4th 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 – designer of awesome Live Oak Jack Rabbit event characters

* MC Brock Dickie & great event tunes with DJ Jahi

* The awesome Shoreline Middle School Band

Sponsors

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

* Cruzio Internet - Real local folks. Awesome local internet

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

* Green Planet Organics - certified organic seedlings in an extensive assortment of high-quality, healthy plants for your garden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Santa Cruz Running Company - your running store!

* York Framing Gallery - The family-owned York Framing Gallery offers full-service art framing and design assistance

Participating Businesses & Sponsors

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

* SPENGA Santa Cruz - offering 60-minute workouts that combine spinning, strength training, and yoga

Food Options

* Evil Wings - halal-approved wings & meat, delicious burgers, burritos and so much more!

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

* Skills of Life Cafe - offering job training to integrate teens and young adults with intellectual (dis)abilities

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

* Child Nutrition Services, Live Oak School District - We strive to offer our students the most nutritious meals possible and meals they love to eat!

Community Organizations & Partners

* Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County

* Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department

* AMR Santa Cruz County - providing emergency medical transport service for the Santa Cruz County CA area

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

* Santa Cruz Community Health - leading nonprofit provider of high-quality, affordable and comprehensive health services

* Santa Cruz County Parks - explore our programs, parks, and beaches!

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

* Zócalo Health - a primary care group aimed at better patient experiences and access

* Urban Works Santa Cruz - providing fun recreation for people with disabilities and their support communities

* Free Books for Kids - 250,000+ books given free of charge to economically disadvantaged children and their teachers

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

* Girl Scouts Troop 15000

Congratulations to All 2025 Live Oak Jack Rabbit Student Art Contest scholar artists!

The Live Oak Education Foundation held a sweet LOSD Student Art Contest awards reception on First Friday, May 2 at Palace Art & Office Supply to celebrate our 12 pieces selected from 230 submissions! Award certificates from Dawn Addis and the CA State Assembly and Palace Arts gift cards were presented - congratulations kiddos!

Thank you, Palace Art & Office Supply for your generous support & York Framing Gallery for professionally preparing the artwork. Visit Palace Arts during the month of May to view the art on display!

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

https://firstfridaysantacruz.com/event/live-oak-jack-rabbit-student-art-reception/

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

** Note: registration options included: “woman”, “man”, “non-binary, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, or gender queer”, and “prefer not to disclose”. All registrants selected either "male" or "female" for 2025 event **

** Results unavailable for relay teams due to technical issues with timing system **

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

Saturday, April 26 2025 at Shoreline Middle School, 855 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz CA 95062:

* 7:00am - Shoreline Middle School gates open.

* 8:00am - 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. US flag presentation by Cub Scouts Pack 676 with national anthem & 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 Evil Wings and Cakes with Care on site. 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 - free community workout with SPENGA Santa Cruz!

* 10:00 - 10:45am - Shoreline Band performance

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

* 11:00am - free community workout with GOAT Santa Cruz!

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

* 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Closing ceremonies - announcement of Live Oak Jack Rabbit LOSD Student Art Contest & "People's Choice" event voting award winners & 1-mile run award winners

** You're invited to celebrate our 12 selected scholar artists at 4pm on First Friday, May 2 at Palace Art & Office Supplies **

https://firstfridaysantacruz.com/event/live-oak-jack-rabbit-student-art-reception/

The Live Oak Jack Rabbit Online Auction runs on the award-winning Givebutter platform and features awesome gifts and Mother's Day ideas - and some of these creative folks will have a booth at the pop-up market at the Live Oak Jack Rabbit event on 4/26/25 at Shoreline Middle School! Fast, secure, and reliable wi-fi provided by sponsor Cruzio Internet - so bring a reusable bag for point-of-sale purchases.

https://givebutter.com/LOJR

Original pottery, beautiful artwork, fun stuff for athletes of all abilities, and great gifts (Mother's Day is May 11!)

Many Thanks To:

* Agility Boulders - Santa Cruz County's Premier Indoor - Outdoor Bouldering Destination

* Annieglass - luxury, sustainability, and bold new shapes in glassware

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

* CrossFit Pleasure Point - fostering both physical strength and mental resilience

* GOAT - engaging group fitness experience in an open-air setting for participants at all fitness levels

* Jim Greiner's Hands-On! Drumming - workshops that incorporate beginning to advanced levels in a wide range of musical styles

* MERGE4 socks - happy feet guaranteed!

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

* ProudRNs.com - an organization built by Registered Nurses for Registered Nurses and the people who appreciate them

* Salty Sweet Studio - handcrafted pottery inspired by nature

* Santa Cruz Soccer Camps - dedicated to promoting a fun and active environment for kids ages 5-13

* Skills of Life Cafe - a community-supported environment providing the pursuit of lifelong learning

* SPENGA Santa Cruz - cardio, yoga, and strength training for all fitness levels

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

* The Intuitive Beauty Spa - treatments that deliver real results

* Thank You Come Again Flower Shop - focused on sharing our love of design-forward flower arrangements

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

• Keep an eye on the Live Oak Jack Rabbit Instagram feed and Givebutter online auction site as we add more fun items!
• 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

	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 Live Oak Jack Rabbit characters, designer of event posters & producer of event t-shirts. Beau and his wife Katie are the team behind ProudRNs.com & the famous "Nurses are Swell" merchandise
	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 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

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”

* 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 by our volunteers. 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!