December 9, 2022

Dear Community,

With heavy hearts, we announce that the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center (MCRCC)’s annual Together with Love (TWL) 5/10K Run and Walk will not be taking place again in 2023. It was not an easy decision to make, and we ourselves are sad to see the TWL race go. 

A lot of careful thought and discussion led our fundraising team (made up of staff, Board Members, and community members) to the decision not to continue our beloved race, but to instead focus our efforts on planning MCRCC’s first ever fundraising dinner to support its programs. We had to face the truth that over the past several years, MCRCC has seen a steady decline in the return on investment with the Together with Love Run/Walk, despite our efforts to keep the event going. This was true even before the COVID pandemic. First and foremost, the purpose of the event was as a fundraiser to benefit the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, which in turn provides support to survivors of sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking in our community, as well as provides prevention education.

We are excited for this next chapter and at the same time, it’s hard to say goodbye to the Together with Love Run and Walk. We understand that many of our supporters were hopeful that the race would transition back to an in-person event after going virtual for the past two years of the pandemic. We know that many folks looked forward to TWL every year, had traditions of running the race with friends and family, and we have even heard stories of couples who fell in love after meeting at the race, as well as a marriage proposal that happened at a TWL event! The community and spirit behind Together with Love hold a very special place in our memories, and it was not an easy decision to let the race go. 

During MCRCC’s 50th anniversary year, Together with Love will take the form of a fundraising formal dinner at Pasadera on May 6, 2023, to celebrate the agency’s legacy over the past five decades. We are looking forward to celebrating our supporters and raising funds that will go towards supportive services for our community. We are busy making plans for it, and tickets are expected to go on sale as early as Valentine's Day! Please save the date. 

Thank you to everyone who has participated in Together with Love over the years. We hope you’ll continue to support survivors and MCRCC during this time of transition.

Sincerely,

Monterey County Rape Crisis Center leadership

If you are looking for a different way to show your support for survivors and prevention services, please consider supporting MCRCC through the Monterey County Gives campaign, which is currently active through 12/31/22!

Enjoy this collection of TWL photos taken through the years (photo credit: Kim Birdsong).