Brown rugby unicorn tackling a good cause

Every year, the Color Run, “an event to promote happiness and healthiness by bringing the community together,” as their website states, gives its proceeds to local charities.

This time, the Providence Color Run gave the money it raised to the Partnership for Providence Parks, which is a foundation that looks to improve the community through updating local parks.

Volunteers who helped people sign up and register for the “Happiest 5k on the Planet,” as the Color Run likes to call itself, supported the organization’s fundraising goal of raising $8,000.

This year’s volunteers include 13 members from Brown’s very own Rugby Team.  Federico Torti, Liam Campbell, Pete McHugh, Thomas Kim, Joey Paolino, Calum McClelland, Davis Hartnett, Brad Bentz, John Landers, Fran Rosenberg, Jake Rosenfeld, Alan Swierczynski, Ammar Faizullabhoy and Aaron Gottlieb signed up to help register participants at the Khol’s store located on 650 Bald Hill Rd #300 in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Rosenberg, Torti and Bentz were the three “ruggers” who wore the Color Run mascot costume, Runi the Unicorn.  “The event’s organizers gave us the costume and asked us to wear it,” Bentz said.

Rosenberg was the first to wear the costume simply because he was the first team member to arrive to the event.  He had the 11.30am to 3.30pm shift.  Torti and Bentz shared the second shift time from 3pm to 7pm.

Rosenberg told Torti their coach, Dave LaFlamme, he wanted him to wear the costume.  “That wasn’t true,” Torti said, “he tricked me, but it was actually really warm inside the costume so I gave it to Brad because he’s a rookie.”

“I’m not quite sure about the significance of the costume, but there were a lot of kids signing up, so we took a few pictures with them,” Rosenberg said.

While the un-costumed volunteers sat inside the store helping people sign up, Runi got to dance outside Khol’s and wave to cars passing by.  “We had a big speaker blasting some tunes and it was good fun all round,” Torti said.

With the help of the rugby players and all of the Color Run’s volunteers, the Partnership for Providence Parks raised their $8,000 goal. The organization sent the rugby team an email today thanking them for their help:

Good job, boys.