Working together is a successful venture

What: Art and Wine Festival
Who: Mother Lode Rehabilitation Enterprises and Placerville Kiwanis
Where: El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Mark D. Forni Building, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville
When: Saturday, Jan. 22, 6 to 9 p.m.
Cost: Tickets $30 each or $50 per couple
Information: 530-622-4848

It is a new year and a great way to start 2011 is sharing good food and wine, with old friends and new at the Art and Wine Festival — a joint effort of Mother Lode Rehabilitation Enterprises and Kiwanis International of Placerville.

The event on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. is the biggest fundraiser of the year for both organizations. The fundraising and fun take place in the Mark D. Forni Building at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville.

This is the eighth year of the wonderful partnership that MORE has forged with the Placerville Kiwanis — and the two organizations partner with many other organizations and businesses throughout El Dorado County.

To fund those efforts money needs to be generated and the Art and Wine event features a silent auction, a live auction, art from the Something MORE Gallery, appetizers from local restaurants and caterers, and wine tasting from some of El Dorado County's best wineries.

There's a lot of action packed into the three hours.

The music for the event is by Out of the Blue. This combo features many danceable and listening tunes.

A playhouse made for memories

This year Kiwanis members, Peter Wolfe and Lanny Langston of Imagination Theater are donating a children's playhouse. Wolfe, an architect, designed this wonderful playhouse and members of Kiwanis donated their time on Wednesday mornings to make Wolfe's vision a reality. The house is built in pieces so it can be unassembled and reassembled for easy transporting.

"This is like a Little Red Riding Hood cottage. We had to do something easy that a bunch of old guys from Kiwanis could build," Wolfe said.

The "old guys" are building a pretty swell place — a dream for children. It is large enough for children to stand in and play. There is also a small loft with a ladder. A lot of stage craft went into the design of the house —  so with its faux finishes it really does look like a cottage Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother might really live in. The house has solar lights and the windows have shutters that can close in order to keep the wolves and other critters.

"We had to make it take-apartable for transportation purposes. We will move it and re-install it at the person's house who buys it — and hopefully they'll pay lots of money for it. This was a great project. We (Imagination Theater) have the creative juices here to create something like this and we were able to provide a lot of the materials. It will only take us a couple of hours to install. We made it so it can sit on the ground or be put on a concrete slab," Wolfe said.

"I didn't do this alone. Lanny was part of this whole thing. Usually we try to upstage each other but he really has put a lot of work into this," Wolfe said laughing.

Langston said he hopes the creation of the playhouse for the Art and Wine Festival will become part of the annual event for the Kiwanis.

"This year the house is more for a little girl. Next year we want to build a house with a pirate theme for a little boy. And then will switch themes every year," said Wolfe.

Auction items

There are always so many different items in the silent and live auction and this year promises the same variety.

For those who are into fitness and exercise, the El Dorado Hills Sports Club in the Town Center in El Dorado Hills has donated a couple of great trial memberships. There is a indoor grill which is just perfect for year round grilling.

There are two tickets to the "Bring Out the Barrel" wine tasting event being held Jan. 29 and 30, at 29 wineries throughout El Dorado County. Winners of this great item will have the opportunity to enter the winemakers' cellars and taste what is being called an "extra ordinary vintage" from the barrel. They will be able to enjoy bottled vintages, light food pairings and special sales of wines.

While on the topic of wine — there's a wine trip for a group of 10 to 14 people on the Foothills Area Rapid Transit bus tour to four wineries during the Repeal of Prohibition celebration on Dec. 5, 2011. The lucky group gets to go to Boeger Winery, Wofford Acres Vineyards, Gold Hill Vineryards and David Girard Vineyards. They will have the opportunity to taste some great wine, join the wineries gourmet soup lines and celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition in style.

Included in the array of auction items is a framed, signed and numbered Kincade print from the Thomas Kincade Gallery in Placerville and a gift certificate from Red Hawk Casino. There's another gift certificate for a massage at Time Out Spa in Camino and a weekend night stay that includes breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express at Town Center in El Dorado Hills.

These are just a few of the great auction items.

The art

The wonderful artists from the Something MORE Creative Arts Program always wow the crowds at the Art and Wine Festival. Art is an expression from the soul — and this is true of the works of art created by the clients at MORE. It represents their world of colors and shapes, their dreams and their reality. It is often referred to as "outsider art" because it does not conform to what's expected.

The artwork is produced by artists with developmental disabilities. Most of the artists have had no formal art instruction and it is how it receives the designation as "outsider art."

Artists receives a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their art. Stop by the Something MORE Gallery to view the full range of creations produced by the artists in MORE's creative arts program. The works include sculpture, woodworking, jewelry — and even furniture — in addition to the colorful paintings that have come to be associated with the MORE artists.

According to their instructors, "It is raw. It is brave. It is uncompromising. It is Something MORE."

Placerville Kiwanis

It is hard to over-emphasize the impact Placerville Kiwanis has on the community. It supports many projects and non-profit organizations in the community and is a major force in improving the lives of many in El Dorado County.

Since the club was chartered in 1956 it has been active part of the community. Its members volunteer more than 3,000 hours each year at events like the Placerville Fishing Derby, the John M. Studebaker Wheelbarrow Race, the Holiday Food Basket give-away, Toys for Tots and much more.

The Kiwanis raise money in the community through the Art and Wine Festival, its annual Pasta Feed, the Wheelbarrow Race, the Home and Garden Show and wine sales.

The money it makes through these fundraisers go to help support important community services and programs. This includes the Academic Decathlon, the El Dorado County Court Appointed Special Advocates, El Dorado Early Childhood Counseling Center and other important programs.

Former Placerville mayor and city councilman Carl Hagan has been involved with the festival for years — both as a member of Kiwanis and as a member of the MORE board  of directors.

"This event is a great use of community collaboration. It allows artists, wineries and food establishments to display their wares in a positive setting. The venue also allows it to be displayed and enjoyed with great music and entertainment. Many local businesses underwrite the costs of the festival. That allows the proceeds from the event to be used out in the community," Hagan said.

Co-chair for the Art and Wine Festival is Paul Zappettini, he is also the advisor for the Edwin Markham School Builders Club in Placerville.

"The club will be volunteering at the Art and Wine Festival and the students are absolutely looking forward to serving at the event. This is such an incredible opportunity for the young people to give back to the community and see that they are part of the bigger picture — the bigger community," Zappettini said.

"This is our eighth annual opportunity to collaborate with MORE. It is a very successful event. Last year about 600 people attended the event. We have about 15 to 20 wineries and 15 to 20 eateries participate. It's a really nice El Dorado County event," Zappettini said.

"This is a great opportunity for Kiwanis and MORE to partner together to help the community. This is our major fundraiser to raise money so we can give back and help the community. We gave back more than $38,000 to the community through the Boys and Girls Club; Big Brothers, Big Sisters; the El Dorado Food Bank; Ag (agriculture) in the Classroom; and New Morning (youth and family services). We also support three Key Clubs at El Dorado High School, Ponderosa High School and Union Mine High School. We have a Builders Club at Markham middle school and the Aktion Club at MORE. We are also in the process of getting another Builders Club up and running at Gold Trail School," said Charlie Wiglesworth, Kiwanis president and co-chair of the event.

"Since Dec. 1, we have given out $8,000. And we are working on raising money for the Kiwanis Family House — it is one of those things that is dear to our hearts. It's on the grounds of UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and is for families of people with serious illnesses (and are being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento)," Wiglesworth said.

MORE

MORE is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting persons with disabilities. It was started by a group of parents, educators, rehabilitation professionals and concerned citizens and first began serving adults with disabilities in 1973.

The organization has grown from serving less than 10 persons to now more than 200 people on a daily basis. Its services include direct training in social, living and vocational skills.

The vision of MORE is for full inclusion in the community for people with disabilities. Its mission is to empower individuals with disabilities to enhance their quality of life and it offers a diverse and varied selection of programs to serve the needs of adults with disabilities. These programs include:

• Community Access Program — it provides a 1:4 staff to client ratio. Activities include basic living skills, social activities, vocational training, banking, survival reading, food service and other basic skills. The focus is on integration into the community and time is spent on outings to museums, cultural festivals, the theater, shopping, banking, volunteering and other community based activities.

• Creative Arts Program — clients get instruction in singing, music, painting, photography, drama and more. Their work is displayed in the Something MORE Art gallery and clients perform in several presentations throughout the year.

• Work Activity Program — the focus is on work and vocational training. MORE provides training in sorting, collating, assembly, packaging, grounds keeping, contract work and document destruction.

• Prevocational Training — works hand in hand with the Work Activity Program to provide training in social skills, job readiness, food service, DMV testing, public transportation training and many other life skills. Provides clients the opportunity to go into the community to do their banking, shopping and plan luncheon engagements with their peers.

• Personal Vocational Social Adjustment Services — specialized, time limited program that addresses any barriers a person might have to community employment. Clients receive one-on-one instruction and counseling to help them assimilate into the community.

• Supported Employment Program — provides a job coach to accompany the client to the job site and train them to do his/her job efficiently at no cost to the employer. Employers hiring or clients receive government credits for doing so. As job skills are learned the client works independently.

• Pathways Residential Home — a home to 12 adults with disabilities on their way to independent living in the community. Clients learn to cook, how to keep aparments clean, how to shop, important social skills, grooming and hygiene, and many other valuable independent learning skills. The curriculum includes outings in the community in addition to independent shopping and banking, using public transportation and taking care of medical and business appointments.

"We have also just started a new classics program for seniors with (developmental) disabilities. We are working with the county to find more effective ways of providing services to this special group of people," said Susie Davies, the executive director of MORE.

'This year for the Art and Wine Festival we will be showing a short film on the services that MORE offers its clients. Members of MORE's Aktion Club will be part of the video and it will be shot at MORE by a local filmmaking group called Cinema Caldera. They are very good and this is a very exciting thing for us," Davies said.

Cinema Caldera

The film promises to be a special treat — highlighting  the happenings at MORE. The film was made by independent filmmakers Stan Okumura, 23, and Darin Coelho, 33, of Cinema Caldera, a film production company located in Placerville.

In its commercial work the filmmakers inform, entertain and educate in order to promote different businesses and fields who want to serve the changing economic landscape in El Dorado County.

Okumura has a degree in film from University of California, Santa Cruz and Coelho graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a degree in English. Before college both filmmakers graduated from El Dorado High School in Placerville, along with their other partner, Adam Partain, 23, who does videography and does Cinema Caldera's accounting. The film company works with local non-rofits to create documentary narratives that tell the public about the organization.

The filmmakers spent a day at MORE filming the clients as they went about their daily activities. The final piece will be a client run feature with the clients supplying the narrative for the film. The film will make its debut during the Art and Wine Festival before the auction.

The filmmakers recently made a short narrative film called "New Morning," that they made for New Morning Youth and Family Services in Placerville. They said they were honored to produce the outreach film that will serve El Dorado County —  especially at-risk youth. They have also produced films for wineries and the El Dorado Community Foundation and have collaborated with the Vision Coalition in El Dorado Hills and worked with high school students to create public service announcements.

For more information about Cinema Caldera call 530-417-1745.

Sponsors

The El Dorado Art and Wine Festival is sponsored by Umpqua Bank, El Dorado Disposal, PG&E , Union Bank, Windfall, and Wells Fargo.

Tickets are $30 each and $50 per couple. They are available at three different locations in Placerville. Carl Hagan Insurance, 183 Placerville, Minuteman Press, 2861 Ray Lawyer Drive and MORE, 399 Placerville Drive.

For more  information call 530-622-4848.