Witkowicki's piece focuses on the value of mentoring and the need for more adult volunteers to step forward. January is National Mentoring Month, so now is the perfect time to get involved with a mentoring program in your community and help our youth. As Witkowicki states in her blog, "As volunteer opportunities go, mentoring a child just might be the most rewarding of them all."
To read the full blog, please click here. We encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the blog!
by donating $25,000 in support of our kids and our cause! These funds will be used to recruit,
train, and match many new mentors with at-risk children in Sonoma Valley who could really
benefit from the friendship and guidance of a caring and trusted adult in their life.
"We always felt so welcomed in Sonoma, and we realized we needed
to find the right way to give back to this community. Historically, we
have given to several organizations in the Bay Area supporting children's
needs, so we knew early on that the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance was the
perfect match for us. After becoming more familiar with the Alliance and
the effectiveness of their programs, we decided to step up our support and
focus our efforts on one charitable organization we really believe in."
Longtime residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sweazey's have been planning a winery in the North Coast for almost 40 years. In fact, when you visit the Anaba tasting room in Carneros, you will find many photographs from the mid 1970's of John Sweazey in France, learning wine production techniques from French producers. These photographs tastefully adorn the walls alongside North Coast wine country pictures in the beautifully restored 100-year-old farmhouse tasting room.
Seven years ago, their dream came to fruition with the purchase of a winery and vineyard, and the creation of Anaba Wines began. The choice of Sonoma was easy because of Sonoma's focus on wine, farming and a low-key lifestyle. Of course, the availability of high-quality Burgundian and Rhône varietals in Sonoma was an important factor too. These varietals were early inspirations and the basis for the style of wine John envisioned for his winery.
For more information on John & Kathleen or Anaba Wines, please visit their website.
Rich & Yvonne Dutra-St. John, the co-founders of Challenge Day and Be The Change Movement, presented at our Annual Mentor Forum this past Saturday at the Krug Event Center. Drawing on a lifetime of experience on a variety of topics such as diversity education, gender training, addictions, communication, and team and relationship building, their moving presentation inspired us all.
For more information on the National Mentoring Summit, please visit their website: http://www.mentoring.org/summit_2013/
On Tuesday, June 12, 2012 we were presented with 300 copies of
The I AM! Affirmation Book: Empowering Who You Are for Teens and Adults!
Thank you to Christopher Oscar, Realtor of Frank Howard Allen Realtors in Sonoma,
who sponsored the books, and The I AM Foundation for your generosity!
We are so proud of all that she has accomplished and wish her the best of luck as she embarks on this new journey!
For the full article, please click here.
