Awareness Events in April

Monthly awareness events are a great way to get your brand involved with something that generates social good, rather than the normal business focus of profits and growth (which isn’t a bad thing!). April doesn’t have a ton of awareness opportunities compared to other months, but there are still plenty to consider. It can also be a nice month to get involved in because of its slowness — the quietness makes it ripe for the want of activity. After all, the ground is thawing, and signs of spring are beginning to show; all reminders the sun will eventually be back for good (or at least until next winter). People know it’s on the horizon, they’re starting to put away their winter wears, and are looking for activities to get involved in outside of their homes –  where they’ve been basically hibernating since December.

Below we offer a nice handful of awareness events to celebrate this April. From Easter to Earth Day to a slew of medical awareness days, there’s something for every business to get behind. The advent of spring provides a great opportunity to provide seasonally appropriate promotional items such as umbrellas (hello, April showers), lightweight jackets, and active wear.

Holidays

Two holidays to get behind in April are Easter and April Fool’s Day. Some details on each:

• Easter — While it is a religious holiday, many people observe it with non-religious celebrations. Namely, the Easter bunny and an Easter egg hunt for children. It can be challenging to involve your business in a religious holiday, and yet Easter is still a great opportunity to get involved in, especially if you are in an industry that works with kids and/or families. Consider hosting an Easter egg hunt on the weekend of Easter for your community. Or, create an online Easter egg hunt over social media.

• April Fool’s Day — Looking for something that is truly all about laughter and fun? Look no further than good ole’ April Fool’s Day, held annually on April 1. Brimming with harmless pranks and hoaxes, this holiday is made to trick, fool, tease, and laugh. From hosting an internal pranks competition in your office, you can easily go external-facing with this one by creating a prank or hoax over your social media channels — and if done right, you can also generate a lot of buzz for your brand (maybe even go viral). Of course, this will take some true creativity and exceptional planning to pull it off and get noticed by the greater public at large. But you’ll likely have tons of fun in the process, so it’s pretty much a win-win.

Awareness Events and Observances in April

If neither of the above holidays quite works for your brand, we’ve provided the list below to give you more ideas for awareness events to participate in this April. They range from a single day, to a week, to even the whole month (a great option if you’d like to really dig deep and create a longer campaign with several smaller events during it). The list also includes a few key details about the awareness event, the days over which it falls, ideas for getting involved, and promotional items to boast your message and create a lasting impression.

• Earth Day — Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, has been around since 1970, and perhaps you’ve casually celebrated here and there. But as the dire plight of climate change mounts, deforestation rages, and more animals are added to the endangered species list, Earth Day suddenly feels much more important and worthy of our collective attention than it did in the past. Since these issues affect all of us, you don’t need to be in a specific industry to make this relevant to your business. And of course, your celebration of Earth Day doesn’t need to be externally facing — consider an in-house event for employees. Brainstorming ways to lessen your office/production waste, getting outdoors for a volunteer event such as planting trees, or hosting a friendly employee competition on ways to reduce waste and energy (Skip the elevator! Lessen your daily paper use!) are all ideas to get you started. Consider adding an earth-friendly promotional item to commemorate the day, like handing out reusable mugs, water bottles or seedlings to pant.
• Arbor Day — This celebration is all about the trees — planting more, specifically. The first ever date recorded for Arbor Day dates all the way back to 1594 in Spain. Today, it is celebrated around the world, though the actual date varies. Since the goal of Arbor Day is to plant trees, it is dependent on good weather and being an appropriate planting season. In the U.S. it is held in April; usually on the last Friday of the month although some states opt for different dates in April. Similar to Earth Day, Arbor Day doesn’t need to be relegated to a specific industry but something we can all participate in. Consider hosting a tree planting event with your staff, or extending an invite to your community, either the community where your business is physically located, or your greater global community, which can be accomplished by creating a social media campaign inviting people to snap and share pics of themselves planting trees where they live. Considering gifting a promotional item as a thank-you to participants, such as seed packets or gardening tools.
• Administrative Professionals Day (and Week!) — This event has so much to celebrate that it’s often a day and weeklong affair. Its aim is to recognize and honor the tireless work of secretaries, administrative assistants, client service representations, and others in administrative support roles. Administrative Professionals Day always falls within the week-long celebration, although the dates for each vary within the month of April — it’s held during the last week in April. In 2020, the day-long event is held April 22; the full week is held April 19-25. Cards, flowers, and candy are all traditional gifts to honor these administrative professionals. Consider including a gift that will last longer than the traditional ones, such as a customized tote or tumbler, which will serve to remind them of your appreciation throughout the entire year.
• National D.A.R.E. Day — National D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Day is part of the D.A.R.E. program, which is aimed to teach children about the dangers of drug and alcohol use, and to encourage them to lead lives free from the use of these substances, as well as violence and other dangerous behaviors. It is held annually on the third Thursday in April; in 2020 it is April 16. This may be a great opportunity for a business that works with children and/or adolescents, or in the health care industry. Consider hosting workshops for family and kids to talk about the importance of D.A.R.E. Commemorate the day with promotional t-shirts, sunglasses, backpacks, or water bottles (just to name a few).
• National Child Abuse Prevention Month — In the U.S., it is estimated four children die every day from child abuse and neglect; over 70% of those children are under the age of three. As if that isn’t horrifying enough, there are 2.9 million cases of child abuse reported every year. Created in 1983, National Child Abuse Prevention Month seeks to raise awareness and prevent child abuse. This is a good fit for any organization or business in the child or family space, as well as the health care industry. Consider hosting a walk or an online campaign to raise money for non-profits that support vulnerable children. T-shirts and totes make excellent promotional items to further spread messaging against child abuse.
• Alcohol Awareness Month — In the U.S. it is estimated that 1 in every 12 adults suffers from alcohol dependence; and about 40% of hospital beds are used to house patients with illnesses related to alcohol use. Alcohol Awareness Month seeks to remove the stigma of suffering with alcohol dependence and to offer support to those suffering with it. This is a worthy awareness event to get behind, especially if you are in the health care industry, or the entertainment or food/drink industry. Similar to National Child Abuse Prevention Month, consider hosting an online awareness campaign over social media, or a walk to raise money and awareness for organizations that support those suffering from alcohol issues. We suggest similar promotional items, too, like t-shirts and totes to help spread the message past this monthly event.

Medical Awareness Days in April

April has several medical awareness days that may be appropriate for your brand to promote, particularly if you are in the health, wellness, or medical-related field, such as a hospital, research, or pharmaceutical company. Here is a handful of awareness days with a brief description of each to help determine if joining in on any of these days fits your brand and messaging. If you do opt to join any of these campaigns, we suggest reaching out to the organizers, or incorporating some of their communications pieces (many have available toolkits that include items like promotional posters and social media copy you can tailor) into your work to ensure you are representing the cause accurately.

• World Autism Awareness Day — Commonly referred to as just “autism”, Autism Spectrum Disorder (its official name) is actually a range of conditions that vary in severity among individuals with it. The condition is marked by some form of impairment of social behavior, such as making eye contact or touch, communication, and a small range of interests that are specific to the individual and done repetitively. Autism Spectrum Disorder is estimated to affect 1 in 160 children around the globe — though while it starts in childhood it typically persists throughout an individual’s entire life. World Autism Awareness Day, held annually on April 2, is an opportunity to educate people on the disorder and raise awareness for it. This day coincides with National Autism Awareness Month in the U.S., which is held annually in April.
• National Occupational Therapy Month — Occupational therapy is the (medical) practice of helping individuals learn or regain skills to carry out daily activities after sustaining an injury, illness, or disability. They can include taking a shower, getting in and out of a car, and eating — activities that able-bodied individuals often take for granted. National Occupational Therapy Month is held every April as an opportunity to spread the word; it coincides with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s annual conference and expo in April.
• National Public Health Week — Public health, which is concerned with the health of an entire population, includes topics such as hygiene and disease prevention. The concerns of public health are often made into legislature aimed at improving the health of a community, state, or nation. National Public Health Week, held each year during the first full week in April, is an opportunity to celebrate the advances of public health in the U.S. while also highlighting issues critical to improving the health of Americans, such as the prevalence of high-blood pressure and the current opioid epidemic. In 2020, it will be held April 6-12.
• Patient Safety Awareness Month — The World Health Organization estimates about 2.6 million deaths occur annually from unsafe care in hospitals; another study cites about 400,000 Americans die each year from errors in health care or preventable harm. What does this mean exactly? Medical harm is a leading cause of death worldwide — pretty grim. Patient Safety Awareness Month, held annually in April, seeks to raise awareness and educate people to the importance of health care safety, as well as create momentum to improve the safety of the health care system around the world. In 2020 it will be held March 8-14.
• Stress Awareness Month — It’s normal to feel stress from time to time, and science even says a little stress can be good for you. But prolonged, chronic stress can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health. It’s been linked to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. But one problem with stress is that many folks don’t always realize when they are stressed, thus never addressing it or the underlying causes of it. Stress Awareness Month provides an opportunity for people to learn about the differences of good and bad stress, and how to address the stressors in their lives so they don’t turn into chronic stress. If you opt to join this awareness campaign this April, consider using promotional stress balls or essential oils to help usher in some calm!

We hope this piece has sparked your creative juices and provided ideas to get involved with an awareness event this April. Your involvement has a wonderful two-fold effect — you get to participate in a good cause with national (and sometimes global) attention, while also getting your brand out to potential new audiences while building a reputation that shows you are involved in social good. Once you’ve decided on an event to get behind, connect with ePromos to get started on creating customized promotional items to commemorate your event and brand. Our talented customer service representatives will help you get started in the ordering process, no matter how early — even brainstorming the best item for your brand and event or drafting art to go on the promotional items. Reach out today!