IDC is comprised entirely of volunteers, no paid staff

Published in the June 22 – July 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Lauren Newcomb

IDC-story-4Kim Moyano’s reason for giving so many of her hours and so much of her energy as treasurer to help put on the Freedom Fest events in Morgan Hill is simple. “What made me want to volunteer? Loss of mental capacity!” she said, and laughed. “Just kidding!”

A year ago, the Gilroy resident heard that the treasurer was resigning from the nonprofit organization Independence Day Celebration Inc., which puts on Freedom Fest every July. Having been an accountant for more than 30 years made her exceptionally qualified for the position, so Moyano told IDC’s then president Charles Weston she was interested in taking on the challenge. “He snagged me up,” she said.

It’s a demanding volunteer job, requiring managing more than $150,000 in donation money to put on the various events that celebrate America’s birthday. But it’s well worth it, she said.

“My favorite part of being involved in Freedom Fest is watching the reaction and enjoyment of the people who come to all the events we put on,” she said. “Seeing the kids’ faces and how much everyone enjoys it, that’s what keeps me coming back.”

IDC-story-2With the Fourth of July fast approaching, the dedicated volunteers at IDC are hard at work preparing the various family-friendly events of this year’s Morgan Hill Freedom Fest. The organization is something of an unknown entity, as many people mistakenly assume that the city or the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce organize and fund the Fourth of July celebrations. IDC has actually been in charge of the Fourth of July events since 1982.

More than three decades ago, the chamber of commerce relinquished control of three events — the parade, the July 3 street dance, and the fireworks show, which was then held at Community Park and are now held at the Outdoor Sports Center. Not wanting to lose these celebrations, volunteers banded together to form their own organization, and thus IDC was born, known at the time as Independence Day, Inc. (IDI).

The current president of IDC is Jeff Dixon, who also handles the logistics of the July 4 evening fireworks extravaganza. Dixon and the former president, Charles Weston, trade off the position every three years, so as to keep the job fresh and keep it from stagnating. Weston is now the Freedom Run chair as well as the fundraising chair of the organization. Moyano helped Weston with the Freedom Run for a few years.

IDC-story-3Weston’s enthusiasm for the Freedom Run stems in part from being a marathon runner. “Steve Tate, the mayor, was a marathon runner at the time, so we would run marathons all over the state together,” he said. “Steve organized the run for two years, then in 2002 I took over.”

As director of the run that makes a 5K loop through downtown in the early morning July 4, Weston organizes the volunteers and the runners, times the run, gives out awards, and tries to create a family-friendly atmosphere. “That was originally the intent here, to have a place where you could run the one-mile run with your child, or run the 5K, and then sit down and watch the parade,” he said. He added that there aren’t many routes that precede a parade, so it’s fun and unique in that aspect.

Recently, the United States Track and Field Association sanctioned the 5K Freedom Run to be part of the Grand Prix circuit in California. Because it’s official now, runners can potentially establish world records for the first time at the Freedom Run.

IDC-story-1“It’s amazing. From a mom-and-pop 5K to being sanctioned by the U.S. Track and Field Association, it’s a different world,” Weston said. “Going into the fifth year, we had 203 runners. Last year we had 900, and probably this year we’ll have over a thousand.”

Growing the Freedom Run helps raise money to fund the other Freedom Fest events. This year, IDC is hosting seven events, including the Freedom Run, Fireworks on the Green, the Independence Day Parade, the Patriotic Sing (held July 3 evening at the Downtown Amphitheater), the Car Cruise and Show, the Family Street Dance (held July 3 along Monterey Road downtown), and new this year the Family Fun Night at the Dennis Kennedy Morgan Hill Aquatics Center.

Raising money throughout the year is essential to the operation of IDC and its events because the celebrations are funded entirely through donations and corporate sponsors. Weston and Dixon try to come up with new ways to raise dollars aside from the usual techniques. This year, they came up with the idea to raffle off the opportunity to launch the test fireworks prior to the fireworks show.

IDC-story-6“It’s called the VIP fireworks package,” Dixon explained. “They get to launch a test shot at the show, and, if I’m not mistaken, it’s going to be the old plunger, like Wile E. Coyote.” Weston laughed, adding, “I did it five years ago, and it was really fun! It’ll say TNT on it.”

These innovative approaches to fundraising are helping the organization expand their reach and fulfill their mission, which is to help unite the Morgan Hill community.

IDC is comprised entirely of volunteers and has never hired a paid employee. Everyone is dedicated to the goal of bringing the South Valley community together to celebrate America’s birthday with a patriotic party that invites people from throughout Santa Clara County and the surrounding regions.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is our board members,” Dixon said. “We’ve focused heavily on bringing this all volunteer community service organization onto professional footing, so that it’s run like a business as opposed to a large family that is all working on a common goal.

Web-6-Fireworksk-ShowSome volunteers have been with the organization for a long time, he added. Bob and Maureen Hunt who put on the parade have been with IDC since the beginning, 30 years ago. Karen Crane has been doing the Patriotic Sing and the essay contest for 26 years.

For Dixon, Weston and Moyano, their mission with Freedom Fest is clear. They organize celebrations on Independence Day to celebrate all the freedoms that Americans enjoy and to bring the community together. Each event is a different way to celebrate, according to what each individual person likes to do.

Moyano sees the celebrations as capturing the spirit of Independence Day in their own ways, but she also views them as a unifying force. “Seeing our community come out and celebrate with each other, the camaraderie, the songs the children sing, the parade — everyone is there for the same reason, to recognize our country’s independence,” she said.

For Weston, unifying the community starts with the unity of the volunteers. “All the people involved are pretty unique, but they all have at least this one thing in common, if nothing else,” he said. “It’s a sort of impetus, a freedom in its own right.”

IDC is always looking for new volunteers and the organization draw all sorts of people, Dixon said. “If you like giving back to your community, this is the one to help with,” he said. “If you like to celebrate freedoms, or you just like events and parties, this is the one to come help with. And if you just like to jump in and work with a great bunch of folks, this is definitely the one for you.”