2026 Color Craze

Color Craze RUN | Friday, October 30

Color Craze is Piney Branch’s most vibrant tradition — a school‑wide celebration of movement, color, and community spirit. Each fall, our students rally together to raise funds that directly support PBES initiatives.

From the first donation to the final burst of color on race day, Color Craze brings families together, builds excitement across the school, and gives students a chance to shine. Get ready for a season filled with energy, pride, and unforgettable memories.

What is Color Craze?

Color Craze is PBES’s annual fall fundraiser and school‑wide running event. Students raise money throughout the season, then come together on October 30th for a colorful run where volunteers cheer them on and shower them with bursts of color as they move through the running course.

It’s designed to be:

  • Fun — a high‑energy run students look forward to every year
  • Inclusive — every student participates, regardless of fundraising level
  • Impactful — funds raised support literacy and S.T.E.A.M. initiatives
  • Community‑building — families can join the run when fundraising goals are met

Students can also earn exciting rewards throughout the fundraiser, including commemorative Color Craze t‑shirts, top‑earner prizes, and even the chance to invite family members to run beside them on race day. These incentives help build momentum, celebrate student effort, and make Color Craze a beloved PBES tradition. All the 2026 Color Craze fundraising and running event details are below.

2026 Color Craze Fundraising Event | September 22-October 30, 2026

Our 2026 fundraising event kicked off on September 22, 2026 and will run through October 30, 2026. During this time students are encouraged to raise funds in support of Piney Branch Elementary School’s literacy and S.T.E.A.M. initiatives. Students will compete amongst themselves and across grade levels and classrooms to raise money and win coveted prizes for the top earning individuals and classrooms. Students can also earn a commemorative Color Craze t-shirt and earn the right to invite family members to join them during our 2026 Color Craze Running Event on October 30th. But! Pay close attention to our deadlines to ensure you’re eligible for t-shirts, additional running participants, and our grand prizes.

2026 Color Craze Fundraising Event | T-shirts & Additional Participants

The deadline to order t-shirts and register participants for the 2026 Color Craze Run event was Friday, October 16th at 5:00 PM.

If you met the fundraising minimum and submitted your order form by the deadline, t-shirts will be distributed to students before the Color Craze Run on Friday, October 30. Additional event details will be shared with pre-registered non-student participants via email as race day approaches.

There’s still plenty of time to fundraise! Every dollar raised supports PBES literacy and STEAM initiatives, and participants can continue earning their way toward one of our exciting grand prizes. See details below.

2026 Color Craze Fundraising Event | Grand Prizes

🏆 Top Earners Prize 🏆
Our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place earners across the entire school will unlock our all‑new Prize Catalog — a curated collection of amazing rewards. The best part? Students pick their prize from the catalog below.

🏅 Grade Level Winners 🏅
The highest‑earning student in each grade will receive a special invitation to join Mr. Thorne, Ms. Sobers, and Ms. Howland for their choice of an exclusive Pizza or Chick‑fil‑A Party. It’s a fun, delicious way to celebrate leadership, effort, and school spirit—plus a chance to hang out with our administrative leaders.

🌟 Top Classroom Prize by Grade 🌟
Across every grade level, the classroom that raises the most will earn a party of their choice: either an Ice Cream Party or a S’mores Party. But the fun doesn’t end there—extra recess is included! Because nothing motivates teamwork like treats, sunshine, and a little extra time to play.

👉👉👉 DEADLINE ALERT! All fundraising to qualify for Grand Prizes — including individual top‑earner prizes and classroom rewards — must be completed by October 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM, no exceptions. Fundraising totals will be tallied through our Donately site, so be sure all donations are submitted there before the deadline to ensure your student and classroom are counted. Grand Prize winners will be announced the week of November 2nd, so help your student finish strong and stay in the running for this year’s biggest rewards.

Ready to earn prizes?

Create Your Student’s Fundraising Page Today!
2026 Color Craze Running Event | October 30, 2026

On October 30th, 2026, students will join the Color Craze run by grade to celebrate their hard work. The school grounds will transform into a colorful canvas as students dash through clouds of color with laughter and excitement. They will enjoy a dance party and popsicles after the run.

Our 2026 Color Craze running event schedule is now available. Look for additional details for students, teachers, additional participants, and volunteers later this week. .

Volunteer at Color Craze! We’re looking for parent volunteers to help make our Color Craze Running Event on October 30th a success. Please note that volunteer shifts take place during the school day, so we encourage families to sign up only if they’re able to be at school during the times listed. If you are available, we invite you to sign up to volunteer today!

FAQs

All fundraising is managed and tracked through our fundraising campaign on Donately.com. Families are responsible for setting up and sharing their student’s fundraising page. It is extremely important to set up your student’s fundraising page correctly to ensure the funds they raise count toward t-shirts, additional participants, and grand prizes. Get instructions on how to set up your student’s Color Craze Fundraising page on Donately.

All funds raised during 2026 Color Craze will be used to support Piney Branch Elementary School’s literacy and S.T.E.A.M. programs. There are countless ways these funds can be allocated to school projects and initiatives. In past years, the funds have been used to purchase iPads and laptops, provide scripts and supplies for the school musical, replenish supplies in the art room, install fish tanks and incubators for hands-on science lessons, order adaptive equipment and a sun shade for the playground — and so much more.

No! All students at PBES will participate in the Color Craze. The event takes place during the school day and will be a fun time for all students! There’ll be music playing, colors spraying, and popsicles at the end for all!


With that said, we greatly appreciate any donations you collect as part of the fundraiser! This is typically our biggest fundraiser and allows us to do so many wonderful things for Piney Branch.

There are also fun rewards for students in each grade level who raise the most money and for the classroom with the highest overall fundraising total.

*Note: Only students who meet the $30 fundraising goal and complete the t-shirt order form by October 9th will receive an official Color Craze t-shirt. If you have met the fundraising minimum, please make sure you complete the Color Craze t-shirt order form.

Additional participants are welcome to join in the Color Craze fun with their student if the required fundraising goals are reached. Additional participants must be registered for Color Craze in advance to participate. Non-student participants will be asked to present identification upon arrival at PBES and are subject to any background checks required by PWCS. A maximum of four additional participants are allowed.

  • Raise $30: Earn a Color Craze t-shirt for your student
  • Raise $60: 1 Additional Participant. T-shirts for student and additional participant included (2 shirts)
  • Raise $90: 2 Additional Participants. T-shirts for student and additional participants included (3 shirts)
  • Raise $120: 3 Additional Participants. T-shirts for student and additional participants included (4 shirts)
  • Raise $150: 4 Additional Participants. T-shirts for student and additional participants included (5 shirts)

October 9, 2026 is the deadline to earn a Color Craze t-shirt and have additional non-student runners join your students for race day on October 30th, 2026. To receive this prize, you must complete the T-shirt and Additional Participant Order Form by October 9th at 5:00 PM. Fundraising minimums must have been met by the deadline in order for orders to be fulfilled.

October 30, 2026 is the deadline to qualify for one of the grand prizes. Donations received after October 30th are welcome but will not count toward earning grand prizes.

All donations are tracked through Donately. Click here to get instructions on how to set up your student’s fundraiser.