Napa Valley Education Foundation:

A child’s one thing is everything 

By Kathleen Reynolds

The mission of the Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF) is to “empower Napa Valley youth to broaden horizons, deepen knowledge and develop the skills to step confidently into their future as healthy, capable and successful members of our community.” It is a promise the organization fulfills every day. More than 10,000 young people and 1,000 educators throughout Napa County benefit annually from programs designed to strengthen learning, support wellness, and expand opportunities. Their motto captures the heart of their work: A child’s one thing is everything.

The foundation’s core programs reflect a broad and thoughtful approach to education. Strategic planning brings district and school leaders together to adapt programs to the most essential needs of teachers and students. Wellness Center support ensures that centers across all campuses remain strong and accessible, providing care for more than sixteen thousand students each year through screenings and mental health services. Career pathways programs connect more than three hundred fifty students with local businesses through mentorships and internships, and more than half of those students are hired. Classroom innovation grants have awarded more than one point five million dollars to teachers at eighteen schools, bringing new ideas and real-world experiences to life.

Last year, the Napa Valley Education Foundation launched one of its most ambitious projects yet. The Discovery Campus, a hands-on community education center, is poised to serve thousands of students each year. Located on the former Oxbow School campus, the site has been transformed into a hub for creativity, collaboration, and future focused learning.

“The Oxbow School was a nonprofit and a private boarding high school for the arts,” says NVEF Director of Development Amy Little. “Because they were nonprofit they had to give their assets to another nonprofit when they closed, and we were fortunate to have been chosen to have the campus.”

Set along the Napa River, the Discovery Campus has been reimagined as a place where students, educators, and the broader community can explore, create, and discover new possibilities. Programs in arts, music, media, culinary studies, STEM, and career exploration offer opportunities to nurture talent and build confidence for learners of all ages, from elementary students to adults.

Per the NVEF website: “As part of NVEF’s mission to invest in the future of Napa Valley students, the Discovery Campus represents a bold vision: a shared space where education extends beyond the classroom, collaboration thrives, and discovery becomes a way of life.”

Although the riverside setting and buildings were awarded to the foundation, reimagining the spaces for all the programs requires significant funding. New equipment, upgrades to safety and accessibility, and improvements to facilities and technology are essential to making the campus fully functional.

“To make the Discovery Campus all it can be, we have fundraising events open to the public,” says Amy. “Our Taste for Knowledge Gala is the biggest fundraiser of the year, and we have been doing it for over forty years. It brings together our sponsors, our campus founders and major donors to historically raise about three hundred thousand dollars each year. We also rely on individual donations and grants, along with our fairly new facilities rental program.”

The rental program has quickly become an important part of the campus’ sustainability plan.

“We are developing it for our website to show how people can utilize the spaces, whether it is for a corporate function, a birthday party, to celebrate a quinceañera or other milestones. We have an unrestricted deed and so we can even have weddings here. Corporations have done team building and company picnics for their employees. We feel that our rates are competitive compared to the other spaces that are for rent in the valley. Because we are a nonprofit, people renting the spaces know that their money is going to a good cause.”

Among the many programs offered by the Napa Valley Education Foundation, the Music Connection stands out as one of the most beloved. More than 6,000 young people build confidence and creativity through free music education at camps, workshops, and after school programs. Each year, between 1,600 and 2,000 instruments are provided at no or low cost so that every child can find their voice.

“The NVEF Music Connection program started in 1997, and it is the longest ongoing music nonprofit in the valley,” says

NVEF Director of Programs Kristin Anderson, who has worked at the foundation for twenty years. “Anyone who needs a reduced cost instrument can get one for ten dollars a month and can keep it as long as they want. There is also a rent to own option so all of the rental payments can go towards purchasing the instrument at our cost.”

The Music Connection carries traditional band instruments such as flutes, clarinets, trumpets, and trombones.

“The most popular instrument requested is the violin or trumpet,” Kristin explains. “Certain trends will make different instruments popular. Lizzo made the flute fashionable a few years ago, the show Wednesday made the cello well liked two years ago.”

“Every now and then we will receive a donation of a tenor sax or a baritone sax or specialty guitars,” she says. “Sometimes people want an oboe or bassoon. Some instruments we typically do not carry because most of the students we serve are fourth and fifth graders. We have several different instruments for our mariachi program. We don’t get a lot of electric guitars, but we have a lot of Spanish nylon acoustic guitars like the guitarrón, which is the large guitar; violins, trumpets and the vihuela, a small guitar that looks like a miniature guitarrón.”

Kristin says a common student misconception is that one instrument is easier to learn than another.

“Every instrument is like learning a foreign language. Learning to read music is hard and you have to have a lot of patience and a lot of grace. It is difficult to learn a new concept.”

“I know because my ‘one thing’ in school was band. It drew me into school, kept me motivated and interested. Band kept me connected.”

“It seems that learning an instrument could be isolating because you are on your own, but when you are playing as part of an ensemble and you’re all learning at the same time, it brings everybody together. That is what warms my heart every year, seeing the kids challenge themselves or going from unsure about it to loving it.”

Parents have expressed appreciation for the foundation’s programs.

“We want to express our appreciation for your organization and the true artistry of your instructors,” writes parent Erin B. “We are so grateful for the opportunity our child had to participate in the K pop choir program. It was amazing to see what the students accomplished in just six classes, truly remarkable.”

Another parent, Monica C., writes, “Thank you so much for hosting this class. My son came home excited to tell us all about it and cannot wait to do more classes. He had so much fun learning, getting to know new people, and doing some hands-on cooking. Thank you.”

Amy acknowledges that fundraising can be challenging in a community where many parent organizations raise money for their own schools.

“Every gift to education matters,” she says. “Whether you support your local school or Napa Valley Education Foundation, you’re investing in students. What makes NVEF unique is that we can direct resources where they are needed most, creating countywide programs that are accessible to students from every school and every community.”

“My ‘one thing’ is watching a kid find that spark early, to find that intersection of passion and potential. That is what we are trying to do here. We are trying to expose kids to many things. We hope that they find the one thing that excites them and help them down that path.”