It’s time to add a little color to your life.
And to your shirt, shorts, hair, shoes and even onto your skin.
Registration for the first Oakwood Grade School PTO Color Run, which will take place at 9 a.m. on Aug. 10, is now open.
The 3.1 mile run/walk will begin at Oakwood Park in Oakwood, Ill. with vendors, music and activities for the whole family. Participants will then head out on the course where they will be blasted with color.
“This will be a fun-filled family day that everyone, not just Oakwood residents, are welcome to,” event organizer Melissa Warner said.
But the event isn’t all about family fun. Funds raised during the event will go right back into Oakwood Grade School.
“Our goal is to be able to purchase field turf for the entire (Oakwood Grade School) playground,” Warner said.
The playground is currently covered in tire pieces and dirt areas.
“The tire pieces leave black stains on children’s clothes as well as end up in shoes, hoodies, pockets, you name it,” Warner said. “We’ve even had parents return baggies full of it throughout the year.”
The turf will also “also open up possibilities for more activities for the students,” according to Warner.
If additional funds are left over, Warner said the PTO will work with the grade school administration to see if additional equipment can be purchased to benefit the school.
The Color Run is not the PTO’s only fundraiser, though.
In the past, the PTO asked students to participate in a catalog fundraiser where they sold chocolates and wrapping paper. When parents just wanted a way to give back without selling, the PTO developed a “Buy Out” fundraiser that gives families the option to donate $30 per student/$50 per family to the PTO so that they can support student and teacher needs throughout the year.
“What’s great about this fundraiser is you can still ask family, friends, neighbors, anyone really to donate towards your goal so the cost doesn’t solely land on the parents/guardians,” Warner said.
To celebrate the fundraising efforts, Oakwood Grade School then hosts a sponsor-funded “Buy Out Bash.” Families who participate in the Buy Out get the VIP treatment and Swag Bags filled with donations from local vendors.
Money raised through OGS PTO events goes to a variety of needs throughout the year.
“One of the biggest expenses we fund is a certain dollar amount per child for field trips,” Warner said. “We have kept always funded up to a certain dollar amount and to either make it for families to have no cost or drastically lower the cost of the field trip. We are currently looking to raise that dollar amount for the next school year.”
The PTO also funds the Science Fair, Art Fair, fourth-grade Special Olympics Shirts, Santa Shop, Teacher Appreciation Lunches and the end of the school year Field Day.
“We also have a supply closet that teachers and staff can grab supplies out of instead of having to purchase out of their own pockets, Warner said.
“This year we are so excited that we are installing a water bottle filling station at the grade school to help promote healthy living by staying hydrated.”
Hosting the Color Run is just one more way that community members throughout East Central Illinois can help support local schools.
“We wanted a fun way that the entire community could come together and help us raise money to improve our school,” Warner said. “What better way than by also promoting health and wellness with a 5K Color Run?”
Participants can register before July 1 to get $5 off the $25 registration fee. The registration fee also includes aT-shirt.
OGS PTO is also looking for sponsors for the event. To learn more contact Warner at ogs_pto@yahoo.com.
