Millikin students have an opportunity to have colorful fun and support a great cause at the same time at Alpha Chi Omega’s Color Run for Love this Sunday, April 20 in Fairview Park.
Alpha Chi Omega is a panhellenic sorority on campus whose philanthropy focuses on domestic violence awareness and prevention. They are throwing the color run this weekend to raise money for Growing Strong Sexual Assault Center, a local crisis center that provides free and confidential support to survivors of sexual violence.
The event this Saturday will have two races, one at 12:00 p.m. and one at 2:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Tickets are $15 for Millikin students and $25 for the general public and include access to the race, a t-shirt, and donuts. Growing Strong will also have a table at the event so participants can learn more about the cause they’re supporting.
This is the second Color Run for Love that Alpha Chi has hosted. The event first began last year when Mackenzie Webb, a senior nursing major and Alpha Chi’s then-vice president of philanthropy, had the idea to start a new fundraising event.
“We do Alpha Chi’s and Pies for the Dove Shelter in October for domestic violence awareness month, so I thought since April’s another one of our big months that we should have an event to raise money for a good cause,” she said.
Webb was inspired to start the Color Run for Love because she believed it would be fun for participants and attract a wide range of people.
“Instead of just Greek life, it brings out the athletes, it brings out teachers, it brings out family members, so it’s a bigger population of people that are giving their money to the cause,” Webb said.
She also emphasized that everyone is welcome to join regardless of athletic ability. The appeal of the color run is to have fun engaging in a social physical activity and to enjoy the colorful chalk thrown your way.
“You can [run] if you want to, but you don’t have to run it,” she said. “It’s really just a time for you and your friends to go out, donate a little money to an organization in need, and have a really great afternoon out of it.”
Alpha Chi’s current vice president of philanthropy, sophomore musical theater major Rachel Nott, is excited to continue the tradition that Webb started.
“My biggest goal for this event is that it becomes even more of a known thing. The more we do it every year, the more people get excited for it,” she said.
Nott sees a lot of value in putting on the Color Run for Love because the philanthropy does so much good locally.
“It just struck a chord in me to be able to make a difference in our own community,” she said.
Kerrigan Dunham, a junior theater and performance studies major and a close friend of the sorority chapter, has also found a lot of value in Alpha Chi’s philanthropy.
“Especially during this month of sexual assault awareness month, it’s really nice to be having fundraisers for these causes,” he said. “They are very important and should be getting the visibility they deserve, which the color run will absolutely help do.”
Dunham plans to help set up and work the color run on Sunday.
“There’s so many people in Alpha Chi Omega that I am very appreciative of, so I felt like giving back was only the right thing to do,” he said.
The Color Run for Love has meant so much to members of the Decatur community and Alpha Chi Omega alike. So far, the sorority has raised $2,400 through the event—and donations are still continuing to come in.
The Color Run for Love is a great opportunity to get some exercise and support your community this weekend. Nott expects the event will be a lot of fun for anyone who attends.
“It’ll be a gorgeous day out in the park,” Nott says. “There’ll be a lot of fun people there, and it’s supporting an amazing cause.”
You can buy tickets or donate here. Alpha Chi hopes to see you there!
