12/12/2016 - St. Helena, CA--The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) wine trade association today announced grants totaling $6 million from Auction Napa Valley proceeds to 17 nonprofits that provide community health services. These Napa County organizations provide a broad spectrum of services in the areas of physical and mental health, family support and assistance for seniors.
Today’s announcement follows NVV grants made earlier this fall of $2.8 million to nonprofits in the area of children’s education and a recent announcement of $6 million to help construct the new OLE Health facility in south Napa. In total, the NVV has given $170 million through Auction Napa Valley proceeds to Napa County nonprofit organizations since 1981.
The 17 nonprofits receiving Auction Napa Valley funding under the community health umbrella provided 167,000 patient visits to more than 72,000 Napa County clients (25,286 of which are under 18) in the 2015 calendar year, according to the NVV’s most recent Grants Report.
“We are grateful for the generosity of our vintners, bidders, volunteers and businesses who contribute each and every year to Auction Napa Valley in support of the health and wellbeing of our community,” commented Emma Swain, chair of the NVV Board of Directors and CEO of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery. “The impact of care and services afforded so many people in Napa County as a result of this funding is both humbling and inspiring.”
A new grantee organization this year is Girls on the Run, which focuses on empowerment of girls ages 8-13 through promotion of healthy behaviors and self-esteem. This is also the second year NVV has provided secure, unrestricted, multi-year grants to five organizations in the community health sector: COPE, Collabria Care, Mentis, NEWS and St. Helena Hospital’s Birth Center. Leading philanthropic research indicates that multi-year funding allows organizations to more effectively plan for the needs of their clients, as well as leverage the secured grants for further funding.
Although Aldea Children & Family Services has consistently been part of a core group of nonprofits receiving NVV grants, a new Aldea-led program called Courage Village was made possible in part due to Auction Napa Valley proceeds. Courage Village is a suicide prevention and community engagement project that was developed in the tragic wake of two youth suicides in Napa, within weeks of one another, in the spring of 2016.
“Suicide prevention programs are an underfunded area of mental health services,” noted Mark Bontrager, executive director of Aldea Children & Family Services. “Without the funding support for Courage Village from partners like the Napa Valley Vintners, we would be significantly limited in providing the mental health services that our community, like many communities, desperately needs.”
Another longtime NVV grantee organization in this giving sector, Napa Emergency Women’s Services (NEWS) has been able to expand its programs and inclusive approach to domestic violence and sexual abuse services as a result of funding from Auction Napa Valley proceeds.
Learn more about the nonprofit community health organizations that received recent funding.
To read Stories of Impact and meet some of the people who have been helped by Auction Napa Valley proceeds, visit auctionnapavalley.org/giving.
About Auction Napa Valley Auction Napa Valley is the NVV's annual community fundraiser that for more than 35 years has utilized the worldwide reputation of Napa Valley wines and the scenic beauty of the region to raise funds to enhance the health and wellbeing of the Napa Valley community. To date, the NVV has invested $170 million from Auction Napa Valley proceeds in Napa County nonprofit organizations. Learn more at auctionnapavalley.org.
About the Napa Valley Vintners The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its more than 525 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, to provide environmental leadership and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.
Contact: Cate Conniff, Communications Manager, cconniff@napavintners.com, 707.968.4229
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