Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
RUNNERS THROW colored chalk up into the air at the start of DOVE's color run Saturday at Sunday Lake in Wakefield.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Wakefield - Runners and walkers from across the Gogebic Range gathered at Sunday Lake in Wakefield Saturday morning to participate in DOVE's first color run.
The Domestic Violence Escape organization held a run/walk last year, said DOVE Director Jeanine Winkowski, but this was the first year the group added the powdered chalk thrown on runners - who often wear plain white shirts for the events - to make it a color run.
"Hopefully we are going to do this every year. It turned out so well, we had 325 pre-registered people and a lot more registered today," Winkowski said. "We don't have a final count yet, but it's going to be a lot."
Winkowski said the run was held because April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
"The whole month is dedicated to the victims of sexual assault, we wanted to do something really special this year," she said, explaining several staff members participate in area runs and suggested the color-run idea.
In addition to the run, there were some children's activities as well as several raffles, including a 50/50 raffle.
The money raised goes to help DOVE with its mission.
"Because we are federally and state funded, we have to raise a certain amount of match money to match some of our grants, and (the run's proceeds) help with that. Also, it helps with actually helping victims themselves," Winkowksi said. "All of our services are free so we have to have money (come from) somewhere, we're a non-profit. So this will all help with our programming for sexual assault."
DOVE was founded in 1983 and serves Gogebic County and Iron County, Wis.
More information can be found by visiting the group's website, Dove-inc.net, or Facebook page. The group can also be reached by calling 906-932-4990 or the crisis line - 906-932-0310.
