Awarenesses MONTH
Autism Acceptance Month
The Autism Society of America has found a different approach to change the approach to autism from being treated as an illness to advocacy to help autistic people to lead more fulfilling lives through their branding of April as Autism Acceptance Month (instead of just awareness). The Autism Society was founded in 1965, and its early nationwide focus was in 1972 as National Autistic Children’s Week. This evolved over time to Autism Awareness Month, which was renamed in 2021 to Autism Acceptance Month to drive a change in fostering acceptance of autism.
Earth Month
Environmental awareness issues are in focus during Earth Month, a worldwide effort to create sustainable solutions to offset the harmful effects of climate change across the globe. It began in 1962 in response to the use of leaded gas and the air pollution it contributed to. An oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969 added a wider range to the movement, which grew into a celebration of Earth Day. Realizing the scope of the issues involved, Earth Month was celebrated beginning on April 4, 1970. More than 200 million participants were part of 1990’s Earth Month, and by 1992, the United Nations backed the activity to make it one of the most widely recognized month-long observances in the world.
Paralyzed Veterans of America Awareness Month The Paralyzed Veterans of America was established in 1946 to serve the needs of disabled veterans returning home after World War II, focusing on those with spinal cord injuries or diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) so they could live with dignity and as productive members of society. In 1986, Paralyzed Veterans Recognition Day was declared by President Ronald Reagan. In response to grassroots efforts of PVA’s members and their chapters, the observance was extended to Paralyzed Veterans of America Awareness Month to further raise awareness of how much further we have to go to provide freedom and independence to those who fought for those same principles. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) started the observance of Prevention to Cruelty to Animals Month in 2006. ASPCA traces its roots to 1863 when New Yorker Henry Bergh stopped a man from beating his fallen horse while traveling through Russia. He founded ASPCA in 1866 to create a safe haven for animals and work toward policy changes to promote kind treatment toward animals. WEEKS
National Park Week
National Park Week runs from April 22 to April 30 as the National Park Service encourages everyone to enjoy their National Parks in person.
National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week
Nearly 90,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 39 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. Lymphoma and thyroid cancer are most common for those 15 to 24, and breast and thyroid cancer is most common for those 25 and up. National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week is the first week of April.
National Volunteer Week
The third week of April, which falls from April 16 to 22, celebrates the many people young and old who spread seeds of kindness and work toward bettering their community through their volunteer efforts during National Volunteer Week.
World Primary Immunodeficiency Week
The global community has set aside April 22 to 29 to improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and improve the quality of life of people with primary immunodeficiency diseases during World Primary Immunodeficiency Week.
DAYS
World Health Day
Every year on April 7, World Health Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of good health and to celebrate the medical workforce who work tirelessly to provide health care to people all over the world. Created by the World Health Organization in 1949, which was itself created by the United Nations in 1948.
Parkinson’s Disease International Awareness Day
World Parkinson’s Day is observed on April 11. Parkinson’s is a disorder that afflicts the nervous system from still-unknown causes. It was first clearly medically described by James Parkinson in 1817, but there are documents reaching back to 1000 B.C. describing the disease. Research continues to find the cause and better treatments for this debilitating disease.
World Hemophilia Day
Hemophilia was first identified in the 10th century. It was then known as Abulcasis, and was identified by those who bled profusely after just minor injuries. In the 19th century, Dr. John Conrad Otto of Philadelphia discovered a genetic condition passed on from mothers to boys. Further research has continued and identified two categories of the disease. Though no treatment has yet been discovered to eliminate the effects, there are now ways to manage the disease to minimize the effects. World Hemophilia Day is celebrated on April 17 National Lost Dog Awareness Day The Lost Dogs of America created the first National Lost Dogs Awareness Dayon April 23, 2014, aiming to bring attention to all the dogs lost each year and celebrate those successfully reunited with their families. Global Pay It Forward Day American novelist Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote the novel “Pay it Forward,” first published in 1999. It was made into a novel in 2000, which inspired the creation of Global Pay It Forward Day in 2007, and is celebrated on April 28. The principles of paying it forward reach back at least to a 317 B.C. play called “Dyskolos”. Take the time to show kindness to others and encourage others to make the world better through random acts of kindness. Holidays and Observances Passover: An 8-day festival that begins before sundown on April 5 and runs through April 13. It is a 7-day festival for reform and progressive Jews living inside Israel who follow the Biblical text, and thus ends for them on April 12. The Seder feast is celebrated on the nights of April 5 and 6. Passover starts on the 15th day of the month of Nisan which is on the first night of a full moon after the northern vernal equinox (except leap months, which can make the festival start after the second full moon after the northern vernal equinox).
(Western) Easter: In the western church, which uses the Gregorian calendar, Easter is on April 9. Easter Sunday always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, which is the first Sunday following the full Moon that occurs on or after the March or spring equinox. Note that the spring equinox date used by the Christian Church is always March 21, called the “ecclesiastical” equinox (i.e., the date used by the Church).
Orthodox Easter: The orthodox church uses the Julian calendar and sets Easter on April 16. Orthodox Easter Day is calculated in the way established in 325 AD, at the Council of Nicaea, which decided that Easter would be observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the March equinox. Due to the differences in calculating leap years between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the date of Easter usually (but not always) differs. Fun Days Edible Book Day is an annual event where books are created, displayed, then consumed. Despite this falling on April 1, April Fools’ Day, it is a real celebration since 2000.
National Film Score Day on April 3rd seeks to honor and recognize talented composers who create the soundtracks of our favorite movies.
April 5th is National Dandelion Day, celebrating the flower that is loved, hated, sometimes consumed or made into wine and is found worldwide.
On April 7, 1927, AT&T transmitted the first successful long-distance public broadcast, from Washington, D.C. to New York City. April 7 is now celebrated as Public Television Day.
Walk to Work Day is also on April 7, and with many businesses seeing their employees return to work, it perhaps has more meaning today than in recent years where it may have taken 10 steps or less to accomplish.
Celebrate Draw a Bird Day on April 8 by drawing a bird and sharing it. Here’s our contribution:
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National Scrabble Day is on April 13, the birthday of Scrabble inventor Alfred Mosher Butts in 1899. To celebrate, every word in this newsletter was written using words that could be made from Scrabble tiles.
International Moment of Laughter Day is on April 14. Find a moment to laugh out loud, giggle, or even snort at something today.
International
Haiku Poetry Day is
On April Seventeen
Patronize a grandiloquent celebration of sesquipedalian onomatopoeia magniloquently on Big Words Day on April 21.
Celebrate the diplomatic role of Jazz uniting people in all corners of the globe on International Jazz Day on April 30, as declared by the United Nations.
Historical Events
April 2, 1513 - Florida was sighted by Spanish explorer Ponce De Leon April 2, 1792 - Congress established the first U.S. Mint at Philadelphia April 2, 1805 - Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark. He went on to create many now-classic fairy tales. April 3, 1860 - The Pony Express service began its first delivery, departing from St. Joseph, Missouri April 3, 1995 - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to preside over the Supreme Court when she sat in for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist April 3, 1783 - Washington Irving, the author of famous works such as Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, was born April 4, 1887 - Susanna M. Salter became the first U.S. Mayor (of Argonia, Kansas) April 4, 1968 - NATO was founded to form a united military defense of Europe against the threat of expansion of Soviet Russia into Western Europe April 5, 1856 - Booker T. Washington was born a slave and went on to become the principal of the Tuskegee Institute April 6, 1896 - Returning from a 1,500-year break, the Olympics returned in Athens, Greece April 6, 1483 - Renaissance artist Raphael was born in Urbino, Italy April 8, 563 B.C. - the birthday of Buddha April 9, 1865 - The American Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant April 10, 1847 - Joseph Pulitzer was born in Budapest, Hungary. His career included briefly fighting in the American Civil War on the Union side, then moving on to a career in journalism and publishing and eventually establishing the fund for the Pulitzer Prize. April 11, 1968 - The Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson April 13, 1743 - Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd U.S. President, was born in Albermarle County, Virginia April 14, 1828 - Noah Webster published his first American Dictionary of the English Language April 15, 1912 - The Titanic sank at 2:27 a.m. with the loss of more than 1,500 persons of the 2,224 people on board April 18, 1775 - The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes occurred, warning patriots in advance of the British movement toward Lexington and Concord April 18, 1906 - At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at a magnitude of 7.9 struck San Francisco, followed by a massive fire that burned for three days, leading to the loss of more than 4,000 people April 22, 1864 - Congress changed the way U.S. coins were to be minted, adding “In God We Trust” to all new coinage April 23, 1564 - William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, England April 24, 1800 - The Library of Congress was established in Washington, D.C., forming what is America’s oldest cultural institution and the world’s largest library April 26, 1785 - John J. Audubon was born in Haiti, and became renowned for his drawings of the birds of North America April 28, 1789 - Fletcher Christian led a mutiny against the captain of the British ship Bounty, William Bligh | 
