2010 News (in progress - Check back later!)

Vine Village Hosts Audubon Society Fundraiser

November Art Sale/Open House
Friday, November 19, 9 AM - 3 PM

The Day Program clients and staff have been working hard all fall to create wonderful gifts and crafts for their annual fall Open House & Sale. Come on out to Vine Village to enjoy the beauty of the season, and see the good work our clients are doing!

Go Green, Go Paperless

Sign up for paperless newsletters – save trees, save Vine Village a whole lot of money!

Vine Village can’t survive without communication with its supporters and the larger community, but the financial and ecological costs of printing the various mailings we send out every year are high. But there is a solution! Sign up for paperless newsletters at www.vinevillage.org and you have the option to discontinue receiving the paper newsletter while still being an active and supportive part of the Vine Village community.

You can now become our Fan on FACEBOOK.  Join our fan page to keep it up on the latest happenings, upcoming events and news. 

Do you want to continue to receive VV News?

Email us to let us know - one way or the other! If you are on our current mailing list but no longer wish to receive communications from us, please let us know - your simple act can save us a lot of money in unneeded printing and mailing costs, plus it saves the plkanet from your trash!

Feral Cat News

Vine Village’s beautiful Carneros location is home to a number of feral cats, in part due to irresponsible pet owners who “free” their animals in country settings where predation, disease, and vehicular traffic dramatically impact the quality and length of a cat’s life.

The cyclical feral cat population boomed this year, with at least 15 feral kittens born on the property. Working with guidance and invaluable support provided by the Humane Society of Napa County, Napa County Animal Shelter, and We Care Animal Rescue, we have managed to trap, spay/neuter, and release two mama cats and 11 kittens (four kittens are just becoming large enough for spay/neuter and should have undergone the procedure by the time you read this).

Seven of these cats and kittens were rehomed to live as barn cats or vineyard cats elsewhere in the valley.

The life of a feral cat isn’t easy, but stopping the reproductive cycle is one of the best ways of limiting the suffering.

Two of the feral kittens born on the ranch this year were tamed and adopted as house cats by the residents of the Women’s House, and have been the cause of much delight.

Meet Peanut and Brandy, a brother and sister duo who made the transition to indoor cats with ease. Brandy and Peanut spend their days napping and playing together in the Women’s House living room, and their evenings being petted by the residents. Brandy is a very pretty girl and a bit shy until she knows you. Peanut is a big, friendly, easygoing boy.

Donations in support of the feral or house cat programs are welcome; please contact the office at [707] 255-4006.

Barn Tour/Art Sale

On August 27, Vine Village’s 100-year-old redwood barn was one of four destinations on Preservation Napa Valley’s sold-out Barn Tour. Over 200 visitors had the opportunity to see Vine Village on a gorgeous late summer day, and many reported it being a highlight of the tour. As part of the festivities the Art Building hosted an art sale featuring the works of Vine Village Arts Day Program artists, and staff held yours of Vine Village's Great Blue Heron rookery, organic garden, and other features.

Click to learn about Preservation Napa Valley

Celebration 2010

The event was lovely, everyone had a great time - and - we didn't make much money. Perhaps a sign of the times, perhaps people are just tired of "same old, same old."

We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who contributed or attended. Your help is the reason we raised any fund at all, and that is so critical! Thanks!!

The Event Planning Committee has already met, and plans are underway to bring a fresh new event for next year.

Funding Crisis

The Recession may be over according to the New York Times, but it is hitting the non-profit secotr harder than ever. Vine VIllage's annual "Celebration" fundraiser - usually a mainstay of our financial picture - fell far short of our needs, and we have been negatively impacted by across-the-board cuts in State funding. In adition to outright cuts, mandatory furlough days for all of our clients' day activity and work programs place added unreimbursed expenses on our residential program, as extra staff are needed on days when our clients have no program. The new State budgetr, which just passed in mid-October, includes heavy cuts to all programs for people with disabilitites, which will be retro-active to the beginning of the fiscal year, meaning we will have to return funds that we've already spent. The list goes on... this is not a good time to be a non-profit program...

Napa County was not selected to receive Community Development Block Grant funds from the State of California, so although Vine Village was one of two non-profit agencies that Napa County had chosen to support in the grant application, it was not funded.  

We know that everyone is feeling the pinch, and we still hope that you will be generous in your year-end giving. Vine Village's special people are depending on you!

A bright spot was the Gasser Foudnation, who funded new chairs for the conference room and office. Thanks, Gasser Foundation!

Volunteer Opportunities

Would you like to support Vine Village and have fun in the process? There are several volunteer opportunities on the ranch, and one of them might be the perfect fit for you. Enrich the lives of our clients while enriching your own by being an active part of the Vine Village community.

Art Promotion: Vine Village Arts Day program artists create remarkable works worthy of wider appreciation, and you can be the arts emissary between the program and the larger arts community and area galleries. Great for an art major or person with gallery experience.

Art Program Musician: Come once or often to play ½ hour sets for the Vine Village Day Program. We have a piano, and you’re welcome to bring additional instruments.

Fitness Buff: Take one or two clients to the gym with you once a week. Or lead group recreational activities for either the residential or day program (This volunteer position would require fingerprinting and a TB test as per regulations.)

For more information, email us!

Meet the Clients:

Tracie Greene

On May 14, Tracie Greene moved in to the Women's House. She moved here from Chicago, where she lived with her father, but is now closer to her sister, who lives in Vacaville.  She’s been on our waiting list for several years and has been looking forward to moving here.  She came for an extended weekend visit in April and fit in quite well.  She was met with a welcoming party, complete with banners designed by her new housemates, and pizza. Tracie is attending our Day Program while she awaits placement in a full time job. Her dream is to bag groceries in a supermarket.

Wildlife News:

Upon learning that Napa County is the only North Bay County that has no permanent facility for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and that Napa County Wildlife Rescue lost the location for its Songbird Clinic two years ago, forcing them to export all injured or orphaned birds out of county for rehabilitation and release, we approached the group about the possibility of moving the clinic here to Vine Village. 

We’re currently negotiating with County staff about the possibility – Napa County currently has no zoning areas that can accommodate wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, although we think right here would be perfect! 

Vine Village is lucky to be located on a 25-are ranch that is surrounded by several other midsized properties with open space with woodland, grassland, and riparian areas. This healthy habitat is home to several owl species: Great Horned, Screech (shown above), Barn, and Saw Whet. Owls are fun to hear at night, but most of all, they perform a wonderful service to people, by catching rodents.

Downtown Art Walk – Vine Village Ballot Boxes

Garden & Farm Report – Tucker

Poem In Your Pocket Day

Recycling award

Nutrition/Food

Our clients face unique challenges in maintaining a healthy weight, making good food choices, and keeping physically active.

We’ve been fortunate this year to work with two nutrition interns from UC Davis, who have been working on compiling healthy menus, improving the nutritional value of the meals we serve, adding more locally grown foods, and creating an easy-to-foloow recipe folder.

We’re also working with Jay Leslie, who is providing valuable advice on organizing a streamlined, healthy food system.

Family Club Picnic and No-Raffle Raffle

Passages

We’ve been extraordinarily lucky to have had some uniquely wonderful people as part of our community, and this year has marked the end of an era with some of our nearest and dearest moving on to new opportunities and experiences.

Among the residents, Danny Orme, Michael Edwards, and Renee Blakeslee all moved to different living situations that could better address their changing needs. Renee had lived at Vine Village since 1987, Michael since 1982, and Danny had been with us ever since 1974. All were and continue to be vibrant and beloved parts of our family, and we wish them the best in their new homes.

Among the staff changes, we say goodbye to Karen Murray, who left us this spring after almost ten years.

Finally, Chris Sholders, who wore many hats over the course of the last seventeen years retired this fall. We thank Chris for her invaluable friendship and wish her an enriching and satisfying retirement.