04/18/2026
SO HOW DID THE COLOR RUN START ANYWAY?!....
A few years ago the three board members of the Smithfield Special Education Committee joined together as a full board. Three moms of children receiving special education services looking to make a difference in town. We understood the struggle families face and heard from many families the feeling of being misunderstood and shying away from events because people just did not understand them. Their children were in our local schools yet they felt they were still being misunderstood by their peers, staff, and the community. We began brainstorming different ideas of how we could possibly create a space in town where every child feels welcomed regardless of their ability. A positive space where we could support these families and lift them up and give them support. We began getting speakers, having sensory friendly events, being a safe space where they could come and chat……and then an idea came.
What if we created a large event throughout the heart of the town, Deerfield Park. We would create a space where we work to educate the town in different abilities because there truly is POWER in education. Sometimes people are not being rude, or being dismissive…sometimes people just truly do not understand others. This would be an event that would be fun, and a way to celebrate all…an event that speaks about different abilities such as autism, down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, etc. etc.….. to help get the community to understand a bit more. This event would show the community that every child can and WILL learn when given the proper tools, and that special education is not a stereotypical negative thing. Receiving special education services should not be looked at in a negative way. It is JUST modifying instruction it does NOT mean a student is less than another student. For years the public placed a stigma on SPED services. Changing the way instruction is given to fit the need of the student….there is NOTHING negative about it. Imagine a world where there is no stigma when you hear special education…KNOWLEDGE TRULY IS POWER…..and this is how the Color run came to be….
So we began brainstorming a fun color run event. The idea of educating the community about a different ability at a table and then next table they come to they would get color blasted with powder. The event started with 5 color station, and not many businesses or organizations signing on. We worked ourselves to create informational tables by creating trifold boards with information on them. That year we had over 300 people in attendance and only two community partner tables. Seeing everyone line up in white shirts ready to go through the trails at Deerfield left us speechless and brought tears to our eyes. How could three moms from the town work together to pull this off?! That first year everyone had a blast and told us they would look forward to the next year… That was three years ago and man have we grown…….
Fast forward to this upcoming year…we are amazed at all of support we are getting. May 2nd the FOURTH annual color run we now have 7 color stations, over 40 community partners, and now combined with the local YMCA to add a TOUCH-A-TRUCK/Healthy Kids Day.
We cannot say THANK YOU in advance enough to everyone who attends, donates their time, and works to help us break the stigma behind special education. We look forward to May 2nd to spend with the community…and keep this event going stronger and stronger each year. With your help we will show the rest of the state, and the country that every child CAN and WILL learn…… and that differences are COLORFUL.
We are two weeks away and you will NOT want to miss an event that started with three moms raising awareness… and has grown into a MOVEMENT, where awareness sparked it, but acceptance is leading the way. Registration is open now, and will remain open until May 1st at 10pm you do NOT want to miss this!
TO REGISTER PLEASE CLICK BELOW::
https://forms.gle/qhZPV2YaPr4gQYGY7
