Category: Our Donors

Supporting Those Who Serve: The First Responders Fund 

Posted on: Jan 26, 2026

When troubles come to Napa County, our first responders show up without hesitation, giving everything they can to protect and support our community. Sometimes those troubles affect a single person or family, as is the case with a medical emergency or roadway accident; sometimes those troubles affect us all, which is true for natural disasters.…

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Meet Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

In their 1885 Napa Victorian home, Kent Rasmussen and Celia Ramsay are surrounded by art, much of it collected at local charity auctions and events—including Nimbus Arts’ NIMBASH. A love of art is just one of the passions Kent and Celia have cultivated over their 40 years of marriage and entrepreneurship. Together, they built Rasmussen…

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Leaving a Legacy: Colleen Clark

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

“I used to say you have a three-dog maximum,” recalls Mark Clark, thinking back on downtown Napa walks with his late sister Colleen. An outgoing lover of animals, Colleen was likely to stop to pet every dog she met along the way to dinner. Colleen passed away in July of 2024, leaving behind a legacy…

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Leaving a Legacy: Meet “Dr. Joe”

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

Dr. Joseph Carrillo, or “Dr. Joe” to the thousands of children and families he has cared for over the years, has built a career defined by compassion. As a pediatrician in Napa, he has been a trusted guide for generations of young people, and a beloved figure to their parents as well. A proud Mexican…

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A Gift of Home: Richard and Annie Bennett

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

When longtime Napa residents Richard and Annie Bennett approached NVCF in 2021, they had a unique and interesting gift in mind: a piece of real estate. Their four-unit apartment complex on Cedar Street in Calistoga presented both opportunity and complexity, and we were honored to help the Bennetts put their vision into action. As we…

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Silverado Farming Company

Posted on: Oct 24, 2025

In 2006, Silverado Farming Company partners Pete Richmond, Arnulfo Solorio, and Miguel Luna founded the 1% for the Community Fund at NVCF. Eighteen years later, Silverado remains steadfast in its mission: to support local nonprofits that provide essential services to farmworkers and their families. To date, the Fund has awarded more than $2.2 million in…

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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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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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