On Saturday, May 9, Libertyville High School’s Student Council executive board will be hosting their first ever race modeled after The Color Run. Welcoming all members of the community and beyond, LHS is hoping to mirror the popular event in order to raise money for charity.
Each year, student council coordinates many small philanthropic initiatives and one big one. Last year, the big philanthropic initiative was “Be the Giving Type” that earned an award for outstanding philanthropic initiative from the state of Illinois.
This year, student council has decided to host its very own color run as a way to raise money while hosting a unique event.
The money raised from the run will be donated to the organization Safe Water Kenya. This organization purchases water filters and donates them to community facilities in Kenya like schools or churches. The World Health Organization says that every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water-related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world.
“They reached out to us because they felt it was probable that we could help and we can,” said philanthropic chair Shannon Roche, a senior.
The official Color Run that most are probably familiar with is a five-kilometer, untimed race in which the participants are doused in color from head to toe at each kilometer to promote happiness and healthiness, according to The Color Run’s website.
LHS’s version is slightly different with donating all profits to charity. Student Council is still in the process of coming up with an official name for the race.
According to Roche, here are the basics:
- Wear a white t-shirt provided by student council
- Run (or walk) the mapped out, 5-kilometer course
- Get covered in as much colorful powder as possible
- Have fun!
“I’m really looking forward to the run. LHS poms is planning on participating as a team so that’ll be really fun,” said junior Nellie Richardson.
Since the profits from the event will be donated to Safe Water Kenya, the admission fee will be $30. The $30 will provide each participant with a white t-shirt, food and drink, post-race music from an awesome DJ, and will also go towards the price of the color powder used to cover the participants. According to Roche, the color used may look like paint, but it is actually a heavy powder that will not stain skin or clothes.
The race will start at the football stadium and will wrap around the lake. Student Council has hopes of creating six different stations along the course with a different color at each station.
“We’re trying to make it a community thing. We definitely want as many students from LHS as possible but we’re also really trying to reach out to the community,” said Roche.
