community life Living Your Best (napa Valley) Life byDR. ShARon uFBERg, D.c. Napa Valley women show up for nEwS The first Wine, Women and Shoes the courage to take the first step and contacted (WWS) event benefiting Napa NEWS. I walked in the doors with absolutely nothing except the desire to start over. Now just Emergency Women Services (NEWS) one year later, I’m on my own. The women at took place on July 28, 2012 at the NEWS gave me a home, and for the first time Charles Krug Winery. With over 300 in my life, a place to heal and be safe. It wasn’t people in attendance and 80 volunteers easy, but things are much better now. The other women who were there were going through participating, the event generated some of the same things that I was and we approximately $80,000 in donations helped each other to stay strong.” for NEWS and was an unequivocal Tracy Lamb, executive director for NEWS success WHonig, then head of sales and on State funding. Because we are continually“Our ultimate goal is to be less dependentsince 2004, spoke passionately about theimmediate and long term needs for the womenand children NEWS assists:ine, Women and Shoes beganback in 2003 when Elaine.marketing at Honig Winery, was busy looking experiencing governmental budget cuts, for ways to target the marketing of her wine to this leaves NEWS vulnerable. We need an women. After all, women were buying loads of endowment fund that provides secure funding Sauvignon Blanc, but very few in the Valley was for our vital program’s existence into the focusing on selling wine to women. Elaine Honig future.” So, Elaine came up with a whimsical idea Lamb also discussed the pressing funding needs for NEWS in three of pairing wine with shoes. Honig’s woman winemaker created some fun priority areas: transitional housing, legal assistance, and childcare. parallels between wine and shoes and voila: Wine, Women and Shoes was The transitional housing budget at NEWS is approximately $110,000. born. They have a goal of assisting approximately half of the women leaving the The first event was a fundraiser for the Napa chapter of Planned shelter with a housing subsidy for three months. Parenthood—a great match for Elaine, who was sitting on the local Many women stay in abusive relationships because they are afraid of Planned Parenthood advisory council at that time. Elaine gathered other losing custody of their children, not having the funds for a divorce attorney interested women involved in marketing their wines while doing good or no support. NEWS needs a legal fund for initial legal consultations and took WWS on the road. This new fundraising vehicle spread quickly and assistance for the most complex cases. The legal expenses budget is through women’s networks and connections nationwide. approximately $30,000. Based on its enormous success, Elaine now devotes herself full time to The childcare budget at NEWS is approximately $80,000, which the WWS enterprise. She and her staff facilitate WWS events in 36 cities includes three months of child care for each of NEWS’s women with across the country, successfully raising money for a variety of worthy causes children. In order to become self-sufficient, mothers, some of whom have from local hospitals and YWCAs to women’s shelters from coast to coast. never worked, need to re-enter the job market, and need safe and affordable The local organization to benefit from Elaine’s fundraising and marketing child care. NEWS needs funds set aside specifically for short term expertise this year was Napa Emergency Women’s Services (NEWS). emergency child care. Established in Napa in 1981, NEWS provides critical services 24 hours per With fundraising events like Women, Wine and Shoes and ongoing day to an average of 1,200 women and children each year. NEWS is a local support from the community, NEWS will continue to be the doorway to refuge for women and children suffering from domestic violence and/or safety and hope for women and children in the Napa Valley. sexual assault. Event attendees had the unique opportunity to hear directly from one of Dr. Sharon Ufberg is a Napa-based integrative health practitioner, radio host, the local recipients of NEWS services. Maria experienced a sexually abusive journalist, Huffpost blogger, consultant and global women’s activist. Website: childhood, drug addiction and a violent marriage before being helped by www.drsharonufberg.com, Twitter:www.twitter.com/drufberg, or listen to her NEWS. She courageously spoke about her experience: “One day I found Alive and Kicking segment on WAMC.org’s 51% NPR radio. 72 w w w. n A PA V A L L E Y L I F E m A g A z I n E . c o m
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