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Dia de los Muertos

UpValley Family Centers and Nimbus Arts are looking forward to celebrating Día de los Muertos with the St. Helena community! Though we are sad not to be able to host our annual celebration in person this year, we have developed several other ways to mark this time-honored tradition.

Stop by the corner of Spring and Main street throughout the week to take in Nimbus Arts’ community art installation – a collage of face masks, beautifully decorated by local residents. The UpValley Family Centers, meanwhile, will be distributing Día de los Muertos activity kits for at-home fun. Families can stop by our office at 1440 Spring Street any time this Weds-Fri, October 28-30, from 1-5 PM, to pick up one kit per child. Kits are available on a first come first served basis, and will also include helpful information about local services and resources as well as a bilingual voter guide, provided by the Latino Community Foundation. (Every vote counts!)

In the spirit of community, everyone is encouraged to share photos of your home altars or Día crafts on social media on Sunday, November 1, Dia de los Muertos. Please tag us, @upvalleyfamilycenters and/or #upvalleydiadelosmuertos on Facebook or Instagram, so we’ll be sure to see it!

These activities are made possible thanks to generous sponsors: Westamerica Bank, Alan and Sarah Galbraith, The Doctors Company, First 5 Napa County, the Walker Building Company, the John J. Griswold Foundation, the Damian Maldonado Memorial Foundation, and the Napa Valley Vintners. For more information about our 2020 Día de los Muertos celebration and activities you can do at home, please visit our event webpage by clicking the button below.

 

Photo of our disaster case managers (pre-COVID)

2020 Wildfire relief program

We are now accepting applications for emergency financial assistance for households impacted by the LNU Complex Fires and the Glass Fire. Two types of financial assistance are available: 1) grants for homeowners and renters whose primary residence was damaged or destroyed by the 2020 wildfires; 2) grants for workers facing economic hardship as a result of the firestorms.

To qualify, renters and homeowners must have received a red or yellow tag on their primary residence in Napa County, and have annual household income at or below $151,000 for a family of four (or 150% of Area Median Income). Workers who are struggling to make ends meet because of the wildfires can qualify for assistance, as well. Impacted workers must demonstrate that they live in Napa County and are facing economic hardship because of the fires; are not eligible for unemployment benefits; and have annual household income at or below $121,000 for a family of four (or 120% of Area Median Income). Emergency financial assistance can be used to meet basic living expenses such as food and housing, to replace essential household contents lost in the fires, make repairs, or rebuild.  Workers are eligible for grants of up to $1,500; renters of up to $3,500; and homeowners of up to $7,500.

For more information, or to make an appointment and apply for the program, call (707) 965-5010 during business hours, Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5pm or email efa@upvalleyfamilycenters.org. Emergency financial assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants. Application information is available on our website; click the button below.

This program is being implemented in partnership with On The Move and the Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund which is managed by the Napa Valley Community Foundation. UpValley Family Center's wildfire relief and recovery services are also generously supported by Kaiser Permanente, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Latino Community Foundation, United Way of the Bay Area, Wells Fargo, Napa Valley Rotary Clubs, and individual donors.

 

Construction training program

Are you, or is someone you know, interested in working in the construction industry?  We are excited to announce the second year of a Building and Construction Trades Program, offered to local residents. Participants will: learn to identify, predict, prevent and stop potential hazards in the workplace; learn essential math skills needed in construction; receive hands on training with a range of tools; learn to read blueprints; and more!  Before signing up, an orientation to the program is required. Join us for a virtual orientation on October 29 or November 5 from 6-8pm by contacting Susana Garcia at our office: (707) 965-5010 or sgarcia@upvalleyfamilycenters.org.  Click for more information in English and Spanish about this and our other Economic Success programs here.

Last year, 30 people participated and received the needed skills to get hired or increase their wages in the construction industry. As our community recovers from recent wildfires, construction skills will continue to be in high demand. This program is a partnership of the Napa Valley Adult School, Napa Valley College, Calistoga Joint Unified School District, On The Move, UpValley Family Centers, and the Napa Valley Community Foundation.

 

Lending Circles opportunity

Lending Circles is a social loan program, managed by the Mission Asset Fund (MAF), that provides an innovative and safe way for working families to save money and build their credit. Each member of a Circle contributes a monthly payment, and each month a new member of the Circle receives a 0% interest loan, until every member has had their turn. Lending circles are formed between 6-12 people, and loan amounts range from as little as $300 to $2,400.

Lending Circles have been used to pay down debt, put a down payment on a car, save for college, or build an emergency expense fund. And because MAF reports to all three major credit bureaus, Lending Circles allow members to establish and improve their credit: participants raise their score an average of 49 points over a 6-month period.

This past year, UpValley Family Centers, a licensed Lending Circle provider, offered our first two Lending Circles for the upvalley community. A total of 17 participants contributed a monthly payment of either $75 or $100, depending on which circle they were in, completed at least an hour of required online financial literacy classes, and received financial coaching from our staff – which helped them with things like budgeting and making a plan for what to do with their loan. Participants were successful in saving funds to meet their personal goals --- all while building their credit. 

We will be launching the formation of new Lending Circles soon. If you are interested in saving and building up your credit, please call Joleen at our office: (707) 965-5010 or email lendingcircles@upvalleyfamilycenters.org. We'd love to have you join us!

 

Amazon Smile warms our hearts

Make a difference this holiday season. Shop for gifts here to generate donations for Up Valley Family Centers.

 

Join our team! 

We are looking for a full-time Family Services Specialist to join our team on a temporary basis. To learn more click here.

 

UpValley Family Centers
1440 Spring Street  | Saint Helena, California 94574
707-965-5010 | info@upvalleyfamilycenters.org

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