On Thursday, May 1, communities across California will be turning purple!

It will be Paint Our Town Purple Day, supporting the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life events.

In Burbank, it will be a day for people to sign up and register to be on a team for their relay event.

Teams are encouraged to wear purple clothing, put up purple decorations, put up posters, hand out fliers or whatever special activity they can think up, in order to get the word out on the Relay for Life and cancer research.

Relay for Life in Burbank will be held on June 21 at Robert Gross Park on Empire Street, between Hollywood Way and Buena Vista.

Relay For Life is a24-hour event where teams walk 24 hours straight to raise money for cancer research, share educational information for people with a cancer diagnosis and offer support for survivors.

Currently, there are 33 relay teams from Burbank that will be spreading the mission of this year's relay, "Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back."

Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At the relay, those who have walked alongside those battling cancer can grieve and find healing. They have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease. They make a commitment to save a life by taking up a fight.

The relay teams represent a cross section of the Burbank community from schools to churches to businesses to city government.

For example, Team Hope has members from the Burbank Unified School District and a team called Fore the Cure is from the Tallyrand Restaurant.

Other teams come from the city of Burbank, Jaycees, Noon Kiwanians, Boys and Girls Club, Team Providence, Escrows Inc., ReMax, Burbank Parent Education, City Federal Credit Union, Saint Finbars and Burbank First United Methodist Church.

During the May 1 "Paint Our Town Purple Day" event, everyone is encouraged to be inspired by the purple that may greet you around town. Then either join a team or make a donation.

By participating, you honor cancer survivors, pay tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease and raise money to help fight it all right here in your community.

To find information about the Relay For Life in Burbank or your own community, go to http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/findevent.

Or, when you see a vision of purple on Thursday, May 1, just tell the nearby relay member that you want to be a part of the celebration.