YOUNTVILLE –Veterans Home of California – Yountville will celebrate 130 years of service to veterans at the annual ‘Founders Day’ on April 1. This year’s Founders Day Celebration will feature local and resident entertainment, exciting displays of the history of the veterans home, local and national dignitaries and a presentation of our newest member of our Hall of Fame.
“The Yountville Veterans home has served California’s veterans for 130 years and we look forward to a celebration of its founding,” states Undersecretary Diane Vanderpot. “The Veterans Home has been an integral part of the Town of Yountville and the Napa Valley and we want the surrounding community to come out and share the day with us.”
The celebration kicks off in Grant Hall, which is adjacent to Lincoln Center at 2 p.m. and be followed immediately by a special Founders Day Reception and dance. A special award presentation will be made to this year’s induction to the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is a prestigious award given to a group or individual that has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the efforts to improve the quality of life for the Residents and/or the Veterans Home.
The Veterans Home of California, Yountville, was founded in 1884 by The Grand Army of the Republic, which included Veterans of the Mexican and Civil Wars’. Years later, the mission remains the same; to provide residential care for aged or disabled veterans with the purpose of improving their health, reducing the incidence and severity of their disabilities, and increasing social interaction in an environment that promotes self-reliance and self-worth.
Since the Home’s inception, it has been home to approximately 50,000 veterans. Today, it’s the largest veteran’s home in the United States. It has an active and therapeutic community for 1000 veterans who come from a wide range of military ranks and civilian occupations. Current Home residents have military service, which spans from WWII to the Afghanistan/Iraq War. Since 1900, the Home had been owned and operated by the State of California.
