Since 1899 the Grape Festival has been a Marin tradition, and it is with a strong sense of the deep roots of this event that I acknowledge both its ending and the new beginnings that are ahead of us. Although this is the last Grape Festival, the popular products and the tremendous spirit of volunteerism that have made this event so successful for 108 years will be an important legacy for Sunny Hills. I am grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who have helped to create that legacy.

The Grape Festival product line (including the ever popular chutney!) and the volunteers who have produced this event will continue to provide much-needed support for the children of Sunny Hills Services. Our agency has grown with this event, and it will continue to grow through the support of the people who have sustained it. In 1899, Sunny Hills served only a small number of children in its orphanage in San Anselmo. Today, Sunny Hills Services provides a full spectrum of treatment to well over 425 needy children and their families each year; our programs include residential, educational, and community based services for severely emotionally disturbed children and their families.

Thank you for your generous support of the Grape Festival. As you spend today celebrating and honoring 107 years of Grape Festival history, know that you are also helping to provide better and brighter futures for children in need. It is through our community's continued support of our agency and its programs that the Grape Festival will leave its most lasting legacy.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. Costa
Chief Executive Officer
Sunny Hills Services