In their first three years, the annual run has raised just over $35,000, with the most recent edition this past Saturday expected to boost that total well into the $45,000 range and beyond.
But all one has to do is see the Colour Run to pick up on why it’s become so popular, so fast.
To put it simply, a picture is most definitely worth a thousand words.
“The community has been really good about supporting this event over the years and we’re really happy with how much it’s grown,” said Heidi Tiller, Habitat for Humanity fund development committee chair. “There’s still quite a bit of effort that goes into it, but what we’ve implemented over the years makes it easier for people to register, show up and then from our side at the Habitat for Humanity, things go really smoothly… It’s a fun event and it’s great to see people have a good time with it.”
Around 300 people took part in the 2019 edition in Wakamow Valley, with the start-finish line at the speed skating oval quickly becoming a cloud of coloured dust as runners crossed the finish line.
“We’re up from about about 200 in years two and three, so that’s just fantastic and we’re really happy to see that kind of turnout,” Tiller said. “I think people are really encouraging their friends and family to come out and we’re doing our best to get the word out, too.”
The Color Run kicked off with a special $5,000 donation from SaskWater manager of corporate communications Courtney Mihalicz, marking a continuation of the organization’s long-standing support for both the run and Habitat for Humanity in general.
“SaskWater has been great, they’ve always supported our events over the year and this past year we’ve been having more conversations with them, and they’ve made some more commitments, including $5,000 they donated at the beginning of the year,” Tiller said.
“Then Courtney reached out to me and said they’d be willing to donate another $5,000, so that was fantastic. It goes to our ninth build, making that a possibility and making it a little more at ease for us, since we always have to make sure we have a certain amount of money in the bank before moving forward. Every cent we can raise helps.”
The ninth build is currently well underway at 914 Ominica St. West, and volunteers are still needed to bring the project to completion.
“They have siding and everything up, so it’s coming along nicely,” Tiller said.
Anyone is interested in volunteering can go to the Habitat for Humanity Moose Jaw website, where all the information for local projects can be found and those interested can sign up and come out to help on the build.
