Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 11:00 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 11:36 p.m.

Barney the dinosaur and Grimace the whatever-he-is McDonalds character would feel right at home Thursday in Tuscaloosa.

Tuscaloosa City Schools students have been asked to wear purple as part of Purple Day, an international grass-roots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide.

I had a sister who passed from epilepsy in 1996, and thats what motivated me to do this, said Kevil Tice, who organized Tuscaloosas first Purple Day. She died at age 14 of a seizure that caused a brain aneurysm.

We decided to do an educational session at the Benjamin Barnes YMCA (2939 18th St.) starting at 5:30 p.m. (Thursday).

Tice said Donna Dobson, the executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama, will be at the event.

In addition to having an educational session on epilepsy, Purple Day events will also include a raffle for a purple ottoman and an aerobics class to promote a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the event, the foundation will be presented with a check.

And of course, everyone who attends is asked to wear purple.

University Place Elementary School will also be participating in Purple Day.

Were just showing our support in wearing the purple, said Amanda Jackson, a special education para-professional at University Place Elementary.

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Students at Tuscaloosa City Schools to celebrate Purple Day on Thursday