A Women’s History Month event in Doylestown brought hundreds of runners to brave biting snow squalls for charity this past weekend. Each participant in the event dressed in a saree — a South Asian garment that swathed their bodies in seven to nine feet of colorful fabric — for the one- to three-kilometer dash/walk. TaRhonda Thomas caught up with them for 6abc.

Silvi Haldipur, president and executive director of Desis of Doylestown, supported the idea of the event wholeheartedly.

A Desi is a person of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepali descent. The nonprofit organizes programs and community service projects to bring them together locally.

Haldipur believes the run may be the first of its kind in the U.S.

“Making history here,” she said.

A saree, also spelled sari, is considered fashionable today. But history shows it to be a humble drape used by women thousands of years ago, according to the organization’s website.

“A saree really makes me feel bold and fierce,” said Aparna Nair, run participant.

More on this event is at 6abc.