This Sunday will be the unique kind of summer day where tens of thousands of happy faces will be enjoying car free streets between Culver City and Venice Beach. The seven hours they spend skating, pedaling, walking, eating and, quite likely with this route, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, is the culmination of well over a year of planning and hundreds, if not thousands, of staff hours put into logistics, outreach and promotion. And the event that is free to participants comes with a price tag that they will never see thanks to the support of local governments, foundations and businesses.
CicLAvia’s supporters make our events possible because they believe in our mission. They believe there are new ways to look at our urban environment; that being stuck in a car is not the only way to travel throughout Los Angeles County; that getting people away from their TVs, computers and smartphones to enjoy a true community-connecting event is healthy for the body, mind and spirit. They believe there are parts of our county that need to be discovered; small business owners who need to be supported and diverse neighborhoods that need to be engaged and embraced.
As you travel the route Sunday, we hope you pay attention to the signs and banners that thank our sponsors. Check outthe neighborhood guide and activities flyer which also have our sponsors, supporters and partners listed. Stop by their booths and say hello. And if you feel so inspired, say thank you for helping keep CicLAvia moving.
On our end, we would especially like to thank our long time, significant funding partners, the Wasserman Foundation, Annenberg Foundation,Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Rosenthal Family Foundation,David Bohnett Foundation and our Anonymous Benefactor, who has graciously given nearly $1 million in the last two years to help make CicLAvia happen. These organizations support us all year long and enable us to not only put on events but to manage our operations.
Metro is a huge supporter philosophically and certainly financially. The same holds true for the City of Culver City and the City of Los Angeles.
And on this route in particular, we’d like to thank Cirque du Soleil, SoCal Gas, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Sony Pictures and Whole Foods West LA, who is sponsoring our free pedi-cab rides, who will all help make the day special for everyone.
We can’t wait to see everyone out on the route this Sunday!
