by Napa Valley Register Staff and was published in the Napa Valley Register on October 17, 2022

Mentis is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary of serving Napa Valley.

The nonprofit group provides bilingual mental health services. It was founded in 1948 to help families readjust to civilian life after World War II.

On Friday, Mentis held a donor appreciation breakfast at La Toque restaurant, at the Westin Verasa hotel in the city of Napa. Mentis staff members revealed goals they hope to work on during the group’s 75th year.

“They understand that to make the biggest impact in our community, they must pull people out of the river, but they must also go upstream to prevent folks from falling in,” the nonprofit said in a news release.

The group also celebrated being named state Sen. Bill Dodd’s Nonprofit of the Year and hosting a February gala that raised more than $350,000.

Mentis has more than doubled its size in the last seven years in response to growing mental health services demands. In 2020, it merged with Teens Connect, forming a prevention division to teach mental health skills to people before mental health challenges become insurmountable, the press release said.

Visit mentisnapa.org to find out more about Mentis.