Staff Report
Alma Rosa Winery, a wine producer from Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills, has launched the first Peace of Mind — 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction, a month-long fundraiser benefiting Mental Wellness Center and One Mind.
Community members can sign up now to participate in a virtual 10,000-step walk, about five miles; the event concludes Oct. 10, which is World Mental Health Day.
Registration is $50, and participants are invited to create their own page to raise additional funds. For more information, or to sign up, visit https://raceroster.com/events/2020/33720/peace-of-mind-walk.
The fundraiser will take place on the RunGo app, which will provide a virtual visual journey through the Alma Rosa estate to accompany the 10,000-step walk or run. All participants may complete the 10,000 steps at their own pace, while raising funds throughout the duration of the event.
All participants will receive a commemorative corkscrew and will be eligible for raffles and prizes, based on the amount of funds raised. Visit the Alma Rosa website for a full list of prizes available for fundraisers, https://almarosawinery.com/peace-of-mind-walk/.
The event was inspired by Alma Rosa Winery proprietors Bob and Barb Zorich, who have a history of supporting mental health-related causes.
To amplify the efforts of the Peace of Mind event, the Zorichs will match up to $50,000 total in donations, $25,000 each to One Mind and to Mental Wellness Center. Alma Rosa Winery hopes to raise a total of $100,000.
Bob Zorich serves as chairman of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute and is on the board of the WorkFaith Connection of Houston. The Zorichs also support the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation in New York City.
“Anxiety and depression are two of the most prevalent mental health conditions affecting our society today,” Bob Zorich said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of our communities, supporting mental health research and services is especially urgent at this time.
“We hope that donations from our fundraiser will support the critical work of these two organizations.”
One Mind, founded 25 years ago, to date has raised just over $480 million in direct and leveraged funding towards their vision of healthy brains for all. One Mind’s mission is to speed up discoveries in brain health through large-scale, open-science research.
Guided by an expert Scientific Advisory Board, One Mind supports researchers who are willing to share their data, stay focused on the needs of patients, and place clinical tools and improved therapies before academic achievement and journal publishing recognition.
Since 1947, the Mental Wellness Center has provided support in recovery and raising awareness of mental health in the Santa Barbara community.
The center provides mental health education to local students; a residential services program which safely provides a home to more than 100 community members across seven residential sites; and serves individuals and families impacted by mental illness through support groups, employment services and social connection programs.
Alma Rosa Winery was founded in 2005 by Richard Sanford, who was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the Sta. Rita Hills in 1971. The Zorichs purchased the winery in 2014; Samra Morris is winemaker.
For more about Alma Rosa Winery, visit www.almarosawinery.com.
