Participants at a fundraising walk in Nanaimo later this month will start out in white t-shirts and end up covered in all the colours of the rainbow.
Colours for Kids, benefiting BGC Central Vancouver Island, takes place Saturday, May 27, with 4.5-kilometre and 2km routes set up at Beban Park. Participants will be showered with coloured powder, turning their t-shirts into a “kaleidoscope of hues by the finish line,” noted a press release.
Karen Love, BGC Central Vancouver Island executive director, said the event was held when she was in Calgary and she thought it would be good for Nanaimo. Sponsors will line the route, cheering on participants and dousing them with powder, she said.
“We want it to be an annual event every year that people get excited for and wait for and we wanted to make sure it fit with our mandate of being open to all, whether you’re walking, in a wheelchair, pushing a buggy,” she said. “Whether you’re competitive or not competitive, everyone is welcome to join.”
The event will provide money for BGC’s programming from Ladysmith to the Comox Valley. In Nanaimo, for example, the money will support the club’s early years programming, the Generation Q program providing a safe space and resources to LGBTQ youths, and the Purple Girlzillas program providing empowerment and friendshipt to female-identifying youths.
The coloured powder that will be used at the event is child-friendly, environmentally friendly, non-toxic and washes away, Love said.
Individuals pay a $25 entry fee, or $50 for families. Times will not be tracked, allowing for participants to do the route at their leisure.
As of May 17, 350 people had registered out of a maximum of 500.
“The fundraising goal for us initially was $20,000,” said Love. “Because it’s our first, we didn’t know if we would reach that goal, but through our supporters who have been sponsors, we have reached $22,000, so we’re really pleased with that.”
For more information or to register, visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/bgccvi-colours-for-kids-tickets-591586700747.
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