Agency: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay
Support Needed: $18,250
Purpose: Peer mentoring afterschool program

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay's (BBBS) motto has been, "making a difference one child at a time." Five years ago, the nonprofit decided to up the ante and double its impact in Napa County by launching a program called Youth4Youth. The concept is simple: recruit and train high school students to mentor younger kids during a supervised afterschool program. BBBS staff tour public and private high school campuses, and work with teachers or counselors to identify students who can serve as volunteer mentors. These teens, called "Bigs," are trained in BBBS leadership and peer mentoring practices. Then, BBBS staff match each Big with a "Little," or younger student. Littles are in either elementary or middle school, and often are referred to Youth4Youth by their teachers because they are struggling in class or have low self-esteem. Bigs are recruited from Napa, Vintage, New Tech, Justin-Siena and Calistoga high schools; each mentors a Little for a few hours a week at one of three sites--Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, St. Helena's Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School and Calistoga Boys & Girls Club. At least 70% of participants are Latino or come from Spanish-speaking families. Teen mentors choose and design activities for their Littles, including "ice breaker" games, reading together, journaling, drawing, playing catch, and helping with math or English homework. Another important job for the teen mentors: to be a friend and positive role model who talks with, listens to and supports the youngsters. As these friendships evolve, the Littles build self-confidence. (Teens must make a one-year commitment, and most stick with it for two-plus years.) As the Bigs make a difference in the lives of the Littles, the teens develop a sense of self-responsibility, citizenship and leadership. BBBS has some 65 pair of kids participating across its three sites, with an annual program budget of roughly $117,000. State and federal funds, local foundation grants and individual donations comprise the program's revenue base. This year, Youth4Youth has a revenue shortfall of $18,250, most of which pays program staff salaries. Your support would help school kids of all ages build trust and learn from each other.

Agency: Spirit of Unity in Napa, Inc.
Support Needed: $10,000
Purpose: Resource center for working-poor residents

About three years ago, a group of community leaders and nonprofits began working together to offer support services to hundreds of non-English speaking families attending St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The program came to be known as Puertas Abiertas, which means "open doors." The strategy behind Puertas Abiertas: offer health and social services to mostly low-income and working-poor Latino families at the church, which often is their trusted center of community life. These families face many barriers, such as language, fear, and lack of knowledge to navigate systems--all of which can prevent them from accessing help and taking advantage of educational opportunities. Today, a fledgling, non-sectarian nonprofit, called Spirit of Unity in Napa (SUN), runs Puertas Abiertas and has opened a drop-in center near St. John's. The Puertas Abiertas Resource Center connects and refers people to a wide variety of services, including Napa Valley Food Bank, Job Connection, Boys & Girls Club, and Napa Valley Community Housing. Puertas also brings nonprofits inside its doors to provide services on site. For example, Queen of the Valley Medical Center's Mobile Dental Van provides oral care to children twice a week; Family Service offers couples counseling; Fair Housing discusses tenant and property owner rights; COPE provides parenting classes; Napa Valley Adult School teaches English; and Legal Aid of Napa Valley gives free one-on-one legal advice. All workshops and services are offered in Spanish, and at times that are more accessible to working families, including evenings and weekends. Since the Center's doors opened last July, business has been steady: more than 1,500 clients have visited. SUN has secured grants from Queen of the Valley Community Outreach and Napa County Tobacco Master Settlement, which cover a majority, but not all, of this year's projected costs ($140,000) for Puertas Abiertas. Support of this program would help vulnerable residents get some of their basic needs met and learn to advocate for themselves.

Agency: Buckelew Programs
Support Needed: $20,000
Purpose: Expenses for additional counseling staff

Today we know that mental illness is quite commonplace. Still, many who suffer from it face stigma and discrimination, and often are invisible in society. In Napa County, low-income adults with severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as mood, anxiety, personality, or psychotic disorders, face particular challenges. Many live on the edge of homelessness or joblessness, and few can afford most treatment programs. Since 1994, Buckelew Programs, a San Rafael-based nonprofit, has been providing affordable housing and rehabilitative services to mentally ill adults in the Valley. It's called the Supportive Living Program, and is comprised of three group houses on the grounds of Napa State Hospital, as well as subsidized apartments, located in the City of Napa, that Buckelew leases. Buckelew's counselors oversee the daily care of the clients, who are referred to the program by Napa County's Department of Mental Health. Counselors teach and assist residents with life skills, such as maintaining a bank account and budgeting; house cleaning; managing and taking medications; cooking; personal hygiene; appropriate social behavior; and handling their own mental health symptoms. The goal: help these adults stabilize their conditions, live independently, avoid homelessness or institutionalization, and, in many cases, find paid employment or volunteer work. One-third (six) of Buckelew's Napa County clients received staff support 24 hours a day, which is the most expensive type of care. Government funding for 24-hour support has declined over the years, and continues to do so. In response, Buckelew recently cut its 24-hour care, and instead has added two full-time counselors to provide intensive life skills training to these clients during the day. Buckelew's total annual budget for its Napa County programs is roughly $572,500; 66 percent of that pays salaries and benefits. Federal and county grants comprise 78 percent of revenue, and 14 percent comes from client fees. A balance of $45,000 remains, and Buckelew is trying to fill that gap with private donations and foundation grants. Your support will help low-income mentally ill adults make the transition to more independent living.