Arriving in San Francisco was a homecoming of sorts as I (along with my bowl cut) first touched down on American soil at SFO when I was seven years old. The city was my first home in America and shaped the first memories of my American experience so it's always a joy to come back. This time, I didn't get to reminisce as I had a packed schedule. On the top of my list was a visit to The Raphael House, a shelter and recovery program that provides housing, food, career resources, life counseling, and after school care to about sixty families each year. The Raphael House sees homelessness as a temporary state that doesn't define a person and creates a nurturing and supportive environment to empower and guide the families on a path towards financial independence and self-sustainability.
Each family stays in their private room and eat together in the communal kitchen where full-time chefs prepare healthy and well-balanced meals. There are after school programs and summer camps for the kids while teens get to go on a fun summer trip to visit colleges and explore life outside of SF. There are full-time career specialists and volunteers who help parents develop interview and job skills and support them through every step of their job search. It's a place brimming with possibilities, hope, and joy.
On my visit, I was super excited to share some of my favorite things with the residents and staff. My friends at Yogurtland (where I get my weekly froyo fix) treated everyone to a froyo party while Physicians Formula gifted all the residents with fabulous beauty products! It was such a treat to share a slice of what makes me happy with The Raphael House.
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPZqCmpteFs/U5n09UCfHFI/AAAAAAAAHWw/dhQkWV477yI/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(5+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2wa_h_kaNU/U5n0-aZSt7I/AAAAAAAAHW8/NiA2VaZ3LVA/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(6+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G_mlb6PVtgg/U5n1CoNhcaI/AAAAAAAAHXU/Yl4cQI61jq4/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(7+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PXIDERiqG4A/U5n1Agx53GI/AAAAAAAAHXI/bJlEgn9JnYc/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(8+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SSVWSdE3asI/U5n0r8hoWuI/AAAAAAAAHVQ/pfxAcWyCIuc/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(13+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBXJjjZ9VHw/U5n1CZNOLCI/AAAAAAAAHXQ/jg6o9zn5vyQ/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(9+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0vqrDhADphg/U5n0ny2UPMI/AAAAAAAAHUs/DejfMEFIHt4/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(10+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A2hKxQRgKiI/U5n0qLkPklI/AAAAAAAAHVA/nRXYoSWysxo/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(11+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco Yogurtland #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UxJ1gGgVyaM/U5n0wHa3tqI/AAAAAAAAHVw/JZiyl4TsLMs/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(17+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco Physicians Formula #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PFESJAJNjP4/U5n0zkCqfXI/AAAAAAAAHV4/KuPU2GxyRtw/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(18+of+21).jpg)
![The Raphael House San Francisco Physicians Formula #GBFJoyRide #GBFRoadTrip](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a_LjPUatx_o/U5n03g6RbuI/AAAAAAAAHWY/LIhyFkmLYoo/s1600/The+Raphael+House+San+Francisco+(20+of+21).jpg)
{live fabulously}