The thousands of cups of beer consumed at the Hollister Rotary
Club’s beer garden over the Fourth of July motorcycle rally did
more just wet dry throats
– it padded local nonprofits’ coffers with thousands of dollars
which they received during a Rotary lunch Monday.
Hollister – The thousands of cups of beer consumed at the Hollister Rotary Club’s beer garden over the Fourth of July motorcycle rally did more just wet dry throats – it padded local nonprofits’ coffers with thousands of dollars which they received during a Rotary lunch Monday.
Hollister Rotarians, in conjunction with the Hollister Independence Rally Committee, donated $12,000 to 14 local nonprofits from money raised at the beer garden over the three-day rally weekend, according to Rotary President Will Sutton.
Some 225 local volunteers who served cold brew to the throngs of rally-goers clocked in 1,000 volunteer hours and raised about $30,000 net profit – all of which will go back to the community in the form of donations or scholarships.
“The whole idea is you put something above yourself and you make it happen,” Sutton said. “And if we didn’t have the rally, Rotary wouldn’t be able to contribute that kind of funding.”
Among the nonprofits which received money at the luncheon were the Community Pantry, YMCA, San Benito County Guide Dogs for the Blind and the San Benito High School Sober Grad Night program, Sutton said.
This is the fourth year Rotary joined with HIRC to raise money, and every year they hope to increase the amount donated and the number of nonprofits who receive funding, he said.
After nonprofits receive funding, another $12,000 is set aside to grant local high school students academic scholarships, he said. Between 22 to 25 scholarships, ranging from $500 to $2,500, are given out at the end of the school year, he said. The balance is then put into an endowment fund at San Benito High School for student athletes, Sutton said.
While HIRC and Rotary members were able to dole out thousands of dollars to worthy causes, HIRC Executive Director Helen Nelson said she still didn’t know exactly how much money the rally earned this year.
The committee hasn’t received bills from several law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice, and may not know the total bill for the three-day festivities for months. Typically, law enforcement’s bill alone tops out at $300,000.
However, Nelson hopes to have an economic impact study the committee commissioned several weeks ago finished by the end of the month.
Nelson wants to present the report, which would quantify the rally’s financial impact on San Benito, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey and Fresno counties, by the Hollister City Council meeting on Sept. 26, she said. The company HIRC commissioned to conduct the study has been working for about two weeks, gathering information on sales tax figures for all counties and hotel income and occupancy rates, Nelson said.
Also included in the report will be grocery store revenues and businesses other than hotels – anything and everything that is affected by the thousands of people who come to the area over the rally weekend, she said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
