For what feels like time immemorial, women have heard the proverb “It takes a village” uttered in hushed tones as they prepare for motherhood. Yet over the years, as society seems to have moved farther and farther away from knowing your neighbors and living in tight-knit communities, it can feel like that village is a long-gone notion.
“For the record, I may be the CEO, but none of this would be possible without the amazing and predominantly women leadership team and staff. Through them, we have been able to create a space for women and children to heal at Saint John’s.”— Julie Hirota, CEO
In Sacramento, the Saint John’s Program for Real Change, led by CEO Julie Hirota, has taken the proverbial place of the village through the organization’s tireless work to ensure that vulnerable women and children have a safe space to exist.
But Saint John’s is more than a community. It’s an all-encompassing space that allows women from challenging life experiences to access resources that are paramount to survival — a sanctuary of sorts where women and children can heal, rebuild, and thrive.
With Hirota and a strong team of women in leadership and staff, Saint John’s proves that when women lead with empathy, they don’t just break barriers — they build communities, brick by emotional brick, forging a safety net so strong, it uplifts not just individuals, but entire families.
“For the record, I may be the CEO, but none of this would be possible without the amazing and predominantly women leadership team and staff,” Hirota says. “Through them, we have been able to create a space for women and children to heal at Saint John’s. The program is so well known we have had mothers put their kids on a bus and drive for days across the country to get to us. That’s what Saint John’s is — a place to find safety, build resiliency, and change the narrative of their story.”
And the journey doesn’t just end at finding shelter and stability. Saint John’s, Hirota, and the team go above and beyond, equipping women with the tools they need to thrive. Job training programs, financial literacy workshops, and life skills development sessions pave the way for self-sufficiency. But the story doesn’t end there.
Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the women they serve, the organization recently launched a unique initiative: a delicious business called “Red Door Desserts” where customers can subscribe to get a monthly box of homemade cookies in a variety of flavors delivered right to their door. Here, the women gain valuable experience in food preparation, customer service, and business management — not just as employees, but as potential future owners.
Providing housing, childcare, and comprehensive behavioral health services demands a lot of resources. “We are grateful to our community of corporate and individual supporters who are champions of our mission to end the generational cycle of trauma and homelessness for women and children. Supporting our social enterprise, Red Door Desserts, is another way to keep our mission running,” Hirota says.
The cookies are amazing and are shipped locally and nationwide. Most importantly, this job training enterprise gives women the cross-functional skills to gain employment when they graduate from Saint John’s program.
