April declared “Power of Purple” month in city

Russellville Mayor Troy Oliver signed a proclamation on Monday declaring the month of April to be the Power of Purple Month in the city of Russellville. Pictured with Oliver are Megan Lovelace, community representative for the American Cancer Society; Belinda Johnson, Franklin County Relay For Life event chairperson; Betty Sibley and Jolene Stockton, co-chair and chair of the Brookewood and Friends Relay For Life team.

Instead of painting the town red, the Franklin County Relay For Life Committee will be painting the town purple during the month of April to promote cancer awareness in the area.
Members of the Franklin County Relay For Life Committee have been working since their kick-off in January to promote cancer awareness in the community and this week, they received some help from Russellville Mayor Troy Oliver as he officially proclaimed the month of April as the Power of Purple Month for the city of Russellville.
The Power of Purple Month is something the American Cancer Society does to help spread awareness about how cancer affects so many people in all different walks of life.
“Cancer can affect anyone at any time and that’s why it is so important to raise awareness,” said Belinda Johnson, who serves as the Relay For Life event chairperson for Franklin County.
According to the ACS, on average there are 246 diagnoses of various types of cancer each year in Franklin County, 116 of which result in death.
That number represents 116 people who were fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, children, grandparents or dear friends to someone else in this county.
With numbers like these, it’s no wonder the Relay For Life has always been a big event in Franklin County.
“These people always work so hard to make this a good event here,” Oliver said. “I just know that there have been so many lives saved because of the work people do right here in our area to raise money for cancer research.”
Megan Lovelace, who serves as a community representative for the American Cancer Society, agreed that the ACS helps many people right here in the area.
“Many people do not realize that the money raised here to support the ACS is actually used to benefit people who are living here, too,” Lovelace said.
According to the ACS facts, the American Cancer Society served 421 local individuals with 1,513 patient programs and services in 2010 and 2011.
“With controversies going on with other cancer organizations, sometimes people are hesitant to give money to support fundraisers and other projects because they aren’t sure where their money is going,” Johnson said, “but with the ACS, they don’t ever have to worry about that. All the money given to the ACS through fundraisers and events like the Relay For Life is used by the ACS to fund cancer research and other programs.”
In conjunction with Power of Purple Month, the Brookewood and Friends Relay For Life Team will be selling purple ribbons for $10 that businesses and individuals can display to show their support in the fight against cancer.
Jolene Stockton, who serves as the chairperson of the Brookewood and Friends team, said she and co-chairperson Betty Sibley started their neighborhood team four years ago as a way to raise even more money for the American Cancer Society since both women have been directly affected by cancer.
“Betty and I were both part of other Relay For Life teams in the community but we decided we could do more by having our own team,” she said. “Since we both lived in the same neighborhood, we got together a team of residents who lived there and it has been successful.”
Sibley and Stockton are both cancer survivors and have had close family and friends affected by cancer as well, so they know the importance of raising money to assist with research that will hopefully cure the disease that takes the lives of so many people each year.
“We have done the purple bow fundraiser for the past three years and it is just a great way for people to publically show their support,” Stockton said.
Anyone in the community who is interested in showing their support for Power of Purple Month by displaying a purple bow at their home or business can contact Stockton at 256-332-0748 or stop by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.