Fr. David and Elaine delighted staff and friends by sharing some of their history at Raphael House, which included showing us the room where they lived when they were first married!
Friends old and new came together recently when the Raphael House community paid tribute to former Raphael House Executive Director Father David Lowell and and his wife Elaine at a dedication for our new children’s library. The Fr. David and Elaine Lowell Children’s Library will be built in a room adjacent to the Ella Rigney Libray that was formerly used as a chapel. Building on the foundation of the use of books and arts within our Children’s Program, the Fr. David and Elaine Lowell Children’s Library will provide a special place for children and parents to bond over books in a therapeutic and peaceful environment. The new Children’s Library will offer families at Raphael House a quiet space for reflection and comfort. With the original beauty of the room as our inspiration, Raphael House will create several child-friendly reading nooks, children’s activity spaces, and comfortable sitting areas for parents to enjoy the common practice of reading to their children. During their 25 year of service, Fr. David and Elaine lived on the third floor at Raphael House, which is currently under construction in order to provide short-term housing for eight additional families in our in Residential Shelter Program. Fr. David and Elaine were excited to hear about our plans for expansion to reach more Bay Area families experiencing or at-risk for homelessness as part of the Foundations For Families Growth Campaign. Growing the Raphael House program in order to serve more families in need was always a dream of theirs. The addition of the Children’s Library at Raphael House is supported through the Foundations for Families Campaign and also made possible by the generosity of HomeAid and Dahlin Group Architecture Planning. In recognition of Fr. David and Elaine Lowell’s extraordinary service and commitment to Raphael House for twenty-five years, we are thrilled to dedicate the new Children’s Library in their honor.
Raphael House Board Chair Kate Smith, Elaine Lowell, Fr. David Lowell, and Michael Krasny
Current and former members of the Raphael House Board of Directors: Stan Morrical, Kate Smith, Richard Nair, Elaine Lowell, Devin Dixon, Frank Gutierrez, Scott Olson, Lauren Eastman, Katie Banks, Judy Davies, David Lowell, Chuck Doyle, Elaine Schultz, Mary Wolfe, Carole Obley
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