Mauritson and Palmer pair for Project Zine
The Fourth Annual Project Zin exceeded expectations and brought in more than $75,000, their highest grossing total ever. The fundraiser, put on by winemaker Clay Mauritson and Chef Charlie Palmer, took place on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Hotel Healdsburg. All 200 tickets for the event were sold out for the second year in a row.
Attendees were treated to upscale Zinfandels paired with food from Chef Palmer and other top Sonoma County chefs. There was a silent auction as well as a paddle-raise auction. All proceeds netted from the event go to the nonprofit organization Down Syndrome Association North Bay (DSANB).
The event is the brainchild of Mauritson, who is on the DSANB board.
“Anytime the community can come together and give back provides a wonderful, uplifting feeling for everyone in the community, and this event would not be a shadow of what it is without the unbelievable support of the participating restaurants and wineries,” Mauritson said.
There were 21 winemakers at the fundraiser, a nod to trisomy 21, the formal name for Down syndrome, which occurs when there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. Eleven restaurants joined the mix, and the food and wine were all donated.
Diane Hobaugh, board president of DSANB, said that Project Zin is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the association, which is run by volunteers, and relies on donations, grants and fundraisers.
“We appreciate the openness and the support of everyone,” Hobaugh said. “We’re all about awareness and spreading the goodness of individuals with Down syndrome and their capabilities.”
With the funds raised from Project Zin, DSANB is able to provide many programs and services. These include information for new and expecting parents, an annual family camp, greeting families in hospitals or homes, monthly enrichment events such as classes in music, art, dancing and gymnastics, educational seminars, social events like bowling and dances, and holiday family dinners.
The association develops individuals with Down syndrome and helps their families along the way, at no cost to the families that are a part of the organization, Hobaugh said.
“There are no membership costs, once a family is diagnosed with a child with Down syndrome in utero, we’re there for them and we’re there for the families through life. There is no age limit,” Hobaugh said.
Mauritson said he organized the first Project Zin after his 6-year-old son Brady was diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2010.
At the time DSANB was a support group of families dealing with Down syndrome.
“My wife and I wanted to get involved and give back, and we started to conceptualize Project Zin,” Mauritson said.
Charlie Palmer, a friend of Mauritson, was a catalyst for Project Zin. After Brady’s diagnosis, Palmer told Mauritson that when he was ready, Palmer would help him in any way he could. Mauritson said that it took about six months before he and his wife Carrie started to think about what they could do, and they went to Palmer and brainstormed.
“We couldn’t do it without his support and use of the hotel property,” Mauritson said. “All the wineries and restaurants that participate are really what make it happen.”
Project Zin ultimately helps the association closer to their goal of raising $1,000,000 for therapies that benefit individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
“Any money that’s left over at the end of the year goes into that endowment,” Mauritson said.
Mauritson said that the number one priority is speech therapy.
“I feel really strongly and a lot of the research suggests that one of the biggest barriers to social acceptance of children with Down syndrome is their lack of intelligibility,” Mauritson said. “When you have that extra chromosome one of the side effects is really poor muscle tone.”
Mauritson said that plans are already underway for next year’s Project Zin, and the event will be continued for the foreseeable future.
Kari Droller and her husband Dan came from San Francisco to attend the fundraiser. Their nine-month-old son Alden has Down syndrome.
“When Alden was diagnosed at birth, we didn’t know where to turn and we didn’t know a lot about Down syndrome,” Kari said. “Organizations like DSANB were our support and I think they’ll continue to be the foundation of our community as he gets older.”
Kari said that she and Dan want organizations like DSANB to continue to exist, so they came to Project Zin to support the association.
“Project Zin lets people come together to celebrate diversity, raises awareness around Down syndrome and the families for whom this is a big part of their lives and raises money for this great, supportive organization,” Kari said.
The Drollers won a trip to Tahoe with Clay and Carrie Mauritson and one other couple through the silent auction. The couple said they look forward to attending next year.
“I thought it was a great success,” Kari said. “The food and wine were outstanding and it was more than just a fundraiser, it was a celebration.”
To make a tax-deductible donation to DSANB, or learn about other ways to help, visit www.DSANB.org or call 537-8001.
