Tutors volunteer to get colourful for local fundraising event

A colorful plume of dust at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic gave students a taste of a bigger, brighter event coming up in Tauranga.

Tutors stepped up to get splashed with colour bombs by students on campus yesterday to promote the upcoming Colour Dash, a three or six kilometre run to raise money for young people in the Bay.

The Colour Dash is set to take place on April 10 at Waipuna Park, and all proceeds from registration would go to Project K and Kiwi Can, which benefit 240,000 young students in the Bay.

The event is for people of all ages and physical abilities. Participants would be given a clean white shirt and, as they make their way around the course, they would be splashed with colourful dust until the finish line where a massive colour explosion would take place.

"By the time people finished they will be covered in the spectrum of the rainbow," event organiser Larissa Allen said.

It is the second Tauranga Colour Dash event, and the first to raise money for a local charity. Previously, Colour Dash events around the country raised money for Ronald McDonald House, raising more than $100,000 since the events began in October 2014.

"This time we're sharing the love around. We thought because it's a Tauranga event the money should go to a local charity."

BOP regional manager Dan Allen-Gordon for the Graeme Dingle Foundation - formerly known as Foundation for Youth Development - received a blast of colourful dust at the teaser event. "I think we're really lucky and it's awesome to receive the proceeds from this event," he said.

Graeme Dingle Foundation Bay of Plenty regional manager Dan Allen-Gordon gets a blast of colourful dust at the teaser event for Colour Dash.

Mr Allen-Gordon said Project K kids and mentors would be there on the day throwing colour and helping out with the barbecue.

Tutors took part in the Colour Dash promotion.

Tickets start from $25 per participant with 50 per cent of the proceeds from each ticket supporting Project K and Kiwi Can. Tickets are available from www.eventfinda.co.nz