If you’ve noticed more pink shirts out and about, you can thank Christy Goss.

Goss is a board member of the local nonprofit, Putting on the Pink, and she and the group are encouraging offices and businesses around the area to buy Putting on the Pink T-shirts to raise money for breast cancer patients.

On Friday morning Goss was at the Nissan and Mossy dealerships selling T-shirts, and she said she wants more businesses to go pink on Fridays.

Roy Penton, sales manager of Mossy of Picayune said, “We are a proud supporter of Putting on the Pink. Any time we can support local organizations, that in turn

support local residents, that’s something we want to be a part of. The ownership and management and all the employees proudly support breast cancer awareness and all the community groups.”

Putting on the Pink’s fall fundraiser is also just around the corner. The annual fundraiser was started as a Pearl River County Leadership event, and the first year the charity ball raised money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a national nonprofit that funds breast cancer projects.

However, after the first year, Goss said organizers saw a better way to use the money.

“Then they thought about it and said, ‘There’s such a need locally, why don’t we do something to help locals?’” Goss said.

In prior years, the nonprofit has held a ball in October, but this year the event is the evening of Sept. 26 and the group is going a little more casual with a hoedown at the Barn at Sarah Bella at 48 Flat Top Road.

“We have a few tickets left we need to sell,” said Goss. “We also are still taking sponsorships and donations and door prizes.”

She said the group picked the country theme for the fifth annual event as a way to keep the evening fresh and fun for attendees. The evening will feature live music, an MC, drinks, food, a photo booth, survivor speeches and more.

The evening raises thousands of dollars, and Goss said it all goes to locals being treated for cancer.

“All proceeds go to help people in Pearl River County,” she said.

The help includes covering some medical costs as well as gas money, as Goss said the cancer treatment centers are in Hattiesburg or Slidell.

Tickets for the hoedown are $35 may be purchased at Bre’s Clothing and Accessories at 113 West Canal or at the Picayune Chamber of Commerce at 201 Highway 11 or through Putting on the Pink’s Facebook page. Pink T-shirts are also available from the group and they are $15.