Santa to the Sea seeks sponsors to help with 300-foot mural, to be painted by local school children

OXNARD, Calif. - Sept. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- The City of Oxnard passed a resolution in August approving the creation of a mural in Nyeland Acres. The mural will be along a 300-foot long, three-foot high concrete wall on Ventura Blvd. Santa to the Sea is looking for sponsors to help move this project forward.

Ventura-based artist, Lisa Kelly will paint the outline of the mural’s picture on the wall in September. Local school children will then paint the mural in 25-foot sections. The mural will depict the lower half of runners’ bodies as they run past iconic Oxnard scenery visible on the half-marathon route. Kids will help paint the mural on Saturdays, beginning in late September or early October. Race organizer Mike Barber says it should only take a few weeks to complete. Final coats of base coat paint are still being applied to the wall.

“We’ve been fortunate to have such strong community support in all of our endeavors,” said Barber. “This mural is a chance for local kids to get involved and be a part of creating something fun in their neighborhood. Dunn Edwards will be supplying most of the paint. We are looking for sponsors to help cover the costs of the artist, paint supplies and lunches for the children.”

Santa to the Sea draws more than 4,000 registrants from throughout Southern California for the half marathon, two-person half marathon relay, 5K run and 1K kids run. Event proceeds go towards for Oxnard College scholarships and to fund the organization’s 11th annual Toy Drive & Giveaway, set for Saturday, December 20 at Santa Park in Oxnard. Last year, 2,500 toys were distributed to local children for the holiday season.

All races start at 8 a.m. on Dec. 14. The half marathon begins at the giant Santa located at 2801 Ventura Blvd., Oxnard, and ends at the Marine Emporium Landing in Channel Islands Harbor. The 5K run and 1K kids fun run start and finish at the Marine Emporium Landing. All participants must register before the race; there is no race-day registration. Runners can register online at www.santatothesea.com.

For more information about being a sponsor, contact Barber at (805) 485-7233. Visit www.santatothesea.com to learn more about the nonprofit Santa the Sea half-marathon, two person relay, 5K run or to register for the race.

Santa to the Sea is a nonprofit event borne out of a desire to give back to the com­mu­nity. What started in 2003 as a toy drive to cel­e­brate the relo­ca­tion of the world’s largest Santa Claus from Car­pin­te­ria to Oxnard, has grown into a robust run­ning event, toy drive, and com­mu­nity fundraiser. Santa to the Sea includes a sanc­tioned half marathon and a 2-person half marathon relay, plus 5K run and 1K kids fun run. The Santa to the Sea Schol­ar­ship Fund part­ners with the Oxnard Col­lege Foun­da­tion to award $500 schol­ar­ships to local high school stu­dents and adults con­tin­u­ing their edu­ca­tion at Oxnard Col­lege.