Dia de los Muertos Join us this Sunday, October 31 from 12-3pm for our annual Dia de los Muertos festival at the Upper Valley Campus of Napa Valley College in St. Helena. The event will be held outdoors, with COVID-19 safety precautions in place. We ask all attendees to please wear a face mask when in close physical proximity with other guests. Come enjoy diverse foods, regional Latin American dances and music, and traditional altars made in honor of loved ones who have passed. Featured entertainment will include Baile Folklorico dance company, singer Jazmin Oro, and the Saint Helena Community Band. Food will be available for purchase from food truck vendors Tacos El Cuñado and Platanito Latin Cuisine. Nimbus Arts artisan craft kits will be available for kids. We thank our generous sponsors: Alan & Sarah Galbraith, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, The Doctors Company, The Cave Company, Central Valley, Napa Valley Wealth Management, Westamerica Bank, First 5 Napa, Arts Council Napa Valley, City of St. Helena, and Napa Valley College. | |
Our thanks to Rosa! Rosa Cachu, our longest-serving employee, is retiring at the end of this month. For over two decades, Rosa has played an essential role interfacing with upvalley families as our Community Outreach Specialist and the leader of our early learning Niños Activos playgroups. Staff and community-members alike have been influenced by her warm, caring spirit and her genuine optimism. Rosa has raised her family and lived in our community for over 35 years. She has always been eager to be of service to others. She was one of the family center's first volunteers in 1998, telling local residents about the new family center coming to the Calistoga Elementary School, and then becoming one of its first staff members. She discovered she had a love of working with small children and their parents, and she has been faithfully leading our bilingual playgroup sessions twice weekly in Calistoga and St. Helena since 2014. Over her tenure, Rosa has worked with over 200 children and their families, coordinating story times, arts and crafts, nutrition and garden projects, and kindergarten readiness activities. Rosa shares, "My time at the family center has been marvelous. The family center is so important, because it provides resources that people in the community need. I have had the great opportunity to serve the community and I have learned so much. Seeing a smile or getting a hug from a child is such a precious gift. I have been so fortunate to be a part of the family center." The staff and board at the UpValley Family Centers are so thankful for Rosa's many contributions to our work in the community over the last 23 years. We have appreciated her camaraderie and value the wisdom she has shared. We wish her well in her retirement! | |
Housing is Key The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program covers 100% of unpaid rent and utilities for eligible renters and their landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19. The program will continue accepting applications until all funds are exhausted. WHO CAN APPLY: Renters: Eligible renters who have unpaid rent due to COVID-19 and are at risk of eviction should apply for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program as soon as possible. As of October 1, 2021, if an eviction notice is received, a renter has 15 business days to apply for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program AND must notify their landlord that they’ve applied. Renters do not need to wait to receive an eviction notice before applying for the program. The sooner a renter applies for rent relief, the sooner they will be protected from eviction for non-payment of COVID-related debt. Landlords: Landlords with tenants who owe unpaid rent due to COVID-19 must apply for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program before starting an eviction process and should consider submitting a joint application with their tenant. Upon approval, landlords will be paid directly for 100% of an eligible renters’ unpaid rent. HOW TO APPLY: To check eligibility and apply, visit HousingIsKey.com or call 833-430-2122. UpValley Family Centers can provide bilingual (English and Spanish) eligibility verification and application assistance for those with additional questions. Please call UpValley Family Centers at (707) 965-5010 or email efa@upvalleyfamilycenters.org for an appointment. | |
