Our Big Ideas
There are things we could do to change the lives of youth in Napa valley. Here are a few ideas we have in the works for those who might be looking to make a meaningful investment in our kids.
In 2022 MacKenzie Scott, the novelist and philanthropist who helped ex-husband Jeff Bezos found Amazon, donated $281 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It is the largest donation ever given to the organization by any individual in its 125 year history. While the Napa organization was not selected to recieve any of this funding we applaud the gift and celebrate the Clubs who will use this opportunity to change the lives of kids in deep and meaningful ways. Included below is a list of projects we encourage major donors, foundations, and businesses to consider funding.
Pop Up Kitchen
The Pop Up Kitchen positions the Club to address key needs in the Napa Community and would allow us to expand the nature and scope of that support both in every day operations but also in times of crisis.
The outcomes associated with Children who participate in cooking programs are undeniable. Youth learn how to make healthy and delicious alternatives. Activities reinforce math, language and communication skills. What’s more is that because these activities are in high demand they encourage regular and extended attendance at the Boys & Gils Club.
With the number of campuses served by the Club this concept, if successful, will be applied toward a number of specialty programs including stem, arts, and more. Additionally, the Pop Up Kitchen could be used as a vehicle for entrepreneurial skill building by allowing teens to experiment with catering services for other local events and Non Profit Organizations.
The Pop Up Kitchen is a truly incredible resource as it would allow us to provide deep and meaningful services throughout Napa Valley. Additionally, it would be a focal point for other vendors and professionals to bring their industry insight and experience into our programs; translating into deeper partnerships with local restaurants and suppliers.
Earthquakes, Wildfires, Floods, Covid… the wine country is sadly no stranger to crisis but in the wake of these the club has and continues to step forward. If funded the Pop Up Kitchen could be used as a mobile food service station to assist with meal distribution and support ongoing emergency services. The concept could also be applied to entertaining kids from displaced communities.
Currently UnFunded.
Ready. Set. Work.
What do you want to do? That question lies at the core of who we are as an organization. We believe in the value of reshaping what it means to be successful by normalizing career paths that don’t necessarily include a college degree. We need thinkers, but we also need doers. We need mechanics and welders, graphic designers and contractors.
Choosing a career as a teen is incredibly stressful. Most of the careers they are familiar with are limited to those of their parents and immediate mentors. That’s why we rely on a series of panel discussions centered around specific and wine country centric career paths featuring people from within our community. These happen monthly and are the first step in our Ready. Set. Work. approach.
Our staff help vet and identify opportunities for exploration and use software to guide the progress of our teens toward being workforce ready upon graduation.
We use virtual reality to help teens familiarize themselves with cross trainable skills and career paths including food safety, hospitality, heavy equipment operation and more! The available career paths are dynamic and always expanding.
Finally we leverage local partnerships to create viable paid and unpaid career internships with industries specific to the needs of the Napa Valley. These internships are facilitated by the club but orchestrated independently between the business and teens who are taught how to prepare a resume and interview. This ensures that teens get an independent view on a viable career paths and first hand knowledge as to whether the career is of interest to them upon graduation.
The project is supported by Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Programs.
Pop Up Stem Lab
The Pop Up Stem Lab would position the Club to address key needs in the Napa Community. This concept represents a Flexible approach to the development of an ecosystem of support forthe Napa Valley Community.
The outcomes associated with Children who participate in stem programs are undeniable. Stem programs harness and actualize the curiosity of children. Activities reinforce math, science, logic, and communication skills. What’s more is that because these activities are in high demand they encourage regular and extended attendance at the Boys & Gils Club.
With the number of campuses served by the Club this concept, if successful, will be applied toward a number of specialty programs including culinary, arts, and more. Additionally, the Pop Up Stem Lab could be used as a vehicle for entrepreneurial skill building by allowing teens to compete in maker fairs, robotics competitions, and more.
The Pop Up Stem Lab is a truly incredible resource as it would allow us to provide deep and meaningful services throughout Napa Valley. Additionally, it would be a focal point for other vendors and professionals to bring their industry insight and experience into our programs; translating into deeper partnerships with local businesses and suppliers.
Earthquakes, Wildfires, Floods, Covid… the wine country is sadly no stranger to crisis but in the wake of these the club has and continues to step forward. If funded the Pop Up Stem Lab could be used as a mobile engagement station by providing WIFI and secure charging to displaced populations. The concept could also be applied to entertaining kids from displaced communities.
Currently Funded! Thank you Deustch Family and the City of Napa!
American Canyon Capital Campaign
We completed the American Canyon Clubhouse in 2017 but are still working to pay off costs associated with that project. Join us as a capital campaign sponsor and help us continue to build great futures in American Canyon!
Currently Funded! Thank you Bill Dodd and the State of California
