‘Race to Save Activities’ Registration Deadline Thursday, Pledge Drive Underway

With sports and music programs in danger of being cut, community members are putting their money where their feet are to insure that extra and co-curricular programs in the New Haven Unified School District continue next year.

Organized by the New Haven Boosters Association,  aims to help raise funds for coach and advisor stipends, which are scheduled to be eliminated from the district budget.

The event, a 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer fun run for all ages, will be held June 11. However, the registration deadline to confirm receipt of a race T-shirt is Thursday, June 2, according to Michael Ritchie, co-chair of the Boosters.

“Whether you like a competitive run or a leisurely walk with the family or friends, Race to Save is the event for you—and all proceeds go to help our schools,” said Eileen Riener, the event chair, in a statement.

The race, which Union City Patch is co-sponsoring, includes competitive 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer races starting at and continuing along the Alameda Creek Trail. Participants have the option to walk or run. There will also be a “Fastest Feet Relay,” a four-by-400-meter race with teams from different schools challenging each other.

Registration is $20 for adults, $15 for teens and $10 for children. Hopeful participants can download a registration form at the Boosters website or register online for a small fee.

Sponsors include Alpine Awards, OfficeMax, Union City Patch, Union City Lions Club, Bay Star Auto Care, Dairy Council of California, the City of Union City and New Haven Schools Foundation. Anyone interested in co-sponsoring the event may visit the New Haven Boosters Association’s website for details.

For more event information, click on the on Union City Patch.

More efforts underway

The event is part of a series of efforts by community members since the failure of , an emergency funding measure that was just shy of passing in a May 3 special election. The goal is to raise $350,000—the amount needed to pay for coach and advisor stipends for an additional year, Ritchie said.

The Boosters club was established last year when extra- and co-curricular programs were previously at risk. To save the programs, the Boosters launched the first “Race to Save Student Activities,” which helped keep the programs alive for the 2010-2011 school year, Ritchie said.

This year, the Boosters have also partnered with the New Haven Schools Foundation on a pledge drive. The school district serves 6,000 families, according to Ritchie. If every family donated $60, the Boosters would raise enough to save all activities, Ritchie said.

More details about the pledge drive details can be found on the Boosters website. Online donations can be made via the NHSF website.

James Logan High School students have also made it clear that they aren’t going down without a fight. Students led with more than 500 students in attendance and nearly a dozen student speakers.

Logan students are now holding the “10-10-10” campaign—an effort to have each student sign up 10 people to donate $10 each by June 10. Students held a “10-10-10” dance last Friday.

The students raised more than $10,000 in the first three days of their campaign, according to a school district press release. Proceeds from the campaign will also benefit middle schools and, if enough money is raised, elementary schools to offset field trip costs, the press release said.