As Todd Beamer High School student Anastassia Kostin sat in a planning session with Free the Children Club members from other schools, she got a “random” idea: Todd Beamer’s own Free the Children Club could organize a color run to raise money for their annual project.

Kostin is the president of her school’s Associated Student Body club, Free the Children, which has about 40 active members.

Five to six months later, that random idea is just weeks away from kicking off.

“We’re looking for a really big turnout and we’re still collecting as many funds as we can,” Kostin said, noting the colored powder is a “pricey” $106 per box. They need 12 boxes.

With a goal of raising $4,000, students will take proceeds for the “We Step Up – Federal Way” 5K color run and donate them toward food sustainability in Ecuador.

So far, 40 students from all four high schools have registered.

“Free the Children revolves around this developmental program called Adopt a Village, which is based on creating a sustainable community,” Kostin said, adding that villages can support themselves through various means like clean water, agriculture, alternative income and medicine. “We decided to focus on agricultural programs.”

Kostin said experiencing hunger, especially in children, is the difference between having the energy to go to school or not, and “we know education is the key to escaping this cycle of poverty.”

If We Step Up sounds familiar, it’s because the project is somewhat tied with Federal Way High School’s We Scare Hunger, a past project that is part of a global movement and event called “We Day.” We Day and We Schools are initiatives of Free the Children, an international charity youth empowerment organization. Last year, approximately 600 students from Federal Way Public Schools attended their third We Day in Seattle on April 23, 2015.

All of them earned their way into the event by taking on one local and global challenge. Last year, Todd Beamer students purchased a water aquifer for Ecuadorian villages. They raised $3,500 from their school’s talent show to pay for it.

This year, We Day is scheduled for April 20.

While this is the school district’s fourth year partnering with Free the Children, the goal isn’t just to bring awareness and raise money for villages overseas.

“I think it’s important because it’s for youth, by youth,” Kostin said. “By getting youth together, we’re empowering them to go out there and not wait for someone to start doing something. If you have an idea and passion, you can really use that to attract people that will help you with developing your goals.”

The color run will feature guest speakers Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell and Councilwoman Susan Honda. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Celebration Park, located at 1095 S. 324th St.

Tickets cost $20 until March 11, $30 from March 14-25 and will be $35 the day of the event. Each ticket comes with a ticket to Wild Waves and a T-shirt that will be pummeled with colored powder the day of the run. Music, a concession stand, a snow cone machine and prize drawings will also be at the event.

Mini Northwest, Herff-Jones, EM Services, Wild Waves, Dormco.com, the city of Federal Way, South King Fire and Rescue and New Toko Teriyaki are sponsoring the event.

To register, purchase a ticket at the finance office at the following schools: Todd Beamer High School, Federal Way High School, Decatur High School, Thomas Jefferson High School and the Federal Way Public Academy. To donate toward the color run, make checks payable to Todd Beamer High School and send them to 35999 16th Ave. S., Federal Way, to the attention of Holly Barlow, Todd Beamer High School’s ASB finance secretary.

For more information about Free the Children or We Day, visit www.freethechildren.com or www.weday.com.