Local Relay For Life teams are getting ready for another fundraising event, one that aims to deck out the businesses in downtown Cleveland in purple.
“We are painting the town purple,” said Nancy Nassar, event chair for the local Relay For Life group.
This is the first year that the Bolivar County groups have used this type of fundraiser.
“Alicia came up with the idea and said, ‘let’s do this,’” Nassar explained. “Apparently they’ve done this in other locations and it’s been successful. We just think it’d be neat for everyone to be purple.”
Nassar and the many Relay teams in the area are looking to round out the campaign year with this project.
“Our main goal is for all the businesses downtown to purchase purple bows,” Nassar said. “We are also encouraging them to decorate their store fronts with purple.”
However, everyone is welcomed and encouraged to purchase a bow to show support.
“Even though we’re focusing on the businesses, we’d be more than happy for anyone to buy them,” Nassar explained.
The “Paint the Town Purple” event will begin Monday, July 26 and run for the rest of that week.
“This will go the whole week of July 26,” said Nassar. “We’ve already had a few businesses buy bows, just through word of mouth.
“This will be our last thing for the campaign year, which ends in August,” Nassar continued. “We’ll start a new year in September.”
Bolivar County is still slightly underneath the 2009 goal.
“We’re only about $3,000 away from our goal, and so that’s really the main reason we’re doing this,” Nassar said. “We’re going to try to hit that goal before the year ends.
“I know some of the other teams — like the hospital team — are already selling Boston butts for Labor Day weekend,” she continued, noting another fundraiser.
The bows for Paint the Town Purple are $20.
To purchase a bow, contact Nassar at (662) 719-1210 or Frances Janoush at the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce at (662) 843-2712.