Napa Valley Vintners Awards $600K to 6 Local Agencies

Napa Valley Vintners today announced its third phase of Auction Napa Valley giving, including more than $600,000 in grants to six agencies to help build stronger families in Napa County.

The organizations receiving the grants and serving some 11,000 Napa County residents --half of whom are children --include: American Canyon Family Resource Center, Calistoga Family Center, Cope Family Center, ParentsCAN, Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center and St. Helena Family Center.

Collectively, these organizations reflect family resource center models, acting as safe, accessible places that reduce barriers for families to connect with comprehensive, coordinated services to become more stable and self-sufficient.

"The Napa Valley is blessed to have a vibrant spectrum of nonprofit organizations working to support and strengthen the individuals and families that make up our communities," said Randy Snowden, recently retired director of the county's Health and Human Services Agency.

 "Those of us who have worked in government know that the government can't – and shouldn't – do it all," he said. "Local organizations like these understand the varied needs of our diverse communities and are uniquely suited to both serve, and advocate for, families who are striving to improve their health and economic self-sufficiency.

"These agencies and their programs are absolutely essential to the long-term economic and social sustainability of our communities," Snowden said.

In addition to raising the social cohesiveness of the Napa Valley community as a whole, the economic impact of these early intervention support programs is commonly understood to produce great returns to the individual clients and to society in general, saving taxpayer money and increasing economic productivity.

"The trust we establish with our clients is key to them embracing the resources we offer in building self-esteem, new skills in which to parent and provide their children with support in reaching their academic potentials, and tools toward emotional and economic stability and growth," noted Rejane Brito, executive director of Puertas Abiertas in Napa.

 "Being part of the community, and funded in great part by community partners such as the Napa Valley Vintners, makes a world of difference in our ability to connect directly with the people who walk through our doors."

About the Recipient Agencies:

American Canyon Family Resource Center (ACFRC) - $50,000

Serves more than 1,700 Napa County residents, including at least 600 children

ACFRC helps families access economic support systems, self-sufficiency, health and social service programs, parent education and literacy classes, and one-on-one support services.

American Canyon's families have been especially hard hit with continuing high rates of unemployment and home foreclosures due to the recession and nonprofit agencies such as AVFRC help to fill essential gaps in local, state and nation governmental services.

Calistoga Family Center - $150,000

Serves nearly 1,700 Napa County residents, including at least 550 children

The Calistoga Family Center provides integrated services to enhance access to healthcare, to improve students' school performance, to provide a safe and positive environment for children and families and to improve parent and caregiver services.

Due to poverty and lack of public transportation, without access to the sorts of services provided by the Calistoga Family Center, many Calistoga families would face multiple challenges in accessing adequate medical, mental health, and intervention and prevention programs, as well as early childhood services and academic and life skills enrichment programs.

Cope Family Center - 150,000

Serves more than 5,000 Napa County residents, including more than 3,500 children

Cope empowers families to create happy, healthy lives for their children through child abuse prevention, parent education and self-sufficiency services geared toward physical, economic and social wellbeing of the entire family.

At-risk children are: 25% more likely to drop out of school; 40% more likely to become a teen parent; 50% more likely to be placed in special education; 60% more likely never to attend college; and 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.

ParentsCAN - $85,500

Serves nearly 3,000 Napa County family members

ParentsCAN is a professional, parent-led organization that helps families of children with special needs, connecting parents and caregivers to trained advocates who understand their challenges and guide them to services that strengthen and support the entire family.

More than four in five children with special health care needs in California do not receive care that meets federal minimum quality standards. Such California families are more likely than families in all other states in the country to cut back or stop working due to their child's condition.

Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center - $50,000

Serves more than 1,100 Napa County residents, representing more than 500 families

Puertas Abiertas works with Latinos to inspire and achieve healthy living, self-sufficiency, opportunities for leadership and community involvement, as well as providing culturally appropriate access to health and social services.

In 2009, over 51% of the Latino households fell below the self-sufficiency standard which means they can't meet their basic needs of living in Napa County. Having limited resources for purchasing food and for paying for living expenses has a direct impact on health and family well-being.

St. Helena Family Center (SHFC) $150,000

Serves more than 1,500 Napa County residents, including more than 700 children

SHFC uses a family resource model to connect community members with the information, guidance, and services they need to fully develop their own strengths and to be productive members of their families and of their community.

SHFC addresses leading risk factors affecting family well-being, many of which are related to poverty, including the resources to be nurturing and engaged parents that can provide the early developmental stimulation children need as a basic opportunity for future success in school, college, career and life.

 News Articles and Surveys Related to Their Work

American Canyon Family Resource Center
Self-sufficiency in Napa County

Calistoga Family Center
California Family Economic Security

Cope Family Center
Child Abuse: Why It's So Hard to Determine Who's At Risk
(TIME, January 23, 2013)

ParentsCAN
For Kids With Special Needs, More Places To Play
(NPR, August 27, 2013)

Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center
Technology fair targets Napa Latinos
(Napa Valley Register, November 1, 2013)