Drive for Schools” Raises $646,000 for Santa Cruz Schools

Drive for Schools, the largest school fundraiser in Santa Cruz County, broke sales records again this year, bringing in over $646,000 for 84 local schools. Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and
the Capitola Auto Mall Dealer Group, Drive for Schools has now raised $4.7 million for Santa Cruz County schools since it started in 2005.

Craig Geddes from Aptos was the Grand Prize Winner announced Sunday at the Boardwalk. Craig won his choice of a new Toyota Prius, Suburu Outback, or $25,000 cash. He purchased the winning ticket from Diamond Technology Institute, an alternative high school in Watsonville. A complete list of prizes and winners can be found at http://beachboardwalk.com/driveforschools

Top earning schools in each category (High School, Jr. High/Middle School, Elementary, Multi Grade, and a Special Spirit Award) were Soquel High School ($23,229), SLV Nature Academy ($9,170), Valencia Elementary ($24,850), Tierra Pacifica Charter ($27,235), and a Special Spirit Award for Watsonville
Charter ($22,855).

“We’re very proud to support local schools with this important fundraiser,” said Charles Canfield, Santa Cruz Seaside Company CEO. “Drive for Schools keeps growing every year, with parents and schools
really embracing the opportunity to fund valuable programs for their kids. We’d like to thank the school volunteers for their hard work, the business community for generous prize donations, and everyone who helped make this an amazing success.”

The Capitola Auto Mall Dealer Group and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk share the cost of the car and other cash prizes and donate staff time to organize and run Drive for Schools. Hundreds of school volunteers
coordinate their school's ticket sales. Dozens of local businesses donate prizes for the event. Tickets and posters are printed by Mission Printers. Schools keep 100% of money from their ticket sales.