NAPA VALLEY GRAPE PASS
Saturday programs for Locals, Visitors, and Workers
Every year visitors flock to Napa Valley to experience all that wine country has to offer. BUT if you’re a parent, you probably feel like these incredible experiences are inaccessible because, wine tasting, fine dining and kids don’t really fit together. I suffer from this personally. In the Summer of 2022, my wife and I took my son, Ben, to a restaurant for dinner. He was very excited but after a few minutes of playing with the menu and crayons he quickly became bored. What followed was an excruciating 20 minute wait for food that was absolutely not peanut butter and jelly. And while the food was great, my wife and I didn't really feel like we had a chance to enjoy the moment. This is not an isolated problem, in November of that year the San Francisco Chronical published a widely discussed op-ed titled “Wine County, less kid friendly than ever.” In it the author cited many examples of parents who love visiting the wine country but find themselves alienated from it.
What if a partnership between vintners and the Boys & Girls Club could make Napa Valley more accessible to visitors and more equitable to locals?
What
if local employees had a safe place to send their kids every day afterschool but
also on Saturdays?
1. The Club will offer a Grape Pass Pilot Program for Saturday care from 11:00-7:00 PM for up to 300 children between the ages of 6 and 18.
2. Participating Hotels, Resorts, Wineries, and other hospitality focused businesses will support the effort by building a grape pass cost into their pricing structure.
3. Employees and Customers who use these businesses will be provided with a discount code unique to that business that will grant them free/reduced cost use of the program.
If successful, the GRAPE pass allows local businesses to philanthropically support the Club AND effectively target parents as one of the largest under-represented demographics in Wine Country.
Market Decline
Winery partners have expressed a troubling decline in sales.
Occupancy
Resort partners have expressed that occupancy is in decline.
Rising Costs
Hospitality partners have expressed that rising costs have deeply impacted their margins.
Parents
A trip to Napa Valley is seen as more a problem than a vacation for Parents who have few options for their kids.
Accessibility
Locals often feel alienated from wine county as much of the industry is so externally focused.
Workforce Shortfalls
Winery partners have expressed that it is often difficult to find, secure, and retain employees.
Workforce Shortfalls
Resort partners have expressed that it is often difficult to find, secure, and retain employees.
Workforce Shortfalls
Hospitality partners have expressed that it is often difficult to find, secure, and retain employees.
Local’s Experience
Wine Country as a brand is as much a cultural experience as it is about the tangible. Tourists want more exposure to locals.
Child Care
Hospitality Employees often find it difficult to find low cost high quality care for their children so that they can work on weekends.
Community Engagement
Winery partners have expressed that there is often a disconnect between their efforts & locals.
Philanthropic Support
Tourists love all things Napa Valley and are looking for ways to help steward this amazing region.
Household Economics
Hospitality Employees are struggling to make ends meet and are eager to but often unable to work more.
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Participating wineries would add a $100 annual charge to all active Wine Club Memberships within their portfolio. That funding would be passed on to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley as an unrestricted gift. IE if a winery has an active membership of 1000 members, paying $1000 annually for membership the club would receive an annual unrestricted gift of $100,000 and preferably distributed on a quarterly basis in $25,000 allotments. In exchange, all active members would be provided with a unique discount code which would give their members access to Club services on Saturdays. Employees of participating wineries would be eligible for free or reduced membership in all club activities including full days programs.
Participating resorts and hotels would add a “1% for kids charge” to all overnight stays to be passed on to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley as a quarterly unrestricted gift. IE if a resort or hotel were to rent a room for every day for $500 over the year the club would receive an annual unrestricted gift of $1,825 over the course of the year. Participating Hotels might also be able to provide direct shuttle service from the resort to the Club location. Employees of participating resorts and hotels would be eligible for free or reduced membership in all Club activities including full days programs.
Other hospitality businesses like charter companies, restaurants, and local experience groups would be able to add a “1% for kids charge” to all transactions to be passed on to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley as an unrestricted gift. Employees of participating businesses would be eligible for free or reduced membership in all Club activities including full days programs.
With the support of the above partners the Club would continue to offer after school care, expand to open on Saturdays, and be able to provide access to these services to employees and wine club members at reduce or no cost.
Market Expansion
Wineries would benefit by reaching out to a untapped demographic, parents.
Market Expansion
Resorts would benefit through additional hotel stay activity for families.
Market Expansion
Restaurants would benefit with the increased boost in tourists.
Market Expansion
Tourists would benefit in that Napa would be more accessible for wine lovers with children.
Accessibility
Locals would benefit in that this would be an opportunity for them to use the service as well.
Employee Support
Wineries would benefit by accessing a larger workforce who could rely on care by the Club.
Employee Support
Resorts would benefit by accessing a larger workforce who could rely on care by the Club.
Employee Support
Restaurants would benefit by accessing a larger workforce who could rely on care by the Club.
Local’s Experience
Tourists would benefit in that their children would get a more intimate connection in making memories along side Napa kids.
Child Care
Hospitality Employees would be able to take on additional work knowing that their children are safe and cared for.
Philanthropic Support
The ongoing investment by wineries would be considered tax deductible.
Philanthropic Support
The ongoing investment by resorts would be considered tax deductible.
Philanthropic Support
The ongoing investment by restaurants would be considered tax deductible.
Philanthropic Support
The ongoing investment by tourists– event those without kids – would allow them to invest in the Napa Valley Community.
Household Economics
A reduction in child care costs make other expense by comparison more manageable. This helps to keep locals local.
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Free Membership
A 1% fund could allow children to attend the club at no cost.
Locals
Community Engagement
Free use of the Club would allow local parents to engage more with their communities.
Staff
Higher Pay
The creation of passive income would allow clubs to target higher caliber staff to work directly with kids.
Partners
Collaboration: Mental Health
This investment would allow us to provide space for our partners in mental health to work directly with our kids.
Modernized Facilities
A 1% fund would allow us to upgrade and modernize our facilities.
Economic Support
Free use of the Club would reduce the ever increasing financial strain on parents living in Napa Valley.
Professional Development
The creation of passive income would allow us to send more staff to participate in conferences and trainings to expand their skills.
Collaboration: Schools
Participation in our clubs increases Math and ELA scores of students by 10%. Expanding that effort could be a huge win for schools.
Expanded Facilities
A 1% fund would allow us to expand upon our mobile concept increasing their number and depth.
Stress Reduction
Free use of the Club would allow parents the opportunity to generate additional income or get five minutes peace!
Retention
Staff who feel valued and are paid a meaningful wage would stay with the club allowing them to build deep relationships.
Collaboration: Facilities
We could pay to expand our use of partner facilities to serve more kids over summer and winter breaks and increase impact.
Community Accessibility
This would make living in Napa more affordable for families who may be considering a move.
Fresh Blood
Access to free child care, schools with higher test scores, and deep and engaging club experiences would attract new families.
Napa Strong
If only half of these things are achieved our Partners, the Club and Napa as a whole will be better for it.
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As we embark on a pilot program with select partners, we're focused on preparing for expansions in enrollment. Our collaborative approach will allow us to fine-tune the model for maximum effectiveness. Anticipating potential waitlists, we're committed to scaling our resources strategically to accommodate increased demand. Through ongoing evaluation and adaptation, we'll ensure a seamless experience for all involved, fostering sustainable growth and maximizing our collective impact in serving the community.
Quarterly or annual statements will be provided by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, detailing the utilization of services funded by our hospitality partners' donations. These reports, leveraging the Clubs' robust tracking systems, will transparently outline how the contributions are being utilized, ensuring accountability and demonstrating the impact of our partnership in serving local youth.
Each partner will independently integrate the initiative into their marketing plans, showcasing their commitment to supporting local youth. This collaborative approach ensures widespread awareness and encourages community engagement, ultimately benefiting both the Clubs and our partners.
This would provide a reliable and sustainable source of funding for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, reducing our reliance on local fundraising efforts. This commitment ensures financial stability, allowing the organization to expand programs, offer free membership to all local children, and focus resources on impactful initiatives. It empowers the Clubs to serve the community more effectively while alleviating the burden of constant fundraising.
Recognizing the need to provide meals to attendees, both after school and during full-day camps, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley are committed to implementing a comprehensive food service program. Partnering with local vendors and leveraging community resources, we'll ensure that children have access to nutritious meals that support their health and well-being. Our goal is to create a positive dining experience that fosters socialization and reinforces healthy eating habits, enriching the overall club experience for all participants.
This agreement would better position BGCNV to expand its launch of our new pop-up stem lab pilot program. If successful we would love to see an expansion of this model to include other enrichment opportunities like Culinary Arts, Fine Arts, Esports and more.
Alumni refer to the Club as their second home. The Boys & Girls Club is a generational program, in that students build relationships with staff mentors and those relationships often persist over a number of years. Imagine the impact for incoming transitional kindergarten children who build a relationship with the Club and then leverage that relationship throughout their entire academic career.
By resetting our approach to after school and approaching these roles and responsibilities with intention, we can set the stage for deeper and more collaborative partnerships across all three agencies. There is no room for competition as each agency continues to support NVUSD students in their own unique and impactful ways. This reset then becomes a force multiplier as it relates to the impact on NVUSD students.
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A: Our most recent count indicated that over 6,000 children walked through our doors in 2023. On average though the Club sees about 1,600 children every day after school.
A: the capacity of our Clubhouses in Napa and American Canyon would be around 600 children.
A: That’s question of scale. We wont know how much is required until the pilot has been completed. We’d want to make sure that our costs are covered with the potentiality of an expansion to include Saturday Programs.
A: Parents will be engaged through direct emails, advertising, and our partners.
A: The goal is to enhance program quality by leveraging BGCNV's strengths in homework help, enrichment programs, and innovative delivery systems. This funding would be a force multiplier in that it would allow us to focus our efforts.
A: Ideally it would allow us to offer services at little to no cost. That would be a our preference.
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Who we Serve: If we were to consider all of the youth attending the Club, their age, household, economic status, and time spent in our programs and condense it into ONE story here is how that would read: The typical member at the Boys & Girls Club lives and attends school in Napa. They live in a family of four with a sibling who likely also attends the Club and parents who work full-time. Collectively their household earns less than $80,000/year. They live in a home that is rented jointly by family or friends. Despite shared resources, money is tight and this often disrupts basic needs like nutrition & housing. As a result, their parents often work multiple jobs and rely on the Club for care when school isn’t in session.
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