You Can't be Alone in Redwood City!

As a place to live, Redwood City has it all, or at least most of it. We have waterfront, we have hills. We have heavy industry jobs, we have swarms of professionals in our restaurants at lunchtime. We have 3^rd generation locals, and we have brand new citizens. We’ve got lots of seniors and lots of kids.

It’s hard not to believe that much of Redwood City’s vibrancy comes from the mixing of all this together. And it’s not unreasonable to conclude that this frothy mixture of difference gives rise to another characteristic of this place: a down-to-earth sensibility that keeps common sense at the forefront of most civic decisions.

This level-headed practicality also strongly contributes to a pervasive feeling of friendliness on our streets. There seems to be a general agreement that if we all roll up our sleeves and work together in a positive, good-natured way, we can make this a better place to live for us all.

The spirit of cooperation also extends to the many civic organizations in Redwood City. The RCEF has benefited immensely from this culture, receiving support in funds, provisions, and volunteers. We have received free meeting space from the Redwood City Woman’s Club and the Odd Fellows. Parent organizations from our schools chip in with volunteers and donations. A long list of Redwood City service clubs and churches have helped with gifts and event announcements.

Right now we are actively partnering with the Port of Redwood City to put on Redwood City Port Fest, coming up on October 6, 2012. The Port hosts the event partially to increase awareness about its role in our City and partially to support community organizations like the RCEF. 

 “When the Port founded the PortFest event,” says Port Commissioner Lorianna Kastrop, “we wanted to reach out to families, so that kids, parents, and grandparents would know about the Port and take pride in our city's maritime heritage. What better way to do that than to team up with RCEF and create an entertaining, musical, maritime event that benefits Redwood City’s school children at the same time?”

Also in the mix are the Peninsula Sunshine Rotary Beer Garden and the Optimists hamburger and hot dog booth. The Rainbow Girls are supplying It’s It’s for the crowd.  The Sea Scouts are bringing their vessel, as is the Marine Science Institute. Many other community groups will be present with exhibits and activities for our guests.

The following weekend, on October 13, is our OktobeRun, and we just recently received a $1,000 sponsorship from our local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks because, as Officer Brian Wenzel told us: “The Redwood City Elks are proud of our local school system and we are happy to help sponsor such a fun local event.” The race is in its second year, and is on track to attracting well over 900 runners and beating the $27,000 it raised last year. The City itself is a key partner in OktobeRun, through the Department of  Parks, Recreation and Community Services.

As soon as the race is done, the fun starts at Peninsula Oktoberfest, another unique partnership for us. This is the 2nd year Peninsula Oktoberfest has partnered with OktobeRun to create an event that marries a chance for the community to get healthy  with the opportunity to pretend we live in Germany at harvest time. Last year’s race even saw runners in lederhosen and dirndls ready for a cold one the minute they crossed the finish line, stitching the two events together in true Redwood City style. This year promises more delicious artisanal beer, food that really schmecks , and lively entertainment.

On top of this, Peninsula Oktoberfest also benefits the students of the Redwood City School District. Founder Kriselle Laran explains why: “My husband and I founded the event as a way to give back to the community. We choose the RCEF as the event’s beneficiary because we firmly believe that the Foundation is instrumental in helping ensure a strong school district, and a strong school system helps benefit the overall residential and business community. With two children of our own, we are passionate about contributing to organizations like RCEF to make sure our sons to grow up with a solid education and community values.”  You can hear more from Kriselle about Peninsula Oktoberfest at http://peninsulaoktoberfest.com/about/.

We are grateful to all of the community organizations and members who help us meet our mission to advance and support our children’s education, keeping us company and shoring us up along the way. And we are equally thankful for those who serve by coming out to run, try out a sailboat, eat and drink, dance, and party a little to give our students the education they deserve as Redwood City’s future.