Dear editor, The staff, board of directors and clients of Legal Aid of Napa Valley extend their utmost gratitude to the Napa Valley Vintners for awarding two very generous grants to Legal Aid from the proceeds of the 2007 Auction Napa Valley. Because of the Vintners' generosity, Legal Aid will be able to continue and expand its mission to provide free legal assistance to seniors, immigrants and low-income residents of Napa County.

Through 2007 Auction Napa Valley, the Vintners awarded Legal Aid $65,000 to support its Immigrant Legal Services Program. As a result of this contribution, Legal Aid will be able to sustain and expand its direct representation of Napa County's vulnerable immigrant population on a full range of legal matters, with an emphasis on immigration law, housing, domestic violence counseling, legal permanent residency for immigrant children and employment discrimination. The services Legal Aid provides are unique in the Napa Valley; its bilingual attorneys and legal advocates provide free legal counsel to immigrants without concern for their immigration status.

The Vintners, through 2007 Auction Napa Valley, also awarded Legal Aid $27,500 to support its Baseline Legal Services Program. This program provides housing-related legal assistance to low-income residents of Napa County. Legal Aid's approach to providing legal housing assistance is comprehensive. More than half of Legal Aid's Baseline program clients are women, often single mothers with children. About one-third of them are Latinos. These clients are either homeless, at risk of homelessness, physically or mentally disabled, veterans, and/or victims of domestic violence.

The Napa Valley Vintners' contributions to Legal Aid will certainly make a difference in the lives of Legal Aid's clients as well as in the lives of all Napa County residents. With the Vintners' assistance, Legal Aid's clients are becoming more secure in their legal rights as employees, citizens, tenants, spouses and children, and are thereby becoming better community members and living more stable and productive lives.

We thank you.

Diana Dorame, Executive Director, Legal Aid of Napa Valley