"Great wines for great causes" has been an important motto of our business and personal lives. Since we began farming our vineyard in 1985, we have donated and raised nearly $725 million to support charities, including our main cause, the Music Festival for Mental Health.
When Shari and Garen Staglin's son, Brandon, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1990, they realized that advancements in scientific research were vital to understanding mental illness. Rather than wait for a miracle, they started a non-profit organization on their own to raise funds for mental health research. With treatment and family support, Brandon was able to recover and since 1995 the Staglin family has been "changing the landscape from the Napa Valley to Washington, D.C. with sensational fundraisers on behalf of national mental health research."
The Music Festival for Mental Health at Staglin Family Vineyard has brought together generous chefs, wineries, top billed musicians and scientists to raise significant funds and awareness for the cause. Thanks to its donors and support from the National Institute for Mental Health, the Music Festival for Mental Health has raised over $135 million. These funds have resulted in research and treatment programs that have helped thousands of people.
Years of successful festivals have allowed the Music Festival for Mental Health to expand their reach by becoming the International Mental Health Research Organization or IMHRO. Founded by original Music Festival for Mental Health board members in the fall of 2008, IMHRO now supports additional fundraising events around the nation through the leadership of board members, advisors and scientists from around the world—all of them working toward the same goal: to find cures for mental illness within our lifetime.
IMHRO Music Festival For details and tickets for this year's Music Festival for Mental Health, September 10th, 2011 please visit our website. This year's line-up includes performer Dionne Warwick, Chef Nancy Silverton, Chef Michael Mina and 70 incredible cult wineries!
In 2010, IMHRO led the formation of a first-ever coalition among all major mental health organizations to raise awareness about mental illness with a Public Service Announcement. Produced by Ron Howard in Grand Central Station, the PSA featured Glenn Close, IMHRO members, the music of John Mayer, and a cameo of Brandon, Shari and Garen. View the PSA and learn more.
Now, Garen has joined with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy to co-chair the launch of One Mind for Research. This campaign will partner scientists, industry, and advocacy groups throughout the U.S. and beyond in a neuroscience "moonshot." Its aim: to dramatically reduce the nation's burden of brain disorder disability in the next ten years.