The Honorable Leader Nancy Pelosi and Diane Disney Miller to be awarded at ceremony Friday, March 4 during CabFest Napa Valley on the grounds of the largest Veterans Home in the US, for support of MINES TO VINES which replaces minefields with vineyards across the globe
(Napa Valley, CALIF.) – Roots of Peace, a global humanitarian non-profit which facilitates the eradication of landmines and trains farmers to cultivate agricultural land for market and export worldwide, is a CabFest Napa Valley partner. As part of the opening night of CabFest Napa Valley set to begin this Friday, March 4 and last through Sunday, March 6 at the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater located on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, Roots of Peace will present two Global Citizen Awards at a ceremony during the CabFest Napa Valley kick-off concert by recording artist Mat Kearney. CabFest Napa Valley is the signature annual event and fundraiser for the theater and all of the arts, community building and educational initiatives that are part of the non-profit arts organization’s mission.
2016 Roots of Peace Global Citizen Award recipients will include the House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, an early supporter of Roots of Peace who attended the launch of the non-profit at San Francisco’s World Trade Center in 1998, and will be recognized in person at CabFest for her lasting support.
“It is an honor to receive the Roots of Peace Global Citizen Award,” Leader Pelosi said. “By cultivating peace and prosperity in post-conflict regions, Roots of Peace changes lives. We are grateful for their commitment and courage in replacing landmines with a legacy of love and hope.”
The late Diane Disney Miller, a Napa Valley vintner and daughter of Walt Disney, will also be honored posthumously with the award presented to her family, for her generous contributions which transformed a minefield in Afghanistan to a sustainable agricultural space. Disney Miller also donated clear landmines in Ilok, Croatia, along the Danube River, in honor of her dear friend, Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich and his homeland.
For decades, leading visionary vintners such as these have turned the Roots of Peace idea into reality: Robert and Margrit Mondavi, Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich, Violet Grgich, Austin and Sara Hills, Erika Hills, Shirley and Paul Dean and Diane Disney Miller.
In tribute to the Napa Valley legends of the vine—Mondavi, Grgich, Hills, Dean and Disney Miller—in another presentation, the PeaceBuilder Charter will be presented to their children to recognize the
humanitarian efforts of each family. “Today, there are still millions of active landmines in over 60 countries. From the heart of the Napa Valley, we seek to remove these ‘seeds of terror’’ from the earth and literally plant the roots of peace in Vietnam and worldwide,” said Heidi Kuhn, Roots of Peace Founder/CEO.
Roots of Peace Timeline:
- September 1997, leading California vintners supported the vision of Heidi Kuhn, Founder/CEO, to turn MINES TO VINES worldwide.
- April 1998, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi joined the Roots of Peace launch at the World Trade Center in San Francisco with Mrs. Nane (Kofi) Annan, wife of the former United Nations Secretary-General
- May 1999, Robert and Margrit Mondavi hosted the initial Roots of Peace MINES TO VINES fundraiser in their private dining room which raised over $30,000.
- May 2000, Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich returned to his homeland of Croatia with Heidi Kuhn, Founder/CEO, Roots of Peace and her then 13-year-old daughter, Kyleigh Kuhn, to remove landmines and restore vineyards. An estimated 1.2 million landmines/UXO remained in Croatia after The Balkan War. Today, landmines in the vineyards of Croatia have been eliminated, and it is now a top tourist destination due to the support of Napa Valley vintners who generously invested in Roots of Peace.
- 2003, Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, and Owner of Silverado Vineyards, supported the efforts of Roots of Peace by generously donating funds to turn MINES TO VINES in the Shomali Valley, located north of Kabul, Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Roots of Peace has planted over 5 million fresh fruit trees on former war-torn lands–doubling the income of Afghan families. Working in partnership with the UN Mine Action Service, U.S. Department of State, Office of Political Military Affairs, Weapons Removal and Abatement, these landmines / UXO’s were safely removed. Through funding from USAID, USDA, DOD, ADB, GTZ and The World Bank, Roots of Peace has trained over 1 million farmers to grow fresh grapes and other agricultural crops in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan–provide food security and sustainable peace through agriculture.
- 2007, Shirley & Paul Dean, Owners, Spiriterra Vineyards, began donating barrels of fine California wines to monetize for landmine removal. Together, they raised funds to remove landmines in The Fields of Bethlehem–a Muslim village located 4 miles from The Manger, where eight children died from landmine/UXO incidents. Roots of Peace worked with both Israelis and Palestinians, as they removed the remnants of war together in an “act of peace.”
CabFest Napa Valley is a celebration of the finest red grapes produced by over 100 proud California vintners, a fitting occasion for celebrating the contributions to Roots of Peace. The work continues as Roots of Peace Founder and CEO Heidi Kuhn will travel to Vietnam with ABC7 News Anchor Cheryl Jennings next week, on March 8, 2016. Today, there are millions of landmines/UXO/cluster munition in Quang Tri province, located along the former DMZ in Vietnam. Roots of Peace is partnering to remove these remnants of war for the sake of the children and future generations to live in peace. Over 2000 proud Vietnamese farmers are now working with Roots of Peace to grow fresh pepper on former minefields–increasing their income by over 500%.
CabFest Napa Valley provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the excellence that comes from the earth when nurtured and cultivated, in contrast to the lethal harvest of landmines. CabFest Napa Valley will bring over 100 Napa Valley wines to the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville, as they stand in proud partnership with Roots of Peace to turn MINES TO VINES–turning blood to wine, minefields into vineyards–for the sake of the children and future generations to walk in peace. Helping to share the story of this important collaboration is BayArea.com.
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About Roots of Peace
Roots of Peace was founded in September 1997, following the death of the late Princess Diana of Wales who catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda. Since then, Roots of Peace has turned MINES TO VINES in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Vietnam. The Roots of Peace Grove was established at the Veterans Home of California in Yountville on Veterans Day in 2011 (11-11-11), as six redwood trees were planted by young landmine survivor, Daniel Yuval, age 12, who lost his leg to a landmine in the Golan Heights. These deep roots continue to grow, as we honor veterans who lost limbs to landmines during the past six wars.
About CabFest Napa Valley 2016
CabFest Napa Valley is a luxury lifestyle celebration of wine, food and entertainment, created to attract a wide audience to the Napa Valley during the Cabernet Season and simultaneously benefit local arts education. The inaugural CabFest Napa Valley attracted more than 2,000 patrons, with 70% of the attendees traveling from outside the area (17 states and more than three countries). For tickets, or to participate or sponsor, visit CabFestNapaValley.com or call 707.944.9900. Tickets are also available at the Lincoln Theater Box Office at 100 California Drive in Yountville, California from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information visit CabFestNapaValley.com. Like CabFest on Facebook and Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
CabFest Napa Valley 2016 Sponsors
Genesis Luxury Vehicles, Cigar Aficionado Magazine, Comcast Spotlight, Wine Spectator Magazine, The Spire Collection’s Napa Valley wines (Cardinale, Captûre, Galerie, La Jota, Lokoya, Mt. Brave), Spiriterra Napa Valley Estate, Karen MacNeil – Napa, Yelp, O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Bank of Stockton, County of Napa, Michael Mondavi Family Estate, Pellet Estate, Shadowbox Cellars, Eagle Eye, Joseph Carr, Coquerel, Hendry Estate, Town of Yountville, Riedel Crystal, San Francisco Magazine, Napa Sonoma Magazine, 7×7 Magazine, Sonoma Magazine, Napa Valley Life, CA Home + Design, GEV Magazine, The Tasting Panel Magazine, The Clever Root, The SOMM Journal, The Luxury Marketing Council, Napa Valley Film Festival, Festival Napa Valley, Visit Napa Valley, BayArea.com, Heritage Eats, Ad Hoc + Addendum and Hurley’s Restaurant and Bar.
About the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater
The Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater is a non-profit performing arts organization dedicated to the cultural and artistic education and well-being of the Napa Valley. The Performing Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences through extensive arts education programs, while sustaining a more vibrant and engaged community, through initiatives ranging from presenting world-renowned artists and producing Symphony Napa Valley, to creating and sustaining arts education and access programs in schools, to producing arts and culture education and outreach on site at Lincoln Theater.
