Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2018

Sexual Assault Awareness month is a campaign designed to raise awareness in the community regarding the harms of sexual assault. This is a major problem in society and action needs to be taken to prevent further damage.

“17% of women and 4% of men have experienced sexual assault since the age of 15 in Australia”

Fight against sexual assault this April:

• Change your profile picture on Facebook in support of the cause
• Buy merchandise
• Donate to the foundation
• Organise your event
• Hand out flyers and posters in support of the cause
• Spread the message on Instagram or twitter
• Inform family members and friends

For more information, visit:

https://survivorsupport.berkeley.edu/sexual_assault_awareness_month

World Parkinson’s Day 2018

Parkinson disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects a person’s control of their body movements.  The Parkinson disease is degenerating and often life threatening, requiring an immediate stop. This April, the Shake It Up Australia foundation is promoting and raising funds for the Parkinson’s disease.

“It is estimated that approximately four people per 1,000 in Australia have Parkinson’s disease”

To promote awareness on Parkinson disease, Get involved this April by:

• Holding an event doing something you love – morning tea, golf day, sausage sizzle or morning tea
• Raising awareness on social media using #pause4parkinsons
• Making a donation
• Spreading information on signs and symptoms amongst family members
• Fundraising

For more information, visit: https://shakeitup.org.au/pause4parkinsons/

World Health Day 2018

World Health Day is a global health awareness day conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In this 70th anniversary year, WHO is calling on world leaders to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, and commit to concrete steps to advance #HealthForAll.

“At least half of the world’s people are currently unable to obtain essential health services.” 

Get involved this April by:

• Volunteering with the organisation
• Talking about the issue to prevent stigma
• Organising fundraisers
• Raising awareness on social media using #Let’s Talk
• Watching informative videos
• Participating in the events organised by the World Health Organisation

For more information, visit: http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2018/en/

NSW Seniors Week 2018

NSW Seniors Festival is the largest festival for seniors in the Southern Hemisphere, reaching up to 500,000 seniors each year. It gives you a chance to make new friends or get together with old ones at an array of local community events.

NSW Seniors Festival is designed to celebrate the role seniors play and the contributions they make to the NSW community. On its 60th anniversary, the event aims to encourage all community members to get involved and do more together for the senior community in Australia.

This is especially important with the proportion of people aged 65 years and over increasing from 12.0% to 15.3% between 1996 and 2016.

Participate this senior’s week by:

• Attending the Premier’s Gala Concerts and raising funds for seniors
• Attending the Australian Museum Seniors Day
• Participating in the NSW Seniors Festival Expo
• Raising awareness on social media
• Volunteering

For more information, visit: https://seniorsfestival.nsw.gov.au/home

World Autism Awareness Day 2018

World Autism Awareness Day is a worldwide initiative aiming to increase understanding of the disability. Autism is a development disorder that impairs social interaction, communication and behaviour.

“Studies have identified that 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) have autism spectrum disorder (ASD)”

Show your support this April by:

• Wearing blue
• Volunteering with the foundation
• Raising awareness on social media
• Fundraising
• Informing family and friends of the disability
• Starting a tribute page
• Participating in the Run, Ride, Tri event

For more details: https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/world-autism-awareness-day

National Smile Day 2018

National Smile Day is the Humour Foundation’s annual fundraising campaign that allows the public to be involved in raising funds and helping sick children SMILE in hospitals around Australia. Together we can reveal the power of a SMILE. Research conducted around the world has provided evidence of the physiological and psychological benefits of laughter to health and well-being.

“A clown is like an aspirin except that it works twice as fast.” – Groucho Marx

Join the fun this April by:
• Volunteering with the Humour Foundation
• Donating
• Raising awareness on social media
• Encouraging family and friends to smile
• Sponsoring a clown doctor
• Participating in ‘fun – raising’

For more information, visit: www.humourfoundation.com.au/

March into Yellow 2018

‘March into yellow’ is a campaign designed to raise awareness for women with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common disease in which the tissue that is similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body.

“10% of women suffer with endometriosis at some point in their life with the disease often starting in teenagers.”

Show your support this March by:

• Taking pictures of your yellow challenges and post them on your social media accounts using #MarchintoYellow #endoaustralia
• Inform family and friends of the cause
• Donate to Endometriosis Australia
• Join the community group
• Volunteer with an Endometriosis Australia event

For more information, visit: https://www.marchintoyellow.org.au/how

Purple Day 2018 – Epilepsy 

Throughout March, Epilepsy Australia is urging people around the country to end the stigma and discrimination of epilepsy and ‘GO PURPLE’, the international colour for epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common brain disorder which takes the form of recurring seizures.

“An estimated 65 million worldwide currently live with epilepsy – in Australia alone approximately 250,000 people live with epilepsy and one in 25 people will have epilepsy at some point in their life.”

Get involved this March by:

• Informing family and community members about epilepsy
• Hosting a purple day fundraiser
• Buying merchandise which donates money to epilepsy Australia
• Volunteering
• Raising awareness on social media using #gopurple

For more details, visit: http://www.epilepsyaustralia.net/get-involved/

World Down Syndrome Day 2018

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.

Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics or health. Adequate access to health care, to early intervention programmes and to inclusive education, as well as appropriate research, are vital to the growth and development of the individual.

“The population of people with Down syndrome in Australia is now over 13,000.”

Get involved this March by:

• Donating to the foundation
• Organising a fundraiser
• Volunteering
• Raising awareness on social media

For more information, visit:  https://worlddownsyndromeday.org/about-wdsd

World’s Greatest Shave 2018

Every hour somebody in Australia is diagnosed with lymphoma, myeloma or leukaemia. Every second hour, somebody dies from one of these diseases.

The World’s greatest shave has raised in excess of $120 million since 1998, and uses the raised funds to support patients and families living with these blood disorders.

20 years on it remains one of Australia’s biggest fundraising events.

Blood cancer in the third most common cause of cancer death in Australia, claiming more lives than breast cancer or melanoma. And every day another 35 people will be diagnosed.

Support the cause this March by:

• Participating in the fundraiser by shaving, colouring or waxing your hair
• Donating to the foundation
• Raising awareness on social media
• Volunteering with the foundation

For more information, visit: https://worldsgreatestshave.com/