Bookmobile News

Our old friends at Rotary Club of Rohnert Park-Cotati have renewed funding for Free Bookmobile outreach in their area! We are thrilled to continue this partnership and are always finding new opportunities to serve the grateful residents of the region. Monthly visits to library-less Cotati are just the tip of the iceberg: we also make stops at the Boys & Girls Club, low-income mobile home parks, the Rohnert Park Senior Center, supportive housing for previously homeless families, Gold Ridge Preschool, summer lunch program sites, special seasonal events and more.

We get particularly excited when partnering directly with Club members to distribute new dictionaries to local third graders. These lucky kids also go home with books of choice from our shelves that day. Another inspiring club endeavor is their “Backpack Program”, which provides groceries to underprivileged children in the community on Friday afternoon so that they and their families can have a nutritious meal over the weekend. Thank you for all you do, Rotary Club of Rohnert Park-Cotati!

With book donations on the rise and requests for our outreach services growing, it just made sense to expand the Free Bookmobile’s schedule beyond what our director/driver can perform on his own. Fortunately our friends at the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend charity group agree, and have offered a grant allowing us to put another driver on the road! This is wonderful news for all the children, families, and seniors who will benefit from these additional bookmobile visits throughout 2016, as well as for the future of the program. With an expansion of staff, we take the first steps toward building an important educational institution that will last beyond its founders. Watch this space for more on this exciting development.

Sonoma Wine Country Weekend (SWCW) is the county’s signature, and largest, charity event, bringing together over 200 of Sonoma’s top winemakers and growers, along with a collection of the area’s best chefs. Jointly produced by the Sonoma County Vintners and the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Foundation, all proceeds benefit local nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, SWCW has raised over $20 million for charities that help students, children, farm workers and people in need in our communities. They also have exciting news: a new partnership with Community Foundation Sonoma County. This collaboration leverages the Community Foundation’s non-profit charitable giving expertise with the vision and generosity of the Sonoma County wine industry. As the SWCW event continues to grow, the philanthropic impact will multiply and this collaboration ensures the fundraising has the greatest possible community impact.

“Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is an excellent example of mobilizing generosity to create community change,” said Elizabeth Brown, President & CEO, Community Foundation Sonoma County.  “We look forward to building on the successes of Fund the Future and the Community Grants Program by bringing our community knowledge, local partnerships and philanthropic expertise in support of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend’s mission.”