STARKVILLE — People across Starkville and Oktibbeha County may soon see a lot of purple, as organizers of the 2012 Relay for Life launch a month-long campaign to build excitement for the event and boost local awareness about the fight against cancer.
Working in conjunction with local officials, Relay for Life organizers this week kicked off the “Paint the Community Purple” campaign leading up to the Relay event May 4 and 5 at the Starkville Sportsplex on Lynn Lane.
Mayor Parker Wiseman formally proclaimed April 4 to May 5 as “Paint the Community Purple Month” in Starkville, but the campaign also involves all of Oktibbeha County, organizers said.
The Relay for Life seeks to raise money to benefit research, education, advocacy and patient assistance programs of the American Cancer Society, while honoring cancer survivors and their caregivers and paying tribute to those who lost their battles with the disease.
The color purple is used by the Cancer Society to symbolize the overall fight against cancer.
With the “Paint the Community Purple” campaign, Relay leaders are encouraging individual home and business owners, churches, civic groups and educational organizations to place a splash of purple on their mailboxes or front doors to show support for both the Relay and to honor individuals they know who are battling or who have beaten cancer, as well as remember those who have been lost.
“The ‘Paint the Community Purple’ campaign is about bringing this community together to take a stand in the fight against cancer,” said Barbara Foster, co-chair of the Relay for Life Steering Committee. “We want this campaign to show that our community is actively engaged in fighting back against this disease, as we also build excitement for the Relay for Life (event) in a few weeks.”
The Relay for Life Steering Committee wants to make it easy for residents, businesses, churches, schools and others to participate in the “Paint the Community Purple” campaign by offering easy-to-assemble purple bows for sale; the bows may be tied to a mailbox or door handle or used in a display.
Provided by the Cancer Society to the Relay committee, the bows may be purchased for $5 each at the Book Mart on Main Street in downtown Starkville.
Bows also may be purchased from members of the Steering Committee or from any of the nearly 30 Relay teams participating in this year’s event. A complete list of the participating teams may be found online at relayforlife. org/Oktibbeha.
Proceeds from the bow sales will go toward the $100,000 fundraising goal for this year’s Relay for Life.
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