After hitting the registration goal of at least 1000 participants, nearly all of whom ran and were doused in color at the 2nd Toma Color race held in Puerto Peñasco on Sunday, April 12th, the event raised $180,000 pesos to donate to La Montaña School for children with special needs (Multiple Attention Center otherwise known as CAM La Montaña).
At the event, which began and ended in the malecón, participants ranged in age from youth to older adults and children to babies in strollers, all who were out to have fun while supporting the fundraising effort. CAM La Montaña provides special education services to dozens of children and youth across the city who have special needs and/or disabilities.
During the 5K and 10K races, organizers and sponsors set up at each kilometer station in order to douse runners with various colored powders. All runners were bathed in multicolors by the time they reached the finish line.
Diana Vega Flores, Director of CAM La Montaña, thanked the Toma Color organizers which include Erika Mota, Leticia Portugal, Albita Portugal, Luis Altamirano, Marisa Hernández and Mariela Contreras for having put on this fundraising event. Vega Flores expressed the funds would be used to repair bathrooms at the school, which are currently in horrible condition. Organizers detailed the funds raised at the event would be donated to the school in-kind, or rather for specific areas of need at the school while also getting volunteers to help carry out the work at the school. The CAM La Montaña Director also thanked the community for their contributions in having registered for the run.
Toma Color 2015 awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes for men’s and women’s categories in both the 10K and 5K (not all names were available at time of publishing).
Organizers explain the goal of continuing Toma Color as an annual event, with the goal of providing the community with a fun family event while supporting charitable institutions. Last year’s inaugural Toma Color donated $120,000 pesos to the Dialysis Center project (approx. $9600 US), while this year the event was able to raise $180,000 pesos for the CAM La Montaña (approx. $12,800 US).