Napa Vintners Donate $1.8 Million For Wellness In Napa County Schools

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Napa Valley Vintners will give $1.8 million to five nonprofits that provide on-campus wellness services across Napa County, directing the money toward counseling, mental health screenings, peer support, and student referrals as schools begin the fall term.

The Sept. 1 grants will support Mentis, Napa Valley Education Foundation, Aldea, On The Move, and UpValley Family Centers. The organizations combine their specialties through school wellness centers, where students can find quiet places, counseling, peer support, and connections to other resources.

Schools often provide the first place where adults recognize signs that students need help.

“We tend to be their first form of contact with a trusted adult, and students feel comfortable telling us what’s going on in their lives,” said Jessica De Leon, a youth outreach coordinator with On The Move at New Tech High School’s wellness center, said in a press release. “We can then provide students with the support they need.”

Fifty-five percent of Napa County public high school students use an on-campus wellness center, according to the Napa Valley Vintners.

One NVUSD student, Vanessa, entered high school struggling academically, feeling isolated, and losing her sense of belonging. Regular meetings with a youth outreach coordinator helped her make friends, attend class, and seek therapy.

By her senior year, Vanessa brought other freshmen into the center and explained what it had meant to her.

“This place saved me when I was exactly where you are,” she told them.

Napa Valley Vintners will give Mentis $400,000. The organization provides group discussions, coping tools, and therapy to 2,000 middle and high school students annually. It also offers character-building programs for NVUSD seventh-graders and training about suicide warning signs. NVV has given Mentis $7.6 million since their partnership began in 1998.

The Napa Valley Education Foundation will receive $400,000. The organization supports annual mental health screenings for 16,000 students, helps operate wellness centers serving 250 students daily across seven campuses, and involves 350 school employees in training conferences. NVV has provided the foundation with $6.2 million since 2019.

Aldea will receive $400,000 for behavioral health services addressing substance use, mental health care for children in foster care, and support for young adults leaving foster care. NVV has given Aldea $11 million during their 30-year partnership.

On The Move will receive $400,000. Its youth outreach coordinators provide peer support, wellness education, and activities designed to build connections and create inclusive campus spaces. NVV has provided the organization with $7.2 million since 2004.

UpValley Family Centers will receive $200,000. The organization helps operate wellness centers at northern Napa Valley schools, coordinates student referrals, runs prevention groups for teenagers, and provides parenting support. NVV has given the organization $5.9 million since 2004.

The grants form one part of NVV’s effort to help Napa Valley youth lead healthy, balanced lives. The organization plans to announce additional grants supporting young people after school, at home, and throughout the community.

Auction Napa Valley has funded NVV’s community investments since 1981. The vintner organization has contributed $245 million to Napa Valley children, families, healthcare, youth development, and environmental programs.