Karen Olson, founder of Family Promise National, came to Santa Clarita Saturday morning to talk to donors and volunteers about her story, as well as the work that the nonprofit organization is doing.

Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley is the local chapter for Family Promise National, and it provides shelters, meals and extensive support services for families who have lost their homes through 12 main area congregations, according to Olson.

“But you don’t have to be a member of a congregation to help,” Olson said. “The good will and the spirit here is just amazing in Santa Clarita. So many people come out to help those in need.”

In Santa Clarita, there are currently over 700 children and teenagers in school who are homeless, according to Family Promise officials. Volunteers with Family Promise help these families by preparing meals, helping children with their homework and assisting adults with their resumes.

Olson said that the volunteers in Santa Clarita are all part of the larger mission of outreach happening across the country.

“We have volunteers involved nationwide,” Olson said. “There are 200,000 volunteers involved in Family Promise, and there’s 6,000 congregations of all different faiths involved. Compassion is alive and well in America, and it’s changing lives here in Santa Clarita.”

Olson was a consumer promotions manager for a major corporation in New York City in 1982 when she began to notice the large number of homeless people in the city. She began to give out sandwiches to these individuals, and learned the entire scope of what homelessness really was.

“I thought homelessness was just those folks I could see on the street,” Olson said. “But I didn’t realize that there were thousands of others that you don’t see, and that’s families with kids.”

As she came to this realization, she turned to the religious community for help, and within 10 months, 11 congregations in her area came forward to provide hospitality space within their buildings.

“Her story is so inspirational,” said Steven Spiker, a member of the board of directors for Family Promise. “What she did, and the lives that were changed… It’s amazing.”

Spiker is also a member of JustServe, a website that connects people to local volunteer organizations such as Family Promise.

“It’s a great place for the nonprofits to post their service opportunities,” Spiker said. “Most people want to help; they just don’t know where to find it. And that’s why JustServe is so great.”

To learn more about Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley, or to get involved, click here.

To look for other volunteer opportunities across Santa Clarita, click here.

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