SONOMA (California) INDEX-TRIBUNE

December 28, 2007

Vineyard Workers Services ready for new year

By Sandi Hansen INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

It would be hard to find two more enthusiastic, focused and dedicated people heading up Vineyard Workers Services in Sonoma Valley than VWS Executive Director Kenneth Ramirez and Outreach Worker Mario Castillo.

Both men are passionate about the organization's commitment to providing the farm-worker community with human needs, including suitable housing, health-care resources and opportunities for ongoing education.

"Most of the seasonal people who come to the Valley are looking for work as opposed to already having a job here. Many think that all they need is a job, but they need much more than that," said Castillo, 32, who has been at VWS for a year. "When a vineyard worker comes in here, we look at the whole picture, meaning the family too, because everything is connected."

Vineyard Workers Services was started more than 10 years ago as a grassroots effort to do something about the lack of shelter for seasonal workers sleeping in fields, cars, garages and streets.

There was no organized structure to it. But, as the needs of the people grew, so did the organization, said Ramirez, 38, who has been with VWS for nine months. "Now we have some state and federal funding for certain things, and we work in partnership with other groups, including the Migrant Program, which provides education, emergency food, clothing and certain health needs such as eyeglasses," Ramirez said.

VWS also runs a Farm Worker Resource Center (Centro de Recursos para Trabajadores del Campo) and gives referrals for finding work and/or training, legal advice, immigration information, translation, transportation and education.

Recently the center, located in Boyes Hot Springs, activated two new donated computers, sponsored by St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, that the public can use for accessing information on jobs, tutorials, health services and educational purposes.

Both Ramirez and Castillo are proud of VWS's ability to offer an ongoing GED program (general equivalency diploma), through their partnership with Mendocino Community College in Santa Rosa which helps migrant workers get their high school diplomas.

The program's first graduating class had 18 students, who attended a three-hour evening session weekly from July through October this year.

Every one of the 18 people received diplomas. The second class is currently under way and has 12 students enrolled. Many of the seasonal workers come here with little education because a number of them have had to quit school at an early age to work to provide money for their families.

Castillo said education is a very important goal in connecting people  with VWS. "When the seasonal workers get an education they become more in charge of their lives and can bring more to the community. Education also gives them leadership, advocacy and organizational skills," said Castillo.

One of the biggest and most difficult projects Vineyard Workers Services undertakes each year is the setting up of two seasonal housing camps, La Posada (The Inn) and La Posadita (The Little Inn) for 56 migrant farmworkers during the annual grape harvest. The camps are on grounds adjacent to St. Leo's Catholic Church in Agua Caliente and on Eighth Street East. They are supported through the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, the Vadasz Family Foundation and individual donors.

This year, according to Ramirez, VWS received a grant from the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, a statewide organization in Sacramento dealing with health and housing issues for agricultural employees. The seasonal camps utilize housing units - modular buildings that house four workers each and contain showers, bathrooms and cooking facilities - that have been available for the past five years, said Ramirez. "Before that, we didn't have the money or the luxury of modular units and we operated basically from hand to mouth."

The units have to be moved by large tractor-trailer from their storage facility in Napa to Sonoma Valley each year, and the camps have to pass rigorous permit and inspection processes. "The rules have gotten tighter this year. It's basically like opening up a new hotel each time. It's a tricky business that takes money, resources, hard work and a lot of planning," Ramirez said. He credited 1st District Supervisor Valerie Brown for being "very supportive" of the project from the beginning.

Castillo, who is in charge of the camps, will begin in January the process of preparing the two locations with the goal of being ready for move-in by Aug. 1.

It takes about a week to move the units to their Valley locations. Then VWS has to bring in electricity, purify the water and set up and test the sewage system. "It's a big challenge," Castillo said. The camps will have resident 24-hour supervision during their operation and will remain open until Nov. 1 when the agricultural season winds down.

Another big project in the works at VWS is the Poder Popular Program (popular power), funded through the California Endowment and the California Human Development Corporation with support from St. Joseph's Health Center. Poder Popular is an international health fair that takes place in Latin countries in the fall when free health services are provided to citizens.

Last year, the first one took place at Flowery Elementary School and had 20 countywide agencies represented, including Santa Rosa Junior College, Planned Parenthood, Migrant Education and Sonoma Valley Health Center, among others. Ramirez said this year's event will take place for two weeks in October at Flowery school in Boyes Hot Springs.

Other events planned for 2008 are a visit from the Mexican Consulate where prior appointments have been set for workers wanting Mexican IDs and passports. And on Sept. 16, there is the big alcohol-free Mexican Independence Day celebration on the Plaza. It's a day filled with pride, connection with heritage and interaction with the local community.

After years of hard work and struggle, Vineyard Workers Services is now a force in the Valley.

The organization deals effectively with the social, political and emotional issues of providing for seasonal workers who labor long, hard hours in an agricultural industry that produces world-class wine from Sonoma Valley. "We have earned back the respectability and credibility that VWS needed to have," Ramirez said, adding, "We've solidified our presence in the community and stabilized our ability to sustain ourselves and provide the services that are needed. Also we have the ability to take on new challenges."