About Hearts & Vines

 In 1993, Mark Wisnovsky and Chris Borovansky conceived a plan to raise funds for a local domestic violence shelter and focus attention on the growing wine industry of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Their idea to create an auction centered on wine, travel, food and art quickly gained support and momentum to become the Hearts & Vines Auction. That idea became reality the first year by the efforts of Sharlene Peters, Mark Wisnovsky, Chris Borovansky, Karen Long, 13 active committees, and more than 50 key volunteers. A Hearts & Vines Advisory Committee was subsequently formed in 1995. By 1997, the Hearts & Vines Foundation became a separate non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the following mission statement:

The Hearts & Vines Foundation is committed to funding community-based youth and family programs with a focus on the elimination of domestic violence through education, prevention and intervention.

Since 1993, over $2,100,000 has been disbursed as grants. The major beneficiary of the Hearts & Vines Auction is the Dunn House, a domestic violence program operated by Community Works. The Dunn House offers safe refuge and victim service support for women and children who survive domestic violence. Services offered by Dunn House include 24-hour crisis intervention and shelter service, peer counseling and support, outreach services, court advocacy, and non-violent parenting techniques. The shelter provides housing, food, clothing and emergency transportation for clients.