Dinner and auction at Quintessa Winery raises funds for Napa Valley health center.
A dinner and auction at Quintessa Winery on September 19th raised $2 million of the $5 million needed to buy and expand OLE Health Foundation’s St. Helena health center. The nonprofit OLE Health, which provides healthcare for Napa Valley residents and workers regardless of insurance status, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. What impressed me the most while researching a 2022 Napa Valley Life piece that included the foundation were the stories of individuals, often at their most vulnerable moments, whose lives the organization’s services substantially improved.
Pre-Dinner Sips
Several upvalley favorites poured wines at the welcome reception before the dinner and auction, among them Spottswoode of St. Helena and Schramsberg of Calistoga.
A sommelier pal on the scene recommended another familiar Napa name, Phelps. In this instance, he meant Will (grandson of Joseph Phelps), now of Hensel West Wines. Ashley Hepworth, formerly of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, made the wines from grape sources long associated with Will’s family. The 2024 Hyde Vineyard Syrah was a particular hit with our party.
Expansion Goals
In a video shown as the main event commenced, patients and staffers described OLE’s service to the community. More to the evening’s point were tales providers told illustrating the need for an expanded facility. One said she sometimes conducts patient meetings in her car, the only way to ensure privacy. Another said staffers often have lunch in the waiting room because there’s nowhere else to sit.
Darioush Khaledi of Darioush Winery was this year’s recipient of OLE Health’s John Shafer Visionary Award, presented by vintner Naoko Dalla Valle.
OLE Health Background
A little background from the press release announcing the dinner and auction:
“This year’s event also serves as the kickoff of a $5 million capital campaign to support the recently announced purchase and expansion of OLE Health’s St. Helena health center in the heart of downtown at 1222 Pine Street. All proceeds from the Vida OLE! 2026 events will go toward providing a permanent home for the clinic and nearly doubling its capacity with added exam rooms, dedicated behavioral health consultation spaces, team spaces, and enhanced amenities for the more than 5,000 patients served each year.
“When nearly six in ten Up Valley residents rely on OLE Health for primary care, our St. Helena center is essential to our mission of ensuring everyone has access to high-quality care close to home,” said Naoko Dalla Valle, Chair of the OLE Health Foundation Board of Directors.”
