Community Corner

Rain Breaks for Celebrity Led Beach Run, Red Cross Raises $45,000

Hundreds of runners and joggers hit Santa Monica Beach with actor Josh Duhamel to raise money for Southland disaster relief efforts.

The weather forecast calling for heavy rain Sunday might have deterred would-be participants in the American Red Cross' morning run on Santa Monica Beach, but organizers said they still managed to raise $45,000 for disaster relief efforts.

Actor Josh Duhamel led the run for the third year in a row.

"As it turned out, the weather was nearly perfect for the run—cool, some sun and broken clouds," said local chapter spokesman Bill Bauer. "The drizzle started about a half hour after the run was over."

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Last year, there were thousands of participants and Duhamel helped the chapter raise $200,000 for the victims of the Japanese and Haitian earthquakes.

"When the fundraising is specifically disaster driven... it's more successful because there is emotion involved," said Bauer.

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The thinking this year was, "Dec. 2 was too far after [Hurricane] Sandy and that we should concentrate on being better prepared here in LA and Santa Monica for the earthquake or other disaster that surely will come," the spokesman said.

Participants made $10 donations to the American Red Cross PrepareSoCal disaster preparedness campaign, which funds preparedness efforts and relief supplies for earthquakes and other major natural disasters.

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