Tons of colored chalk created rainbow clouds as runners dashed through multiple stations outside Sycamore School to raise funds for cancer patients. 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Sycamore Middle School made a mess of themselves, and anyone else who got close, in the name of fundraising last week.

The annual Color Run was held Wednesday March 20, with proceeds to be donated to the North Valley Sparrow foundation. 

 Students saturated in color take a minute to stop and smile during the Sycamore School Color Run.

The NVSF is a non-profit that assists individuals and families battling cancer through various means, providing both financial and emotional support to qualified applicants in 23 rural counties. This can sometimes take the form of cash assistance, gas cards, arranging accommodation and more for those undergoing cancer treatments in our area.

In the past, students, sometimes joined by family members, have purchased, and released butterflies in memory of those lost to the horrible disease during a solemn ceremony held before the main event. This year runners got right to the fundraising fun. 

Wearing white t-shirts with a Sparrow graphic on the front and their sponsors logos on the back, students grouped themselves by class grade level outside the central quad. Over a loudspeaker, staffers could be heard releasing each 6th, 7th and 8th grade groups.

Students got off to a quick start.

Participants would run a 30-minute gauntlet, their course the exterior perimeter of Sycamores’ large field. Color stations manned by Sycamore students were strategically placed around the loop which saw hundreds of kids go from pristine to brightly caked within minutes.

 Red slime flies towards oncoming runners, adding another layer of colorful fun during the fundraiser.

Clouds of colored smoke swirls and jets of water could be seen raining down on the participants and anyone who was brave enough to enter the “splash zone.” Large buckets of slime were employed to fully coat the participants and wreak delightful havoc. The water and slime helped the colored chalk stick to clothing, skin and hair, creating some very interesting, tie-dyed students! 

Educator and color run organizer Christine Santerre reports that Sycamore was able to raise $5,000 to donate to the North Valley Sparrow Foundation. 

 A T-shirt featuring all the sponsors of the run.

Sycamore would like to thank their sponsors: Gridley Teachers Association, Rosser Enterprises, Stohlman’s Union Station 76, Barefoot Dance Company, Holt Construction, Chasing Butterflies Photography, Anderson Dragline Inc., Barrows Landscaping and Kids Castle LLC.

If you would like to donate to the North Valley Sparrow Foundation or learn more about their organization, please visit www.northvalleysparrowfoundation.org.