Napa's Vida Valiente Foundation merges wine with educational philanthropy to aid first-gen students

NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The Vida Valiente Foundation in Napa County gives first-generation college students a chance to thrive. The foundation's mission is to support students that come from tough socioeconomic backgrounds with mentorship and scholarships during their undergraduate education at Stanford University.

"What we wanted to be able to do is create this community around them, the support system around them, knowing that they absolutely deserve their spot there, and that we would do whatever we can to help them along their journey," said Susana Cueva Drumwright, proprietor of the Vida Valiente Foundation.

Susana and her husband Hayes founded Vida Valiente Estate and its corresponding Foundation, and support 25 students a year.

"Right now, we have 119 scholars actively in the program, and after the summer, we'll have over 200, which we support in perpetuity until they graduate from Stanford," she said.

In addition the work they do with the foundation, the Drumwrights also run a winery in St. Helena and the two endeavors are connected. $100 from each bottle sale of The Movement, a Cabernet Sauvignon blend, directly supports the Vida Valiente Foundation.

"People that are very entrepreneurial or starting off as the first person in their family to go to college and forging that path. I think there's a lot of similarities and that sort of passion, and I think people get really excited about that. And so that's why I believe that the combination of wine and the foundation has really come together to create something very magical," said Susana.

First-generation college students that have been admitted to Stanford can contact the foundation and learn more about its offerings by visiting their website.