Kick­ing Off the Hus­tle for Health 5K: Hon­or­ing the Ori­gins of a Col­or­ful Run

April 20, 2022

Ken­neth Young Cen­ter’s 2022 Hus­tle for Health 5K Run/​Walk Event: A Col­or­ful Run

The 21^st Annu­al Hus­tle for Health 5K Run/​Walk will be a col­or­ful cel­e­bra­tion of our vibrant com­mu­ni­ties. The Hus­tle for Health is KYC’s sig­na­ture event and largest annu­al fundrais­er. This year’s event will be a fun col­or­ful run event, includ­ing throw­ing col­or­ful dyes that rep­re­sent the diver­si­ty of KYC’s com­mu­ni­ty health programs.

Hon­or­ing the Hin­du Cel­e­bra­tion of Holi

Col­or Runs have become a pop­u­lar cul­tur­al phe­nom­e­na across the Unit­ed States for years, but their ori­gins come from the Hin­du tra­di­tion of Holi, a cel­e­bra­tion of spring. KYC is proud to add this inclu­sive and empow­er­ing ele­ment to this year’s 5K Run/​Walk cel­e­bra­tion, as KYC and the cel­e­bra­tion of Holi share a deep com­mit­ment to inclu­sion. The pris­mat­ic dis­play of throw­ing col­ored pow­der brings togeth­er all peo­ple in a shared expe­ri­ence of joy and mer­ri­ment and is emblem­at­ic of a blend­ing of cul­tures, back­grounds, and iden­ti­ties in a uni­fied cel­e­bra­tion. Today, cel­e­bra­tions across India and its dias­po­ra bring togeth­er peo­ple of all reli­gious back­grounds in a cul­tur­al event to spread joy with the col­ors and hon­or the cul­tur­al roots of Indi­an heritage.

Dur­ing the tra­di­tion­al cel­e­bra­tion of Holi, peo­ple across the globe hon­or spring on the full-moon day of the Hin­du month of Phal­gu­na, with crowds gath­er­ing togeth­er at dusk for cel­e­bra­tions, pranks, and music. Spe­cif­ic tra­di­tions vary across India and the world, how­ev­er poems doc­u­ment Holi cel­e­bra­tions stretch­ing back to the 4^th cen­tu­ry CE. On the day of Holi, each col­ored pow­der car­ries its own mean­ing, and can be tossed as loose pow­der, or mixed with water in water bal­loons or squirt guns to joy­ful­ly spread col­or through­out the day. Many wear white cloth­ing to rep­re­sent the new life of spring, show­cas­ing the col­ors and dying cloth­ing into vibrant designs.

The throw­ing of the dyes is just one part of the Holi fes­ti­val, which usu­al­ly lasts two days and includes a num­ber of reli­gious, region­al, and cul­tur­al ele­ments. To learn more about the cel­e­bra­tion of Holi, vis­it https://​www​.holifes​ti​val​.org/.

Using Col­or to Cel­e­brate KYC’s Services

The Hus­tle for Health will be a cel­e­bra­tion of all of KYC’s pro­grams and ser­vices, but we invite you to pay spe­cial trib­ute to the pro­gram areas that spark your pas­sion if you choose! Whether you’re plan­ning a spe­cial race day out­fit or you’ve found anoth­er mean­ing­ful way to advo­cate for the pro­grams that move you, check out some sug­ges­tions below. 

These col­or ref­er­ences are tied to some areas of KYC’s pro­gram­ming, but are cer­tain­ly not inclu­sive of all of we offer to the com­mu­ni­ty togeth­er. These options are also not the only ways to rep­re­sent these pro­grams, or what’s impor­tant to you. These are only sug­ges­tions — express your cre­ativ­i­ty through col­ors to high­light what res­onates with you!

Join the Hus­tle for Health

All are invit­ed to join in this pris­mat­ic dis­play of empow­er­ment! Find more infor­ma­tion about the event and reg­is­ter to par­tic­i­pate here.

Com­mu­ni­ty orga­ni­za­tions and cor­po­rate groups can join in the fun, too! Reg­is­ter to par­tic­i­pate as a team or check out our spon­sor­ship oppor­tu­ni­ties here.

---

Previous Article Next Article