Whitney Shearer’s white running shirt was partially caked with yellow and green powder as she crossed the finish line Saturday morning.

The 2006 Niles High School graduate and former track and field athlete was the first to finish of the approximately 130 participants

running in the Niles Service League’s inaugural Colors for Kids 5K Fun Run Saturday morning at Brandywine High School.

By the end, most of the runners looked like they had entered a tie-died t-shirt contest rather than a 5K run.

“It was a lot of fun, especially for the kids,” said Shearer, of Niles.

Becky Kessler, chairperson of the event for the Niles Service League, said she was pleased with the turnout, even though the organization fell short of its goal of getting 200 participants.

“It went well. There are some things we will need to fix for next year, but overall I think everyone had a good day and had fun,” Kessler said. “I saw a lot of smiles out there.”

All money raised at the event will go to the Niles Service League, a non-profit member organization that gives all proceeds back to the community. Kessler said she would know how much was raised by early this week.

The Niles Service League’s mission is to provide services to the children in the Niles, Brandywine and Buchanan areas. It was founded by a group of women interested in the welfare of the children in our community.

Some of the services include college and vocational scholarships, camperships, clothing/eyeglasses for students, Holiday Adopt-a-Family and community contributions.