Aksarben Village and local residents show true colors, passion for community
Water bottle.
Running shoes.
United Way wristband.
White Technicolor Run t-shirt.
Willingness to get a little messy for a cause.
It doesn’t take much to get the Omaha-Council Bluffs area pumped about giving back to our community – and even an ominous storm system doesn’t scare them away. On Tuesday United Way of the Midlands joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) employees and local residents during the Technicolor Walk/Run, and man did we have a blast.
Serendipitously, a giant, colorful rainbow formed above the crowd just minutes before the color run began. We can only assume it was Mother Nature herself showing her support for our town!
This was the first year that BCBSNE opened the traditionally internal fundraising event to the public so that anyone could join in the fun according to Brenda Wichman, the company’s Vice President of Member Services and chair of their UWM campaign this year.
“We are truly grateful for our partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. They’ve brought together the entire community for this event, and we couldn’t be more excited to see everyone rallying around United Way’s mission.”
Greg Vassios, SVP of Corporate and Donor Relations at UWM
Starting in Stinson Park, participants walked or ran to a halfway point north along the Keystone Trail, then turned around to finish the race back at Stinson Park. Of course, considering this is a color run, everyone was subject to random handfuls of colorful powder – to the face, to the chest, to the back – tossed by volunteers all along the course.
Most participants welcomed the bursts of orange, blue, green and pink by running into them with arms wide open, while some kiddos tried their darndest to escape the flying debris by any means possible.
Several Aksarben vendors got involved in the fun as well, offering exclusive discounts for participants the day after the run if they were sporting their United Way race wristband. Generous merchants included Backwoods, Beacon Hills, Jones Bros. Cupcakes, Juice Stop, Lotus House of Yoga, luvbird boutique, Pickleman’s, Roast Coffeehouse and Godfather’s Pizza.
A HUGE thank you is due to BCBSNE as well as Noddle Companies, which developed Aksarben Village, for their excitement and efforts towards making this an event the entire community could be a part of.
When local residents and businesses of all types and sizes come together in a collaborative effort to make the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro a better place, we become #ThatKindofTown we envision – where basic needs are met, education goals are reached, and families are financially stable.
We are so excited to continue working with these community partners to develop more fun ways that bring people together to benefit our neighbors in need. Thank you!