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The San Ramon Valley’s popular Run for Education is set to return for its 41st year in the coming weeks – with the longstanding event and fundraiser for the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation consisting of participants from multiple generations in the present era.
“Since we’ve been doing it for 41 years, we’re now seeing people that participated as students now they’re parents and they’re doing it with their kids,” SRVEF President Gary Alpert told DanvilleSanRamon. “We did it with our kids. Now both of our kids have little ones, and they’re now coming to participate in the Mini Run.”
The event, consisting of four different races, an expo and an overall celebration of local education, is set to return to Bishop Ranch this year next to City Center on Oct. 13, with a turnout of 5,000 participants including runners, volunteers, vendors, and community members expected, according to a press release from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
“There are a few traditions that those of us living in the San Ramon Valley do every year: the Art & Wind Festival, 4th of July Parade, Lighting of the Old Oak Tree, and the Run for Education,” said San Ramon resident and SRVEF board member Denise Clemetson-Stephens said in the district’s press release on Sept. 12. “These events bring the community together.”
With the exception of the full 10K run, which will kick off from Charlotte Wood Middle School at 600 El Capitan Drive in Danville at 8 a.m. and end at Bishop Ranch, the runs are set to kick off from Bishop Ranch 2700, consisting of a 5K race, a Mini Run for children between 2 and 6 years old, and a Friendship Run for children and young adults with special needs, all alongside a daylong expo featuring music, entertainment, prizes and community representatives.
The Friendship Run – modeled after the Special Olympics – is a particularly popular new addition to the event, Alpert said, and one of many changes that organizers with SRVEF have sought to introduce to keep things fresh over the years.
“We’re always trying to do new things,” Alpert said. “We’re trying to encourage groups to register as teams so they can make it more fun.”
As of last year, Alpert said that organizers had encouraged schools to bring out their mascots and to create a sense of “friendly competition between schools”, which he said has “taken off.”
Proceeds from the event are used by SRVEF to provide funding to the 35 SRVUSD schools for various programs and projects, which have over the years included elementary school maker spaces, teacher grants, hands-on science and art supplies, musical instruments, and school libraries.
While some years are better financially for the district than others – with the current year having already seen millions of dollars in spending cuts and efforts to renew a parcel tax set to expire next year with Measure Q on this year’s ballot – Alpert said that SRVEF’s goals of supporting the district and fostering a celebratory spirit with the annual run remain the same year-to-year.
“It comes and goes that way, so we haven’t changed what we do,” Alpert said. “Our part is to make sure it’s a fun event to make people come out, and part of the money raised does help us support back to the schools in the district. To be honest, we don’t make that our biggest topic. That’s not a focus area. We just try to encourage people to participate and to come have fun.”
SRVUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack said that proceeds from the run are a means of direct support for the district and “make a real difference in the educational experience of our students,” in addition to being a celebration of education throughout the valley in the district’s press release.
SRVEF board member Lisa Blackwell echoed the message of seeking to unite the community throughout the San Ramon Valley and the greater region to both celebrate and raise funds for the district.
“Attracting participants of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds from throughout the East Bay and San Francisco Bay Area, the Run for Education is an opportunity for the community to come together while raising much needed funds for our San Ramon Valley Unified schools,” Blackwell said in the district’s press release. “We are grateful for our sponsors – especially our presenting sponsor Chevron – for supporting our mission to foster a world-class educational experience.”
More information and registration for the 41st Run for Education is available here.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story referred to the wrong measure on November’s ballot. Measure Q is the SRVUSD parcel tax measure. Embarcadero Media regrets the error.
