Port Aransas Mayor Keith McMullin has declared April to be “Paint The Town Purple Month” in honor of the upcoming Relay For Life event.

RFL team members will be going through town giving people purple bows with which to decorate the streets and their businesses. In addition, members will use purple signage and purple footprint chalk on sidewalks to help raise awareness about the event.

Relay For Life is Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at Roberts Point Park.

The event is the signature fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. It is an all night, non-athletic, family oriented team event that celebrates cancer survivorship, health, teamwork and the community. The relay serves as a unique, challenging and fun way to raise money for the American Cancer Society and to raise awareness of cancer.

In years past, the relay has been successful, with 2011 marking the seventh year to hold the event in Port Aransas. Last year, with businesses and participating individuals, the relay raised more than $42,000 for the American Cancer Society. The goal for this year has been set at $44,000.

Before the event, team members gather donations or hold group fundraising activities. During the event, each team has a representative walking the track at all times in relay-style shifts. Each event begins with a survivorship celebration, where local cancer survivors are introduced and lead the relay’s first lap. At dusk, a Luminaria ceremony is held to honor or remember individuals for their battle against the disease that will touch one in three people in a lifetime.