An opportunity to achieve three goals that may not normally fit together is coming to Elizabethtown College. Running a 5k while raising money for at-risk youth and getting bombarded with various colors along the way can all be accomplished simultaneously on Sunday, April 19.
The Etown Color Classic Run came to the College last year and was successful enough to make a return this year. Last year’s run was organized by the Class of 2016; the second year of this event is run by current sophomores. Class of 2017 Vice President Jason Mountain described the run as “a great way to unify students of the College and community members alike in order to support a local cause.”
This year’s beneficiary of the run is the Joshua Group. Located in Harrisburg, this organization works to provide support and outreach to impoverished youth within the city. The program operates out of the Allison Hill neighborhood, which as the group’s website states, is “a neighborhood with the highest poverty rates, highest unemployment rates, highest violent crime rates and highest dropout rates in the city.” About 200 inhabitants of the surrounding neighborhood attend one or more of their different educational programs which offer enrichment to children and adults.
Money is raised predominantly through donations that are offered by local businesses. There are not any steps toward obtaining a sponsorship that any of the run’s participants must feel burdened by.
All that they have to worry about is arriving at the event and taking part in the festivities.
“Many local companies are contacted and asked if they would like to give a donation (monetary or not),” Mountain said.
Sponsors of the event include Utz and PSECU, as well as other local businesses. Donations at the time of the event are also accepted.
Fifty percent of these donations will go directly to the Joshua Group.
The run itself is shaping up to be an exciting time for those involved. Eileen Cody, a graduate student and member of the Women’s Track and Field Team, plans to participate this year because of her experience last year. “It was great to be able to go on a fun run around campus with my best friends that raised money for a great cause,” she said. “I run around campus all of the time, but it was nice to have a large portion of the campus in such an event.” It is not just the students who are involved in the event; the community seems to be reaching out for the cause as well. Mountain said “In terms of non-faculty, non-student involvement, I believe that quite a few local and some non-local people participate in the Color Classic. Parents bring their children and enjoy the day with them.”
As the run date approaches, Mountain and the rest of the event’s coordinators also feel the excitement. “The day of the event is when the magic happens. Everything before that is ‘setting up the dominoes,’ so to speak,” he said. “Anyone is welcome to sign up as a volunteer, and their jobs range from running registration tables to throwing paint at runners. We, as senators and organizers of the event, will be in charge of certain groups of volunteers and lead them through the day.”
In order to participate in the run as a runner or a volunteer, a registration form, which can be found on the Elizabethtown College Event Center website at www.etowncollegeonline.com/colorclassic, must be completed. Runners should prepare to get covered with colored powder and should wear all white. Participants are also expected to arrive at 12 p.m. to begin with pre-race festivities, and then be ready to go for a 1 p.m. start time. Those running will receive a T-shirt designed uniquely for the event, as well as a pair of sunglasses and a temporary tattoo to take home with them. To learn more about the event, visit the site above. More information about the Joshua Group can be found on their website at www.joshuagroup.org.
