CASA 5K run is back
After a two-year hiatus, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children-Texarkana will hold its seventh Colorful 5K Run this Saturday morning.
The race is a 3.1 mile fitness running/walking event on a cross county trail. The run begins on an open field and winds through a dirt trail system, and the route is repeated once. The location is Trinity Baptist Church/ Cross Country Trail, 3115 Trinity Boulevard, and the pre-race stretch and warmup begins at 8 a.m.
It starts with each participant releasing a bag of color into the air creating a burst of color. Stations will be located throughout the race route where participants will be showered with brightly colored powder, turning their white shirts into a color explosion. The color is made from eco-friendly food colored cornstarch.
Executive Director Brandy Eldridge said the organization is ecstatic to get back to tradition with this event.
“We’re super excited,” Eldridge said. “First of all, just for the nonprofit world, fundraisers in the last year have been pretty null. And that’s hard for nonprofits to survive without fundraisers because that is how we keep the doors open. But this fundraiser in particular is a family event.
“Our nonprofit is about taking care of kids and trying to end child abuse. When we do have children who have been victims of child abuse, it affects the whole
family. So, when we see the bad stuff all day long, every single day, it’s good for our staff and community to do something fun and celebrate that there is hope.”
CASA recently held its Save Jane event, which took over an hour and a half to read all the names of the over 1,100 children they served last year. Eldridge said this puts what they’re doing into perspective.
“That is sobering,” she said. “It brings a deep awareness, but it’s sad and it’s hard. We don’t always get to share the hope of it. When those children have been placed in foster care, and they get to go back to their families because their families have worked hard and changed their lives to be good parents, or when the children who are adopted and go through therapy services turn out to be this amazing kid when they’ve had the most traumatic events of their life — That’s what the color run is for. It is a celebration of all the work the staff, volunteers and community do to help the children.”
The financial goal for this event is $10,000, as CASA continues to recover from the lack of funding from previously canceled events. But ultimately, Eldridge said this event is more about the families involved than the money.
If it rains?
The race will go on in the event of rain but will be cancelled if lightning and thunder are present due to safety concerns. Those already registered will be allowed to pick up their shirts at the CASA Office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily beginning the Monday following the scheduled race day
Registration for kids ages 5-12 and student pricing for ages 13-18 is $10. For ages 19 and up, it’s $30.
Online registration ends Friday at noon.
(Registration can be done now at runsignup.com/Race/AR/Texarkana/CASAColorful5K online or come the day of the race and sign up. Registration fees are non-refundable and include one color bag and one t-shirt per paid registrant, while supplies last.)