3rd Annual Live Oak Jack Rabbit 1 Mile FUNdraiser Run and Student Art Contest

We are better together! The Live Oak Jack Rabbit event is successful because of the generous contributions of a creative and passionate crew, including:

Event Team

* Chris Nestlerode and the Santa Cruz Track Club – Santa Cruz County’s premier running organization

* Beau Barcus & Ground Up Graphics – Live Oak Jack Rabbit event poster & t-shirt creators!

* Jack Rabbit event MC Brock Dickie & great tunes with DJ Jahi

* High-energy sing-along dance frenzy provided by Coffee Zombie Collective

* The awesome Shoreline Middle School Band

Sponsors

* Palace Art & Office Supply – your local source for inspiring creativity since 1949

* Fleet Feet Aptos – a fantastic resource for all your running, walking and general fitness needs

* PPD Multimedia, Inc. – complete one-stop design studio in Santa Cruz

* Mission Printers – printers with the capabilities to handle all your projects, large or small

* Cruzio Internet - Real local folks. Awesome local internet

* Natural Motion Creations – screen printing, custom stickers, embroidery services, branding services and more

* De Mattei Construction - when you want the best for your family, choose ours

* Pleasure Pizza - a true Santa Cruz tradition since 1975!

* Mike Bloch and the Bloch Real Estate Team - your trusted real estate advisors

* Santa Cruz Children's Dental Group - creating confident smiles for your kids

* Lacey Tax Services - a dependable partner for your business and personal accounting needs

* Niji Dojo - a place for all of us to feel empowered and interconnected

* 219 Design – delivering solutions that live at the intersection of mechanical, electronic, and software engineering

* Paul Burgin Architecture – full-service, LEED-accredited architecture firm specializing in modern, sustainable design

* Starbucks Coffee at East Cliff & 17th Ave - fresh-roasted coffee beans, tea and spices

Participating Businesses & Sponsors

* GOAT Santa Cruz (Group Open Air Training) – engaging group fitness experiences in an open-air setting for all fitness levels

* CrossFit Pleasure Point - Forging elite fitness in Santa Cruz and around the world!

Pop-up Market Merchants

* K Dezynz jewelry – earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from stones, crystals, sterling and vermeil

* East of Orion – extraordinary handmade ceramics

* The Closet Shopper - buy, sell, trade boutique with current contemporary clothing, accessories, body products, and home decor

* Thank You Come Again Flower Shop - crafting personalized flower arrangements tailor-made for every occasion

* jessiejane pottery – small batch ceramics made with love

* Proud RNs.com - empowering strong, hardworking healthcare heroes

* Face Painting by Ruth – creative & colorful designs

* Art by Alejandro - caricature & freelance artist

Food Options

* Areperia 831 - vegan, vegetarian, gluten free Venezuelan arepas and more

* El Buen Taco - family owned & operated serving exceptional Mexican food in Santa Cruz and surrounding areas since 2017

* Cakes with Care – providing cakes to financially & socially disadvantaged children & seniors

* Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting - sustainably produced artisan roasted coffee

* Aparicio Family Ice Cream Truck - tasty treats & cool refreshments

Community Organizations

* Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County

* Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department

* Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County – the healthiest food bank in the nation

* Santa Cruz Public Libraries – delivering information, education, enrichment, and inspiration

* Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County – parent advocacy organization and community connector

* Team RWB, San Jose Chapter - a community of veterans, service members, military families, and supporters, united by teamwork, shared values, and a common goal

* County Park Friends - activating the power of parks

* Moms Demand Action (Santa Cruz Chapter) – grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence

* Santa Cruz County Office of Education – Educational Services & Child Development Programs

* Live Oak Community Resources – access to resources that offer stability and hope for the future

* Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County, Live Oak Clubhouse – youth service organization

* Cub Scouts Pack 676 – family fun for boys & girls

* Girl Scouts Troop 15000 – fun, friendship, and amazing adventures

Interested in sponsoring, participating, or volunteering? Email us at: LOJackRabbitRun@gmail.com

There were some fast times and lotsa smiles at the USA Track & Field-certified Live Oak Jack Rabbit 1-mile races at Shoreline Middle School on April 14! Please check the results below and head over to Fleet Feet Aptos, located at 7960 Soquel Dr Suite I, Aptos, CA 95003 to collect your prize!

Thank you Santa Cruz Track Club & volunteers for providing all of the race direction, timing, and support!

Questions? Anything need fixing? Please direct feedback to: LOJackRabbitRun@gmail.com

Congratulations to the 2024 Live Oak Jack Rabbit Student Art Contest scholar artists!

Our award ceremony on 4/14 got rained out, so we'll be awarding Palace Art & Office Supply gift cards and Live Oak Education Foundation award certificates at Palace's Capitola store location on Friday, May 3 from 3-4pm - please join us for an awards ceremony, collaborative art project, and more fun activities!

Palace Art & Office Supply - 1501 41st Ave K, Capitola, CA 95010

The Live Oak Jack Rabbit art contest is open to all Live Oak School District students, and original submissions reflect themes such as good sportsmanship, making healthy choices, and training for a goal.

	Susana Arias - National Endowment for the Arts Grant recipient and 2013 Santa Cruz County Arts Commission "Artist of the Year". Susana's art may be seen locally at the Museum of Art and History, Aptos Polo Grounds, Bay Ave. / Porter St. Underpass, and at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Panama, Museo Bolivariano in Colombia, Museo de Arte Moderno in the Dominican Republic, Museo Casa de las Americas in Cuba, and Museo del Barro in Venezuela
	Beau Barcus - Ground Up Graphics & Broprints designer, LOSD parent & LO Little League volunteer, creator of the fantastic 2023 & 2024 Live Oak Jack Rabbit event posters & new event t-shirts. Beau and his wife Katie are the creators of the famous "Nurses are Swell" sweatshirt
	Sarah Bianco - has lived most of her life in Santa Cruz after graduating with a fine arts degree from UCSC in drawing and painting. She is the 2017 Wharf to Wharf poster artist, downtown Tower Clock muralist, and she also enjoys interior design and creating interesting, inviting spaces for people to live and gather. This led her to start her business, Painting by Bianco, which specializes in murals, decorative paint finishes, custom interiors and color consultations. Sarah lives at the Tannery Arts Center where she works out of her studio, Apricity Gallery

The Live Oak Jack Rabbit Online Auction runs on the award-winning Givebutter platform and features awesome gifts and Mother's Day ideas - and many of these creative folks had a booth at the pop-up market at the Live Oak Jack Rabbit event on 4/14/24 at Shoreline Middle School! Handmade jewelry, original pottery, beautiful artwork, fun stuff for athletes of all abilities, and gift baskets!

Many Thanks To:

* The Crow's Nest Restaurant & Beach Market - making waves since 1969

* York Framing Gallery – full-service art framing and design

* Cristina Sayers - collage art with nostalgia, sarcasm, & ✂️

* Collective Santa Cruz – building community through apparel, design, and events

* Nordic Naturals - committed to delivering the world's safest, most effective nutrients essential to health

* Salty Sweet Studio - handcrafted pottery inspired by nature

* BBV Designs – California Girl—Fused glass artist inspired by my love of the ocean and beach

• Keep an eye on the Live Oak Jack Rabbit Instagram feed and Givebutter online auction site as we add more fun items!
• You may view all the items by clicking the "auction" tab at the top of the online auction homepage
• "Buy Now" pricing to instantly win the item or pre-set your maximum bid with incremental $5 raises once registered with Givebutter

** Stay tuned for updates as more exciting details are confirmed & click this linked text for event posters, event schedule, and more! **

** Advance registration closes at 2:00pm on Saturday, April 13 so that the LOJR team has time to prepare for an awesome event! Same-day registration via secure Cruzio Internet will be available at Shoreline Middle School on Sunday, April 14 **

Sunday, April 14 2024 at Shoreline Middle School, 855 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz CA 95062:

* 8:00am - Shoreline Middle School gates open. Race-day number pickup and liability waivers available at the Live Oak Education Foundation pop-up tent for participants, vendors, and volunteers (on the blacktop basketball courts near the blue Simpkins Field track)

* 8:45am - Opening ceremonies, introductions, housekeeping / good neighbor & track rules announcements. National anthem performance by Vanessa Yearsley, US flag presentation by Cub Scouts Pack 676, MC Brock Dickie and DJ Jahi getting the party started!

* 9:00am - First wave of the Live Oak Jack Rabbit 1 Mile FUNdraiser Run! Pop-up vendors and artists will begin opening shop on the Shoreline campus, and there'll be plenty of tasty race fuel served up by local food trucks on site. New this year are special waves for little bunnies 6 years old and younger (@ 9:15am), jumpin' jack rabbits with <8:30 mile pace (@ 9:30am), racin' rabbits with <6:30 mile pace (@ 9:45am), Public Health & Safety (@ 11:00am), and Teachers & School Staff (@ 11:15am) categories.

* 9:15am - Sack Races & old-fashioned fun with Girl Scouts Troop 15000

* 9:30 - 10:00am - free community fitness class with GOAT (Group Open Air Training)

* 10:00 - 10:40am - Shoreline Band performance, bilingual storytime with Santa Cruz Public Libraries

* 10:15 / 10:30 / 10:45am - 1 mile team relay waves

* 10:45am - Sack Races & old-fashioned fun with Girl Scouts Troop 15000

* 11:00 - 11:30am - free community fitness class with CrossFit Pleasure Point

* 11:30am - bilingual storytime with Santa Cruz Public Libraries

* 11:45am - Final 1 mile race wave starts

* 12:00pm - Announcement of Live Oak Jack Rabbit LOSD Student Art Contest & "People's Choice" event voting award winners, Fleet Feet Aptos 1 mile run award winners, and closing ceremonies followed by raucous fun with musical performance by Coffee Zombie Collective!

The spirit of the Live Oak Jack Rabbit event is welcoming and inclusive, with the message that we all play a part and our community is stronger together. The Live Oak Jack Rabbit event team feels that a better education is a good start for a better future.

We will incorporate a respectful acknowledgment of native peoples and cultures as part of our opening ceremonies. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band supplied the following, which was developed with UC Santa Cruz:

“The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista
during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices
on these lands and heal from historical trauma.”

The Live Oak Jack Rabbit event team also feels that sport can be a vehicle for positive change and growth. We celebrate themes such as good sportsmanship, making healthy choices, and the discipline to train for a goal.

Did you know that the Boston Marathon was first run in April 1897 by men, but the first official women's champion wasn't crowned until 1972! To this day, many running events are organized with strictly binary registration and award categories, and sometimes prizes are still greater for male finishers than others. Here are some of the steps the Live Oak Jack Rabbit event is taking to help promote a fun time for all:

* Collaboration with the Jack Rabbit event platform Race Roster to include the registration options: “woman”, “man”, “non-binary, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, or gender queer”, and “prefer not to disclose”

* Collaboration with Fleet Feet Aptos to ensure equal race prizes will be available across all categories

* Outreach to the military veteran community. Event registration includes “adaptive athlete” as a category to indicate predicted finish time

* 50-State & International Jack Rabbit Virtual 1 Mile promotion to show that investing in public schools has a universally positive impact

Are you fluent in Spanish translation or American Sign Language? Do you have additional ideas or suggestions?
Please contact us at LOJackRabbitRun@gmail.com

Additional References:

https://www.rei.com/blog/run/inclusion-in-running

https://www.rrca.org/gender-inclusivity-lets-runners-compete-as-themselves/

https://www.sjsu.edu/wordstoaction/

We're so glad you'll be joining us! A few important notes to help maintain the Simpkins Field track & Shoreline Middle School and improve our eco-awareness:

* Please bring a reusable water bottle with you - Shoreline has water faucets and a bottle filling station available. Consider bringing reusable plate, utensils, and napkin to reduce waste. Bonus points for bike transport too!

* There will be plenty of options for cheering, gathering, and picnicking off the track - no spectators, chairs, or food on the Simpkins Field track or infield.

* We love animals, but no furry friends are permitted on the Shoreline Middle School campus.

* Running shoes only, no racing spikes on the track. No strollers on the track.

* Please leave the inside lane (left side!) of the track clear for faster runners, there is plenty of space for those who choose to run, walk, ramble, and mosey. The USA Track & Field-certified Live Oak Jack Rabbit 1 mile course runs counterclockwise and is 4.9 laps.

* If you desire to continue running after completing the 1 mile course, please pass through the runner exit chute - designed to promote safety by limiting congestion - and ensure your time is recorded. There are nice trails at neighboring Twin Lakes State Beach/Schwan Lake near the Simpkins Swim Center and great run routes nearby through the scenic Santa Cruz Harbor or along East Cliff Drive and the Monterey Bay. Be sure to come back to enjoy some tasty food truck offerings, free community fitness classes, student art, live music, and pop-up shop wares!