In Santa Clarita, a community of 250,000 people, where there are over 200 charities that compete for a limited pool of philanthropic dollars made even scarcer in the economic recession, there could not be a better time for non- profit organizations to come up with creative ways of fundraising. But the Michael Hoefflin Foundation is going beyond the poker tournaments and golf competitions, dreaming up a much bigger fundraising scheme that could potentially span the entire length and width of the Santa Clarita Valley. “We’re thinking of a huge treasure hunt,” said Jeffrey Shapiro, Executive Director of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, an organization that provides emotional and financial support to children with cancer and their families. Based on the premise of the popular TV show The Amazing Race, hundreds of teams would traverse the Valley hopping from business to business, finding clues, solving riddles, overcoming obstacles and performing activities in a quest to find the grand prize, he explained. The effort would seek to support local businesses, while at the same time raising funds for charity. “We’re in an economic climate that none of us have seen in our lifetimes, and it’s particularly apparent in the Santa Clarita Valley when you see all the empty big box spaces around town,” he said. “So if there’s a way for us to give back to the community and at the same time help support charities, it seems like a win win to me.” The plan would require the collaboration of a group of charities that would pool together to organize the event. Local businesses included as part of the treasure hunt would pay a participation fee, as would the participating team members. There would also be sponsorship opportunities, said Shapiro, who came up with the idea. The challenges would take place inside the participating businesses and would directly relate to them. “For example, if an Italian restaurant chooses to participate, contestants will go into this restaurant and solve some type of riddle or perform some type of action related to Italy or Italian food,” said Shapiro. “The idea is that teams will go all over the Santa Clarita Valley to get to the finish line.” The scheme, which is still in its conceptual stages, has already gathered support from local charities. “We’re at the point where everyone is going to their boards to see if they will move forward on this,” said DaAnne Smith, Executive Director of Single Mothers Outreach, an organization that supports single parents in the area. “We met with our Board this week and they gave us a very enthusiastic thumbs up, so we are in.” The event, she said, would give Single Mothers Outreach much needed publicity, as well as show the organization’s goodwill in the community. Single Mothers Outreach is among the many nonprofits who are struggling to stay afloat in the recession. The charity “fell into financial distress” in late 2007, according to Smith, and a year and a half later is still not able to hire full-time staff. “This has all the bells and whistles needed to get people moving in today’s soft environment,” said Larry Mankin, CEO of the Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce. “We’re taking a hard look at this. This is a community that loves new things, things that are new, different, unique and this promotes business, helps not for profits and gets people moving.” The creative collaborative aspect of this event would fit well with the City’s and the Chamber’s effort to promote a shop local “Think Santa Clarita” campaign, said Shapiro. The event would put the spotlight on Santa Clarita, hopefully also drawing large crowds from surrounding areas. No official business plan has been presented yet as Shapiro said the organization is first gathering the necessary support from the business and non profit community. But if everything goes as planned, Shapiro hopes this huge treasure hunt will take place sometime in the spring of 2010.
