Amid recent uncertainties within the community, The Downtown Club has announced its difficult decision to cancel the Fiesta Carnival de Los Niños previously scheduled during this year’s Old Spanish Days fiesta. The carnival was intended as a significant fundraising opportunity for the Club, which serves under-resourced children in the Santa Barbara area.
According to Downtown Club officials, ensuring the safety and well-being of the children they serve is their paramount concern. The Club, located on East Cañon Perdido Street, has been a cornerstone for diverse working families in Santa Barbara since its establishment as the area’s first Boys Club in 1938. It opens its doors daily to enrich the lives of local children with essential services and programs.
“Because the carnival was planned as a major fundraising opportunity for The Club, we now need to step back and take into consideration how hosting a carnival today could possibly impact our fundraising,” stated Mark Alvarado, the Executive Director of the Downtown Club. “We honor the mission of our club everyday by providing services and programs to enrich the lives of our children. The unforeseen financial risk of staging a carnival now could affect our ability to provide the needed services we offer our kids on a daily basis.”…