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Month: November 2024

Jane Mead: A Legacy of Compassion and Community

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

Jane Mead’s deep connection to Napa continues through her generous legacy gift to NVCF. Her bequest established the Fund for Napa Valley, which will make grants to the community she loved for years to come. Jane, a poet, teacher, author, and rancher, passed away in 2019. We spoke with her sister, Parry Mead Murray, who…

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Meet Preston Greene, Napa Valley Community Foundation’s First Fund Holder

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

In 1995, after reading a story about our emerging Foundation in The Napa Valley Register, Preston Greene became the first donor to open a fund at NVCF. When Preston first encountered the idea of a community foundation, it was entirely new to him. “In Virginia, I'd never heard of a community foundation,” he shares. “There…

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A Defining Moment

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

In the fall of 1994, a group of community leaders gathered at ZD Wines to discuss forming a community foundation for Napa Valley. “We were limited to 70 people in the room, and we overflowed it,” shares Nicky Suard, a founding board member. “I had placed one notice in the newspaper and spoken to the…

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Our 2023-24 Annual Report: A Letter from our President & Chair

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

Thirty years ago, a Sony Discman qualified as a technological marvel. The Lion King was raking it in at the box office – decades before we would think to use the words “stream” and “media” in the same sentence. Meanwhile, here in Napa, a group of civic leaders had the wisdom and the vision to…

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Meet our Donors: Edward and Sara Kozel

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

When Ed and Sara Kozel moved to Calistoga in 2017, they noticed something missing—a place for the community to gather and celebrate the arts. Over the past five years, the Kozels have been anchor donors behind the effort to open the Brannan Center, a nonprofit performing arts venue and community meeting space in Calistoga. The…

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Leaving a Legacy: Jack and Loraine Stuart

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

When Loraine and Jack Stuart moved to Napa Valley in the late 1970s, they planted roots for their family and their new community—all driven by a passion for making Napa Valley a better place. Jack has served in board roles at Napa Valley Vintners, the Land Trust of Napa County, and recently the St. Helena…

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Grant Spotlight: Community Resources for Children

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

Community Resources for Children’s (CRC) Active Minds program fosters school readiness among two-to-three-year-olds, the majority of whom are from low-income homes and have no previous preschool experience. The program teaches parents to guide their child’s natural curiosity and learning, emphasizing the role parents play as their child’s first and most important teachers. Over the 8-week…

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Grant Spotlight: The ADU Center

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

For years, Todd and Gabrielle Kuchta knew they would need to create a space where their son Jacob, 26, could gain independence while still receiving the support he needs for his autism. “We’d talked about it for 10 years, even before Jacob graduated high school,” Todd says. “It wasn’t until last year that we finally…

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Grant Spotlight: Preserving Local Journalism

Posted on: Nov 14, 2024

Across the country, local journalism is in decline, leading to news deserts and reduced civic engagement, especially in semi-rural communities like Napa County. In 2022, NVCF launched a Media & Democracy Fund to preserve and grow independent journalism in Napa County. One goal is to address inequities in the creation and distribution of information affecting…

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Grants Spotlight: Long-Term Disaster Recovery

Posted on: Nov 13, 2024

In the wake of the devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2020, UpValley Family Centers (UVFC) has been a lifeline for many in our community, thanks to grants from NVCF. The 2020 fires took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating unique challenges. “Many of our clients in 2020 had no insurance and were on fixed incomes,…

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