Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary's Charity Bike Ride Raises Over $200K

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club's 24th Annual Jon and Ken's Most Excellent Adventure bike ride - a three-day event in late Sept. and early Oct. - raised over $200,000 for multiple local charities like Teen Kitchen Project and Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery, the club announced.

Nearly 80 riders and crew participated in the 200-mile ride from Healdsburg to Santa Cruz, which took place Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

“Our riders not only had a fantastic time on the ride, but they also put their hearts into raising money," said Peter Truman, chair of the Bike Ride Committee at the Sunrise Rotary Club.

According to the club, the efforts raised $100,000 for Teen Kitchen Project, $34,000 for the Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery, $10,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank Food for Children program, in addition to helping support the club's other charities, grants, high school youth scholarship programs and other club-supported philanthropic causes.

Angela Farley, executive director of Teen Kitchen Project, said the funds from the Rotary club will help her organization continue to deliver nourishing meals to critically and chronically ill people in Santa Cruz. Many of the meals are prepared by local teens.

"This generous gift has funded the purchase of two refrigerated delivery vans ensuring our neighbors living with critical and chronic illness don't need to wait for services, and meals are safely held in refrigeration," Farley said. "Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary members were our first 'Delivery Angels' and now they are our angels in a thousand other ways with this amazing show of community support."

Meanwhile, Rhiannon Crain, interim executive director of the Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery, said the Rotary gift comes at a critical time after the museum was closed for 14 months due to COVID. She said the funds will help the museum invest in new exhibits and programs for young children, and expand hours.

John Flaniken, president of Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club, said the charity bike ride has raised over $1.77 million over the years for local nonprofits.

"That's all thanks to our amazing riders and supporters," Flaniken said.

Past beneficiaries of the ride include: the renovation of the Santa Cruz High School track, LEO's Haven at Chanticleer Park, Jacob's Heart and many other community nonprofits and youth organizations.

To learn more about Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary, to register for next year's bike ride or join the club for a meeting, please visit the club's website.