Sponsored by NapaCRUSH
Written by Deedee Urbano
As we rode through the picturesque vineyards of the Napa Valley and then through the Sonoma Valley on to the stunning northern California coast on the back of our motorcycle, I thought about how easy it is to loose appreciation for the unmatched beauty of this place where we live. Together with eight other motorcycles we were taking a 200k motorcycle ride at the same time that others were riding bicycles on 15k and 50k routes while still others were walking 5k to raise money to support and feed children. I cannot imagine a better way to spend a beautiful first day of Summer in Northern California even if it was a little warmer than we would have thought perfect. The day ended with a celebration of beautiful music in a shady courtyard and a spectacular meal prepared by volunteers, one of whom is a French Laundry chef! Could life get any better?
The fundraiser Walk/Bike/Throttle ride was sponsored by a new grass roots non-profit organization called NapaCRUSH also known as CRUSH Inc. The purpose of the NapaCRUSH organization is to raise funds to distribute to various programs and organizations here in our community, our state, our country and all over the world that support, feed, clothe, and educated underprivileged and at-risk children. This particular event called Napa to Nairobi was to raise funds targeted to support the Furaha Community Center in the Huruma slum outside of Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. In Huruma the threats of AIDS and hunger are a daily constant. This slum is more than four times the population of Napa. Approximately half of the children are HIV+. More than half have already lost their parents to AIDS or violence. One guardian may be providing for eight or more children on less than one dollar a day. The children may get one small meal consisting of a cup of beans per day if they are lucky. If the children have the energy to trudge through the streets muddy with sewage they can come into the community center that NapaCRUSH is supporting. There they are provided with care and education, but with little or no food, they usually cannot finish their day at school. They usually just go home and sleep. They haven’t the energy to do more. With about $10,000, we can provide a feeding program for the kids at this center for an entire year.
We have big dreams for NapaCRUSH. Currently we support the Napa Coats for Kids; a program that started in 2003 and continues to the present. Funds from pledged on-going donations and program specific fund raising events will support Coats for Kids which is a program that raises money to buy new coats for qualified underprivileged children in the City of Napa. They also solicit donations of new coats from retail and wholesale businesses. CFK holds a distribution even once a year in the fall where they host the children and their parents to a holiday meal and fit each child with a brand new coat.
A future program that we would like to launch is Sam’s Camp. This year we will be seeking a grant to start a program called Sam’s Camp. Donations go to support this start up program which proposes to provide a day camp facility for children from needy families that cannot afford child care when the parent(s) must work full time. The camp will provide fun activities, field trips and educational programs including English language education to children for whom English is a second language.
One of our international efforts is to support Deborah’s House. Donated items and funds raised by CRUSH Inc. will help provide furniture, clothing and other necessities for Deborah’s House, a sanctuary in Tijuana, Mexico for abused women and their children. They provide food, shelter, medical attention and security for women who are escaping and healing from serious spousal abuse. Their efforts also go toward counseling for the husbands whenever possible. One of the dreams we at NapaCRUSH have is to start up a training program that will provide the women with abilities that can empower them to be independent and self sufficient. We want to provide a center where they can learn skills like sewing or typing and computer skills, or abilities to provide spa treatments such as message, manicures, pedicures, facials etc. that they could use for work opportunities at the local resorts.
As mentioned first in this article, one of the greatest ambitions we have for NapaCRUSH is in Africa. We will be teaming up with an organization in Reedley, California called When I Grow Up. WIGU currently supports the Furaha Community Center in the middle of the Huruma slums just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. This month we will send two delegates to Africa to visit the Furaha Community Center. Our plan is to help support this existing Center and within the next two to three years duplicate the Center in another “village” within the same slum. We will also be exploring other opportunities to provide for the children in the area who have been hit hard by famine, violence, and political unrest.
NapaCRUSH is hoping to partner with Corporate Sponsors such as our famous wineries, restaurants, resorts and spas to show the world that even though we cannot feed the world grapes, grapes certainly can help to feed the world. And rarely will you find the generosity and desire to give back as you will here in the Napa Valley. If you are interested in helping to CRUSH hunger, CRUSH poverty and CRUSH illiteracy please contact us at info@napacrush.org or call us at (707) 363-1255.
When we have more than enough to eat every single day and enjoy the comforts and beauty we experience here in the Napa Valley, it is too easy to lose appreciation for what we have and too easy to forget that so many have so very little.. We are a human family and our family is in desperate need. Please join us and share the riches of the Napa Valley and give.
Written by Deedee Urbano
As we rode through the picturesque vineyards of the Napa Valley and then through the Sonoma Valley on to the stunning northern California coast on the back of our motorcycle, I thought about how easy it is to loose appreciation for the unmatched beauty of this place where we live. Together with eight other motorcycles we were taking a 200k motorcycle ride at the same time that others were riding bicycles on 15k and 50k routes while still others were walking 5k to raise money to support and feed children. I cannot imagine a better way to spend a beautiful first day of Summer in Northern California even if it was a little warmer than we would have thought perfect. The day ended with a celebration of beautiful music in a shady courtyard and a spectacular meal prepared by volunteers, one of whom is a French Laundry chef! Could life get any better?
The fundraiser Walk/Bike/Throttle ride was sponsored by a new grass roots non-profit organization called NapaCRUSH also known as CRUSH Inc. The purpose of the NapaCRUSH organization is to raise funds to distribute to various programs and organizations here in our community, our state, our country and all over the world that support, feed, clothe, and educated underprivileged and at-risk children. This particular event called Napa to Nairobi was to raise funds targeted to support the Furaha Community Center in the Huruma slum outside of Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. In Huruma the threats of AIDS and hunger are a daily constant. This slum is more than four times the population of Napa. Approximately half of the children are HIV+. More than half have already lost their parents to AIDS or violence. One guardian may be providing for eight or more children on less than one dollar a day. The children may get one small meal consisting of a cup of beans per day if they are lucky. If the children have the energy to trudge through the streets muddy with sewage they can come into the community center that NapaCRUSH is supporting. There they are provided with care and education, but with little or no food, they usually cannot finish their day at school. They usually just go home and sleep. They haven’t the energy to do more. With about $10,000, we can provide a feeding program for the kids at this center for an entire year.
We have big dreams for NapaCRUSH. Currently we support the Napa Coats for Kids; a program that started in 2003 and continues to the present. Funds from pledged on-going donations and program specific fund raising events will support Coats for Kids which is a program that raises money to buy new coats for qualified underprivileged children in the City of Napa. They also solicit donations of new coats from retail and wholesale businesses. CFK holds a distribution even once a year in the fall where they host the children and their parents to a holiday meal and fit each child with a brand new coat.
A future program that we would like to launch is Sam’s Camp. This year we will be seeking a grant to start a program called Sam’s Camp. Donations go to support this start up program which proposes to provide a day camp facility for children from needy families that cannot afford child care when the parent(s) must work full time. The camp will provide fun activities, field trips and educational programs including English language education to children for whom English is a second language.
One of our international efforts is to support Deborah’s House. Donated items and funds raised by CRUSH Inc. will help provide furniture, clothing and other necessities for Deborah’s House, a sanctuary in Tijuana, Mexico for abused women and their children. They provide food, shelter, medical attention and security for women who are escaping and healing from serious spousal abuse. Their efforts also go toward counseling for the husbands whenever possible. One of the dreams we at NapaCRUSH have is to start up a training program that will provide the women with abilities that can empower them to be independent and self sufficient. We want to provide a center where they can learn skills like sewing or typing and computer skills, or abilities to provide spa treatments such as message, manicures, pedicures, facials etc. that they could use for work opportunities at the local resorts.
As mentioned first in this article, one of the greatest ambitions we have for NapaCRUSH is in Africa. We will be teaming up with an organization in Reedley, California called When I Grow Up. WIGU currently supports the Furaha Community Center in the middle of the Huruma slums just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. This month we will send two delegates to Africa to visit the Furaha Community Center. Our plan is to help support this existing Center and within the next two to three years duplicate the Center in another “village” within the same slum. We will also be exploring other opportunities to provide for the children in the area who have been hit hard by famine, violence, and political unrest.
NapaCRUSH is hoping to partner with Corporate Sponsors such as our famous wineries, restaurants, resorts and spas to show the world that even though we cannot feed the world grapes, grapes certainly can help to feed the world. And rarely will you find the generosity and desire to give back as you will here in the Napa Valley. If you are interested in helping to CRUSH hunger, CRUSH poverty and CRUSH illiteracy please contact us at info@napacrush.org or call us at (707) 363-1255.
When we have more than enough to eat every single day and enjoy the comforts and beauty we experience here in the Napa Valley, it is too easy to lose appreciation for what we have and too easy to forget that so many have so very little.. We are a human family and our family is in desperate need. Please join us and share the riches of the Napa Valley and give.
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