Youth Conference where there were many happy and willing hands at work. Thank you for the donations and all of the hard work!

Warm and Fuzzy Drive

This was our third annual Warm and Fuzzy Drive with Natoma Station Elementary where we donate to the students and familes at Cordova Meadows Elementary. Each year we are thrilled to work with such an amazing schools and staff. Thank you for supporting Without A Roof students in service and for all the wonderful donations. 

-Madison Shepherd

Preparation to deliver boxes for school drive.

Delivery day to Cordova Meadows

Club Signing Day!

Come Sign Up @ Club Day Today!

Passing The Torch

I cannot express how much joy I have received by serving others through Without A Roof. I have loved the knowledge and opportunity I have gained through creating, organizing and leading this club. I am most grateful for the many wonderful refugees, leaders, teachers and students I have worked with along the way. As I am now heading off to college, I will keep involved with this charity, but will be passing the leadership role on to a new wonderful group of leaders. 

-Lauren Irizarry

Happy And Helping Hands

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On January 22nd, 2018 the Without a Roof club member had the opportunity to set up an apartment for a family of eight, (5 boys) from Afghanistan. With the donations received from club members, local churches, and other generous volunteers, we were able to furnish the 2-bedroom apartment. Us volunteers filled the apartment with pots & pans, dishes, toiletries, and linens! We even built a dining room table and set up a bed for each member of the family. It was a very humbling and rewarding experience to help this family start from scratch and giving what we can to help.

 -Madison Shepherd

Turning The Pages To Our Own Ending

"You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book" 
- Dr. Seuss

We would love to personally share our appreciation to Marina Village Middle School and their National Honor Society for putting on this drive together at their school. When added with a reward of a doughnut party, the books kept coming in! We were astonished when we realized that we had to find a space in our car for over 2,000 books. 

Lake Forest followed their lead the following week, and today we collected over 800 more. We are so grateful for such a wonderful community of teachers, parents, students who took the time to serve others in need by donating something that empowers minds and helps cultivate imagination. 

These books will be used as a part of a Literacy Program Initiative at Cordova Meadows Elementary School who have over ninety students that are refugees.

-Lauren Irizarry

Light The World

Natoma Station Elementary just finished running their second year of hosting the Warm and Fuzzy Drive. We would like to thank them for collaborating with us and for the wonderful leaders and administrators who helped make this all possible. The student council was unbelievable with the effort and dedication they put into making and decorating posters and boxes. We thought that last year was a huge success, but this year blew us away with the many wonderful donations brought in by students and families. This year we worked with Cordova Meadows Elementary by donating directly to the many refugee families that attend their school. Thank you to Natoma Station for being a light to the world during this season of giving. Joyful feelings of love and appreciation were felt by everyone involved.  

-Lauren Irizarry

Total Items Collected: 22 Coats, 23 Jackets, 45 Scarves, 103 Gloves, 85 Hats, 32 Blankets, 74 Shirts, 53 Pants & Shorts, 38 Pajama's, 75 Socks, 12 Shoes, 2 Dresses and 4 Towels

Lose Yourself In Service

We had our first apartment move-in for Without A Roof's second year. We had the opportunity to furnish the apartment and go on an extra shopping trip to get a few more items needed for this incoming family. As we serve these refugees, we can look to Mahatma Gandhi's wise words of "the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others". Thank you to all who helped through donations and service!

-Lauren Irizarry

Carving Out Time For Service

Our leadership team had the opportunity to go and speak to the students at Marble Valley Academy this week as we kicked off running a Hygiene Kit Drive at their school. We were all able to teach and answer questions during an assembly about what our club does, who refugees are, what they face and why it is important to help.

It was great to learn of their awareness and hear the great questions that were asked. As well, the first-grade class preformed the most adorable Halloween song for us. All of this was a treat to the Without A Roof Club member as we took part in this wonderful opportunity.  We are especially grateful for all the donations and would love to thank to Marble Valley Academy's administration, teachers, students and families for all that they have done. This school truly went out of their way to give during this season of giving. 

-Lauren Irizarry

A New Year Of Opportunities

As we begin a new year, our goal is to grow and continue service to those around us. We had another great turn out for Club Signing Day with nearly 100 new members. We would like to welcome in all new and returning club members. We look forward to you becoming fully involved in what our club supports. 

It has been a blessing in our lives to be able to work with and serve many refugees in the Sacramento Valley. 

There is a great need to donate time and talents to help provide and serve in this community. Many refugees still face trials and hardships after they arrive. How can we make life easier for them and give them aid to be welcomed and successful?

Our mission is to help provide basic necessities, participate with apartment move ins, and facilitating collection drives for refugee families.

Thank you to those who support and sponsor Without A Roof!

-Lauren Irizarry