Willow Glen Resident

News

Founders Day canceled due to a lack of funds, runners and sponsors

By Alicia Upano

So long, Founders Day, maybe next year.

After spending hundreds of hours planning the event's return, the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association has canceled the Sept. 24 celebration. The organizers were not able to garner enough sponsors or runners.

The business association considered canceling the event a month ago, but held out hope a minimum number of runners would sign up for the morning 10K run, and a minimum number of tickets would be sold for the afternoon wine and food event for the festivities to break even, business association president Tom Trudell said.

By Sept. 7, only 10 percent of the minimum number of runners had signed up. This forced the association to cancel the afternoon portion of the event. The afternoon festivities hinged on the success of the morning run, association secretary Kevin Swanson said. All tickets sold will be refunded.

The association, mainly funded by local businesses, was looking at a $23,000 loss, Swanson said.

"We really wanted to pull it off. We kept waiting and waiting," Trudell said, "but you come to a point where it's black and white and you need to make a decision."

Trudell and Swanson agree the board's decision reflects its fiscal responsibility to the Willow Glen business owners who pay mandatory business improvement district (BID) fees each year. The BID fees doubled last year, for the first time since 1990.

The event needed a few large sponsors to donate $5,000 or more, Trudell said.

The decision to cancel the event means Willow Glen schools will have one less fundraiser, and the Thrift Box will not be raising funds for the Lucile Packard Foundation.

Despite the 11th hour cancellation, the association already plans to put on Founders Day in 2007. Trudell and Swanson are confident they can make the event a success as a result of lessons learned this year and having more time to plan.

The last year the event took place was in 2002.

"We're disappointed we're letting down the business owners and the residents of Willow Glen," Trudell said.