After 40 years, the Human Race Walk and Fun Run fundraiser for local nonprofits is retiring.
Sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, it was the longest running Human Race and one of the last two in the nation.
Eager participants at the starting line of the Human Race.
In the last ten years, the Human Race raised $2.5 million for more than 250 local groups and close to $6 million since it began in 1982.
“This wasn’t an easy decision because so many people have grown up with this event, and like me, they look forward to it every year,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the Volunteer Center. “At the end of the day, our duty is to offer local activists, agencies and donors the best and most efficient way to raise funds collaboratively, and we are proud to be a founding partner in Santa Cruz Gives and continue the tradition of joyful, easy ways to give.”
Like the Human Race, Santa Cruz Gives is a crowd-sourced community fundraiser, but without the overhead costs of a large event, so more of the money raised goes to create good.
Founded in 2015 by the GoodTimes and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the holiday fundraiser brought in more than $700,000 last year.
To accommodate nonprofits that relied on the Human Race, Santa Cruz Gives will double the number of participating agencies to 80.
The Volunteer Center encourages nonprofits to submit a proposal to join Santa Cruz Gives before the Sept. 7 deadline.
The Human Race was the first local collaborative, online, county-wide and crowd-sourced fundraiser.
The Human Race started in 1982.
Every one of these breakthroughs is common now, but in 1982, when the Volunteer Center had Metro buses bring people from Watsonville to the starting line in Santa Cruz, or in 1995, when the Volunteer Center launched the first website for the race, a decade before GoFundMe or Kickstarter, these were huge innovations.
“If you have ever been to a Human Race, you will understand the pride in bringing together so many diverse groups, causes and people to unite in a single fundraising event in a spirit of fun, cooperation and love for all of our community,” said Delaney. “There is no event like it.”
Nonprofits, schools, faith groups, businesses, families and canine friends joined together once a year for causes they care about, from arts to mental health and from the environment to youth sports.
“It’s a demonstration of how working together across our differences helps us all succeed,” Delaney said.
Last year, the fundraiser — pivoting to a virtual event due to COVID-19 precautions — raised $130,000, down from $237,000 the year before.
“While we are proud of how much good we have done with the Human Race over 40 years, we are ready to embrace the next leap forward to come together for good in new ways,” said Delaney.
To apply for Santa Cruz Gives, see www.santacruzgives.org.