A Night at 3 Steves Winery for Tri-Valley Haven

Some evenings remind you why you live where you live. Tonight was one of them. I spent the evening at 3 Steves Winery in Livermore, surrounded by vineyards, good people, and a shared purpose: helping Tri-Valley Haven expand its shelter.

My amazing friend Mony Nop co-emceed. Mony is the president of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley, and has a gift for bringing a room together. The room was full of Rotarians from both Livermore clubs and from clubs throughout the Tri-Valley. It was neighbors and friends showing up for neighbors they may never meet.

Where Tri-Valley Haven Came From

Tri-Valley Haven's story starts with one person who saw a need. Cathie Brown was a probation officer who saw the effect domestic violence was having on families in our community. She realized there was nowhere for women to go when they needed to get out. In March 1977, she organized a public meeting at the Livermore Rec Center. A board of directors came out of that meeting, and in June 1977, Tri-Valley Haven for Women was incorporated as a nonprofit.

In those early days there was no building. Board members and volunteers answered crisis calls from their own garages and homes. Some survivors stayed in volunteers' homes. The community raised money any way it could, with bake sales, garage sales, donation drives, and, fittingly, wine tastings. On March 20, 1978, the Haven bought a six-bed home to shelter survivors.

The Haven's own history is honest about how hard it was. There were times the organization almost went under, and times when there wasn't enough money for copy paper. But it endured. The Haven credits Cathie Brown, Dawn Matheny, Nora Silver, Helen Meier, and Ann King among the women who laid its foundation.

What the Haven Does Today

What began as a volunteer crisis line now serves adults and children who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or homelessness across the Tri-Valley. Over the decades, its work has grown:

• 1981: The Rape Crisis Center opened.
• 1983: A larger housing facility was purchased.
• 1996: The Community Service Building was completed.
• 1999: A Legal Services Clinic began helping survivors get restraining orders.
• 2001–2002: At the request of Alameda County, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Dublin, the Haven took over the homeless shelter and food pantry, and reopened the shelter as Sojourner House.
• 2003: The Every Child Counts parenting support program began.
• 2013: The Haven started providing crisis counseling and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault in Santa Rita Jail and FCI Dublin, and took over the thrift store.
• 2016: A program for survivors of human trafficking was added.
• 2018: The Haven won Domestic Violence Housing First and transitional housing contracts.
• 2020: It bought another property to expand transitional housing for families.

In the Haven's own words, it offers "hope and assistance including shelter, food, advocacy and counseling," and "someone in your neighborhood may be alive because the Haven was there to help." Its mission is simple and powerful: creating homes safe from abuse and building a more peaceful society, "one person, one family, one community at a time."

Why the Shelter Expansion Matters

As an educator and school leader, I think about this work through the eyes of kids. A child who doesn't know where they'll sleep tonight, or who is living with violence at home, can't fully show up to learn. Safe housing isn't separate from education; it's the foundation for it. When Tri-Valley Haven expands its shelter, it expands the number of families who get a fresh start, and the number of kids who can walk into a classroom ready to grow.

That's why tonight's goal of raising money to expand the shelter means so much. The Haven began in 1978 with a six-bed home paid for with bake sales and wine tastings. Nearly fifty years later, our community gathered at a Livermore winery to help write its next chapter. There's something beautiful about that.

The Live Auction (and a Certain Crate)

Every good fundraiser has a live auction moment people talk about. Tonight, it was Auction Item #1: an entire crate of "Hot Liquor." I'm told some crazy person donated it. I couldn't possibly tell you who would do something like that. I'll just say whoever it was clearly has excellent taste and a questionable sense of restraint. 😇 Most importantly, it got the paddles going for a great cause.

Thank You, Rotary

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: being a Rotarian is truly special ❤️. Rotary puts "Service Above Self" into practice. Tonight that meant friends from both Livermore clubs and across the Tri-Valley spending their evening making sure survivors in our community have a safe place to go.

Thank you to Tri-Valley Haven for nearly five decades of courage, to 3 Steves Winery for hosting us so beautifully, to Mony Nop for co-emceeing with heart and humor, and to every Rotarian and neighbor who raised a paddle.

If you'd like to support Tri-Valley Haven, visit trivalleyhaven.org. If you or someone you know needs help, the Haven's 24-hour crisis line is 1-800-884-8119.