Leonardo da Vinci believed the color purple increased the power of meditation and thinking, and opera composer Richard Wagner called the color violet his inspiration.

But today, purple is perhaps best known for one thing.

“The color purple represents every type of cancer,” said Rose Riddle with Relay for Life of Hall County.

“This is our kickoff to the 2016 Relay for Life in Hall County,” said event director Rena Pendley. “It’s called Purple Passion, because Relay is all about the color purple. Tonight, we’re really kicking off fundraising for 2016 for the event in May.”

This year’s event will be from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. May 13-14 at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus.

“Tonight, we want to give people some fundraising information and a chance to just have a little bit of fun,” Pendley said.

The party was emceed by Hall County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chad Mann, who shared information about purchasing luminaries for the event and fundraising with a team.

Relay for Life is a family-friendly community event to raise funds for cancer research and patient support. It takes place overnight, inviting teams to camp out around a track and members to take turns walking around the track.

Food, games and activities are provided, and cancer survivors are encouraged to attend.

Hall County’s event averages between 105 and 135 teams, or anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 people each year.

Nearly every team in Hall County fundraises each year, Pendley said. Last year, the fundraising goal was $260,000, and they raised $272,000. That is the new fundraising goal for this year.

Pendley said more information about Relay and how to participate can be found online.

“You don’t have to attend this party to be a part of Relay,” she said. “You can show up on site on May 13 and we’ll take you, though we also encourage everyone to fundraise, because that is the purpose of Relay. It’s a fundraising event for cancer research and patient services.”