Think locally, help locally.

Founded by Good Times in 2015, Santa Cruz Gives has raised more than $5 million to help more than 60 local charities of all stripes (63 this year).

The campaign kicks off this week and lasts until Dec. 31 giving you a chance to help nonprofits meet their needs for helping the community.

It’s a varied assortment, as you will read in Jeanne Howard’s cover story.

Do you want to help kids in need get free guitars? There’s one for that. How about sending at-risk kids to camp or advocating for the rights of foster children?

The list is eye-opening, and while some of these charities are represented in communities across the country (like Boys and Girls Club), there are others unique to our area (like the Coastal Watershed Council, Dientes Community Dental Care and the Diversity Center).

Scan the list and you will undoubtedly find efforts you want to support.

The starting cost is low. Donations can be as little as $5 (less than a latte). But the results add up to something stunning, a chance to make a big difference in the lives of people in our community.

You won’t find this kind of dedication in other non-locally-funded news outlets, so we are proud, as a community newspaper about to celebrate its 50th year, to be giving back to those in need and hope you will be too.

Read the story and check the links to see how you can contribute.

In other news, the county’s transit district released new information on its rail/trail plans, some of which were quite surprising. They include an elevated track by the Boardwalk, a bridge or tunnel to Cabrillo, and thoughts of 20 stations and a commuter train running every hour. There will also be freight trains.

And Cabrillo College is cutting 5% of classes and budget as a result of state cuts and enrollment declines.

In the good news department, mole freaks (that’s pronounced mo-lay, the sauce, not the rodent) will be happy to learn that My Mom’s Mole, the flavorful food truck startup from Cesario Ruiz, now sets up shop at nonprofit craft beer destination Watsonville Public House (625 Main St., Watsonville). Yum.

Happy reading and eating.

Brad Kava | Editor

PHOTO CONTEST

FOAM ALONE The iconic lighthouse gets a leading line of foam. Photograph by Barbara Stewart

GOOD IDEA

The Santa Cruz Police Department has received a $73,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to support its ongoing enforcement and education programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.

Among other things, the grant will focus on DUI checkpoints; hands-free cell phone violations; dangerous driver behaviors that endangner bikers and pedestrians; speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running; and improper turning or lane changes.

GOOD WORK

Comcast is contributing $45,000 to Cabrillo College to establish the Comcast Journalism Scholarship to support journalism students participating in local internships.

Scholarship awards range from $600 to $2,400; the deadline for the winter semester is Dec. 9.

“These scholarships are an invaluable part of our students’ development, allowing them to apply what they learn in the classroom to practical situations, develop their professional skills, and gain critical insights into the world of journalism,” said Matt Wetstein, Cabrillo College president. Search Comcast Cabrillo scholarship for applications.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“You can beat 40 scholars with one fact,
but you can’t beat one idiot with 40 facts.” —Rumi