Agency: Project Ninety, Inc.
Support Needed: $20,000
Purpose: Hours for a therapist specializing in addiction counseling

Project Ninety, Inc. (P90) knows that addiction is like an iceberg: A fraction of it sits above the surface, and the remainder rests in the murky depths below. The nonprofit, which has been providing subsidized residential substance abuse treatment since 1972 in San Mateo County, opened its Napa County facility (on the grounds of Napa State Hospital) in 2005. P90 has 55 beds available to men and women ages 18 and older; 15 of the beds are available for the "detox" program, which lasts a week, and the balance are for clients who enter 90-day treatment. Some 363 Napa County residents have entered the 90-day program, and nearly 75 percent of them fall below federal poverty guidelines, which mean they earn less than the minimum amount needed for food, shelter and other basic necessities. P90 is the only subsidized treatment program in the Valley. It uses a community-based, treatment model, which means: residents participate in group sessions, in addition to their individual addiction counseling; attend one Alcoholics Anonymous meeting per day; and have cleaning and cooking chores. Male and female clients live, socialize, eat and attend separate group counseling sessions. Each resident also works individually with an addiction counselor. The nonprofit's counselors are state-certified and are themselves in recovery--most have completed treatment in a P90 program. While the therapeutic value of one addict (the recovered counselor) helping another (the client) is without parallel, nearly all P90 clients are dealing with other issues, including: family dysfunction, trauma, abuse, or domestic violence. Additionally, half of the Napa County residents are diagnosed with mental health disorders and are taking psychotropic medications. P90 used state mental health funds--which have since evaporated--to hire, on a contract basis, a licensed psychotherapist for its Napa facility. The nonprofit wants to re- introduce these needed services. Budget for this effort is $20,000, and would pay a therapist to work one-on-one for five hours per week with eight clients. Support of this program would provide a crucial service for Valley residents who are trying to recover while dealing with attendant complex issues.

Agency: Napa Valley Youth Symphony
Support Needed: $20,000
Purpose: Training orchestra for elementary and middle school kids

Napa Valley Youth Symphony (NVYS) wants to make the experience of playing in an orchestra a reality for more children. When NVYS launched in 2003, its focus was to serve as an outlet for students passionate about music and, like many youth symphonies, only admitted members by audition. Too often this means that most of the kids who are eligible have had the benefit of private music lessons or are naturally gifted musicians. This leaves many behind, especially in Napa County, where music education is absent in most primary school classrooms, or is being stripped away from middle schools that are struggling to meet federal performance standards. To help fill this gap, NVYS plans to launch a training ensemble called "Sinfonia." This orchestra will be open to students ages eight through 13 who are enthusiastic about playing music, with no auditions required. NVYS hopes to attract 30 children for the first year and, with the exception of audition requirements, the Sinfonia will be structured like the nonprofit's Symphony Orchestra program, which currently has 70 students, mostly high school and college age, from 20 schools in Napa County. Sinfonia participants, who will be grouped by ability, will attend a weekly two-hour rehearsal, which includes: warm-up exercises, focused practice in smaller groups, and a final rehearsal with the full ensemble. Students will be coached by professional adult musicians during small group practices; coaches also provide guidance during full-ensemble rehearsals. Budget for the Sinfonia program is $20,000, with $10,000 for the conductor, who specializes in teaching younger students; $6,000 to pay the professional coaches; and the balance for NVYS staff time. While students pay $325 for a year's tuition--the same fee charged to Symphony Orchestra participants--this rate is far less than what it would cost for weekly private music lessons. Tuition fees cover venue rental and other operating expenses for NVYS, which has an annual budget of about $120,000. Kids from low-income families, who cannot afford the fees, are given tuition discounts or waivers. Your support would expand the musical offerings available to youngsters in our Valley.

Agency: Legal Aid of Napa Valley
Support Needed: $15,000
Purpose: Start-up costs for pro-bono lawyer program

Napa Valley has abundant natural and financial resources, but also pockets of grinding poverty. For example, two-thirds of kids in Calistoga live in poor families, as do 80 percent of students at McPherson Elementary in Napa. Legal Aid of Napa Valley works on behalf of low-income residents, as well as the elderly and immigrants, by providing no-cost legal representation in English and Spanish. The nonprofit, which has an annual operating budget of around $400,000, also offers legal advocacy and education. Last year, 3.5 full-time equivalent staff attorneys provided legal representation to 700 clients. Examples of services include: legal counsel to victims of domestic violence; negotiating with creditors on behalf of low-income seniors; and, assisting immigrants to obtain visas or permanent residence. The common denominator: these clients live at or slightly above the Federal Poverty Level, which is defined as $22,200 in annual income for a family of four--hardly enough to afford private attorney's fees that can range from $200 to $450 per hour. In order to reach larger numbers of people at once, the nonprofit also presents topic-specific legal workshops at sites up and down the Valley. Even though the organization has increased staff to accommodate growing demand, the need still outpaces resources. To close the widening gap, Legal Aid recently started formal partnerships with local attorneys working at firms or in private practice. One of Legal Aid's staff attorneys recruits volunteers to provide pro bono one-on-one legal representation and legal advice workshops; and, develops training sessions and materials. Legal Aid already has a cohort of eight pro bono attorneys, and to get things going quickly, has been paying for staff time with unrestricted funds from its general operating budget. What's needed now is $15,000 to help fund start-up costs: $12,000 for staff time and the balance for training materials. Legal Aid has applied for local and national grants to sustain the program, which will cost $35,000 annually, and hopes to have 25 volunteers on board for this first year. Support of this project would provide an opportunity for local attorneys to give back while helping our community's vulnerable residents get their basic needs met.