Fund The Future and Transform Education with Innovation
SILICON VALLEY, CA. (February 28, 2018) – The Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Education Foundation (SCMWEF) proudly presents the fourth annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction Weekend – held in Saratoga, California from May 19-20, 2018. Proceeds will benefit the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute and Elevate [MATH] programs of Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), the Oxford Day Academy, the Krause Center of Innovation Merit Program, and SCMWEF.
Launched in 2014 by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation and the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, the Silicon Valley Wine Auction (SVWA) showcases the diversity of the valley – from a long and storied history in growing premium handcrafted local wine to a social and business ethos that champions innovative and transformative education. The Silicon Valley Wine Auction has raised over $2.5 M to support innovative and transformative educational programs, initiatives, and activities benefiting children in our community.
On Saturday, May 19, 2018 we roll out the barrels for an evening of celebration, wine and giving at Eden Estates, the private home of John Couch, Vice President of Education, Apple. On Sunday, May 20 wine enthusiasts are invited to join 45 Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers at the Taste of the Mountains Grand Tasting extravaganza at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga to enjoy wine from some of the world’s most recognized wineries.
“The Silicon Valley Wine Auction is a great way to find out more about a “best kept secret” – the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It showcases the excellent high quality winemaking taking place in the Silicon Valley area while funding innovative and transformative education so that we continue to advance innovators and mavericks in the valley” said Mark Vernon, president of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation. He added, “Our region is at the heart of technology and innovation. As maverick winemakers, we pair well with the social innovators of the Silicon Valley”.
For 2018 the Silicon Valley Wine Auction has two new beneficiaries. The Oxford Day Academy – utilizing one of the worlds’ oldest and most successful educational methods – transforms the traditional public high school model by engaging and developing intelligent, compassionate young leaders with the character, ability, and passion they need to create positive change in the world. The Krause Center of Innovation Merit Program – teaching teachers by offering more exciting content, livelier methods, and more creative ways to reach their students via innovative technology.
Top Sponsors for 2017 included: Brocade Communications Systems, DJM Capital Partners, 49ers Foundation, House Family Vineyards, Kahng Foundation, Judy Bruner, Ferris Capital, Brenner Financial Services, Flex, First Tech Federal Credit Union, PwC, Patty Hatter & Gregg Ekberg, The Krause Foundation, ID345, Kings Mountain Vineyards, The Core Companies, John Couch, The Markkula Foundation.
Notable auction items for 2017 included a private Space X Rocket Factory Tour; a corvette car racing experience at Ron Fellows Spring Mountains driving school; a Diventure trip with Manuel Lazcano; private winemaker dinners with Big Basin Vineyards, House Family Vineyards, Mount Eden Vineyards, and Ridge Vineyards; exclusive wine lots, and a VIP destination get away in the Mexican Rivera.
Tickets for the Taste of the Mountains Grand Wine Tasting range from $95 – $145 per person and a table at the Wine Auction Dinner is $10,000 per table. Early bird pricing for the Taste of the Mountains Grand Wine Tasting is available until April 1st for $75-$125 per person.
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to siliconvalleywineauction.org. To become a sponsor or participate in the Silicon Valley Wine Auction Weekend contact megan@svwa.org.
About SCMWEF
The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation is the nonprofit body of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, an alliance of more than 70 wineries promoting wines produced from the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation, federally recognized in 1981. The Santa Cruz Mountains appellation was among the first to be defined by mountain topography, following the fog line along the coast to include the highest vineyards on the ridge tops-some as high as 2600 feet elevation. The region encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountains range and extends from Woodside in the north to Watsonville in the south; and from Monterey Bay along the coast to Silicon Valley inland.
The goal of SCMWEF is to invest deeply in areas of Children’s education and health research to create a positive impact in our local communities.
For more information, contact SCMWEF, phone (831) 685-8463, or visit www.svwa.org.
About SVEF
Silicon Valley Education Foundation is a nonprofit resource and advocate for students and educators. We drive scholastic achievement in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by combining resources and partnerships to provide innovative academic programs. We are a catalyst for policy solutions in public education. Our mission is to make Silicon Valley the leader in academically prepared students. www.svefoundation.org.
About Oxford Day Academy
Help launch a charter school for students who’ve fallen three or four grade levels behind in East Palo Alto schools. Using one of the world’s oldest and most successful educational methods, the Oxford tutorial, students start their day with chess and study astrophysics, design mini wind turbines, practice drumming, gather real-world experiences. The education’s tailored to each student’s needs, interactive, and global in its reach. www.oxforddayacademy.org
About Krause Center for Innovation Merit Program
Teach teachers, and you increase your results exponentially. The Krause Center of Innovation researched the best way to use and translate the latest tech in the classroom. Now, with your help, the premier MERIT program (Making Education Relevant and Interactive Through Technology) is sharing that expertise, offering teachers more exciting content, livelier methods, and more creative ways to reach their students. Strengthen their skills, and you strengthen the economy for all of us. www.krauseinnovationcenter.org
