The sixth staging of the Colour Me Happy 5K Run or as it is playfully dubbed the “funnest run in Jamaica”, delivered clouds of powdered paint to swarms of fun-runners, all in the name of a worthy cause at Hope Botanical Gardens last Saturday.

The event, organised by Kind Hearts Foundation, was convened under the theme ‘Every Child Deserves Access to Quality Education’, with an aim to build basic schools for children across the island in underprivileged areas.

Kind Hearts Foundation not only raises funds for the projects, but also assists in the actual building process. These basic schools are built in conjunction with Food for the Poor and meet all the Ministry of Education’s construction and operation requirements.

So far they have completed a total of seven basic schools across the island and the proceeds of this race will go towards building their eighth school in 2020.

Two of the schools built in Windsor Castle, Portland, and Crawford District, St Elizabeth, are six-unit structures, consisting of three classrooms with sufficient space for 60 students, Early Childhood Commission-approved furniture, a principal’s office, a sickbay, a fully equipped kitchen, safe bathroom facilities, playground equipment, fencing and a water-harvesting component for domestic purposes.

Saturday’s edition was hosted by the ever-energetic DJ Sparks and boasted non-stop entrée of food from establishments like KFC and Bad Dawg, and also included costume competitions for groups and individuals, as well as a high-energy performance from the Sauce Boss Kemar Highcon.

Highcon’s performance was the highlight of the night, as he had fans singing and dancing on stage to hit songs like Talk Bout and So Saucy to cap off an eventful night that erupted in a burst of colour and confetti and left patrons looking forward to next year’s staging.