Healthcare Foundation Hosts Noche de Amor on June 3, 2023

Healdsburg, CA, May 24, 2023 – The Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County will host its annual fundraiser, NOCHE DE AMOR, in support of the Foundation’s granting and programming designed to eliminate health inequities in northern Sonoma County.

NOCHE DE AMOR, a benefit for community health, will take place outdoors on Saturday, June 3, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm in the beautiful piazza of Healdsburg’s Bacchus Landing and will feature live music by solo reggaeton singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist La Doña, and by Mónica María, in addition to tempting Latin-inspired dishes and drinks from local purveyors. 

The festive night will also feature a live Fund-a-Need event led by Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire and Healdsburg Mayor Ariel Kelley in support of the Healthcare Foundation’s health equity initiatives—including its innovative Mental Health Talent Pipeline scholarship program, which is increasing much-needed access to bilingual/bicultural mental health professionals for our region’s Spanish-speaking communities.

Over the last three years, the Healthcare Foundation has distributed over 200 grants—including dozens of flexible, emergency and general operating grants—to exceptional local nonprofits, with an emphasis on organizations that make vital use of, and support Community Health Workers/Promotores. The press release detailing the Healthcare Foundation’s most recent round of grants in March 2023 is available here: healthcarefoundation.net/uplifting-community-health-workers/

The Healthcare Foundation has also made significant investments in upstream interventions such as the Community Wellness Center convenings in Cloverdale and Windsor (and coming soon to Healdsburg), as well as a new Bicultural Clinical training program that furthers the impact of our Mental Health Talent Pipeline.

Local news conveys the stark story of how the pandemic continues to impact our most vulnerable community members – including youth, families with young children, people of color, LGBTQI youth and adults, and isolated elders. Their recovery and wellbeing require our collective spirit, creativity and aid. NOCHE DE AMOR is part of a collective effort to further health equity in our region to meet these ongoing challenges.

“We are thrilled to be celebrating our collective achievements in person with our community of supporters, partners, colleagues and friends in a spirit of gratitude and solidarity,” said Healthcare Foundation Executive Director Kim Bender. “It’s truly a love fest, and testimony to what we can accomplish together in making our region a healthier, more equitable home for all who live and work here.”

NOCHE DE AMOR sponsorships start at $1,000 and accommodate four guests, and individual tickets are $300. Donations of any amount will count toward our Fund-a-Need. The generous commitments of NOCHE DE AMOR sponsors, ticket purchasers and donors support much more than a festive event: They are a powerful investment in the future of community wellbeing in northern Sonoma County. More information and a complete list of NOCHE DE AMOR sponsors can be found at: healthcarefoundation.net/noche23

What: 2023 Noche de Amor community celebration and fundraiser

When: Saturday, June 3, 2023, 6:00 to 10:00 pm

Where: Bacchus Landing, 14210 Bacchus Landing Way, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Who: Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire; Healdsburg Mayor Ariel Kelley; Healthcare Foundation Board Chair Courtney Cochran; Executive Director Kim Bender; with inspirational testimonials from On the Margins CEO Dr. Daniela Dominguez and Mental Health Talent Pipeline participant Jennifer Oseguera Chavez.

Press can be accommodated by contacting Kim Bender at kbender@healthcarefoundation.net or 707.395.4924

For more information: healthcarefoundation.net/events/noche-de-amor-2023/ 

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About the live musical performers

La Doña, born Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea in San Francisco, is a solo reggaeton singer, songwriter and multi- instrumentalist. The Chicana artist began her career at age 7 playing trumpet, and later strings and percussion in her family’s conjunto. She also played in a youth salsa band and a Balkan fusion band before synthesizing her unique upbringing in her original compositions. La Doña combines her deep roots in Latin folk traditions like corridos and rumba with the propulsive modern sounds of reggaeton, cumbia, and hip hop. La Doña coined the term “Femmeton” to describe her auto-referential songs about love, sex, gentrification, and the radical joys of being a queer brown woman in the Bay Area. An activist and educator, La Doña’s catalog is eclectic, fresh, and urgent. La Doña was chosen as one of YouTube’s Foundry Artists and has performed recently at Tecate’s “El Patio” and Redbull’s “EEUU de Bass.” Her song, “Quién Me La Paga” was the first of the New York Times Magazine’s “19 Songs that Matter Now,” for 2020, and her EP, Algo Nuevo, was selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 6 best albums of 2020. La Doña was awarded the 2020 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival Mini-Commission, and continues to make music. More at: ladona415.com

Mónica María‘s music reflects her Californian roots mixed with traditional, earthly and contemporary sounds of Latin America. A vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, her songs are innovative and expressive of a world where cultures coexist, where fear is transformed by compassion, where we learn to truly love ourselves, and where we view the world from an empathetic and holistic state of mind. More at: monicamariamusic.com

About the Healthcare Foundation

Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County connects people and resources to promote wellness in underserved communities. We do this by supporting nonprofits in the areas of access to healthcare and mental healthcare, with a vision of eliminating health inequities in our region. The organization’s values center on community, compassion, and equity. All of our strategies support equitable access to culturally sensitive healthcare and mental health services, and promote overall community wellness. Founded in 2001, the Healthcare Foundation has invested more than $23 million to build a healthier region for all who live, work and play in northern Sonoma County. For more information, visit healthcarefoundation.net.

• Instagram: @healthcarefoundation
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Media Contact: Mary Ott, Development Director
(707) 542-4625
mott@healthcarefoundation.net