Salinas Volunteers are Crowdfunding to Bring Zumba, Bicycling to Streets

A team of volunteers hoping to flood Salinas with enthusiastic exercisers for a day of peace and community-building has started an online campaign to crowdfund the project.

The group is promoting Ciclovía, an event that would close 1.6 miles of Alisal Street to car traffic and open the street for jogging, biking, rollerskating, and other activities—even Zumba.

The Ciclovía team, which consists mostly college and high-school age volunteers, is reaching out through the website GoFundMe.com to meet their fundraising goals.

The group has raised more than half of their estimated $30,000 budget, and is looking to the public for additional support before the Sept. 1 event, says Natalie Oliver, a youth and volunteer coordinator for the project. 

“We’re in good standing so far,” Oliver says. “We’re really optimistic.”

The stated online goal is $10,000, and the website was started yesterday. 

Funds will be used to help cover sanitation expenses, to make t-shirts for volunteers, and to provide flyers along the event route, among other needs, Oliver says. Additional money the group raises will be used to promote future events.

So far the event has recruited 120 volunteers, who will assist the public on the route and help clean up afterwards.

“Our mission is to integrate the residents of Salinas to utilize city streets – harvesting an overall sense of well-being and vitality through physical activity,” says a description of the project on GoFundMe. “We are establishing the platform of opportunity to adopt healthier habits in order to counteract major health issues.”