Vintners & Growers awards $5,000 in college scholarships

The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance recently awarded $5,000 in scholarship funds to the college-bound children of Sonoma Valley winery or vineyard employees.
“The SVVGA college scholarship program is a great way for us to help deserving area high school students from the very families that make up our grapes and wine industry,” said Norm Goldstein, who is the community outreach chairperson for the SVVGA and responsible for interviewing the scholarship applicants.
This year’s graduates and their affiliations include: Karyna Avina, Moon Mountain Vineyard; Dylan Hamilton, Ravenswood Winery; Jacquelyn Little, Little Vineyards Family Winery; Michael Mulas, Mulas Family Vineyards; Jameson Christopher Poppic Reeves, Benziger Family Winery; Jessica Schimm, Muscardini Cellars; Shelly Tolbert, Amapola Creek Winery.
“Our daughter was thrilled to get the scholarship,” said Alice Schimm, mother of Jessica Schimm, who is headed for San Francisco State in the fall.  “With recent cutbacks, scholarships were harder to come by and this one from the SVVGA was a generous offer, so we’re all very pleased.”
Over the past six years, the SVVGA has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships money to high school seniors who have at least one parent employed by a winery or vineyard within the Sonoma Valley appellation.
The SVVGA is a unique non-profit organization. Hundreds of vintners and growers share a mission to promote Sonoma Valley wines and grapes, support cooperation and collaboration among vintners and growers, and develop community awareness of the industry. In 16 years, the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction, produced by the SVVGA, has raised over $6 million to benefit Sonoma Valley charities. For more information on the SVVGA, call 707.935.0803 or visit SonomaValleyWine.com.