Purple Day is a grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26, people from around the globe are asked to wear purple and spread the word about epilepsy. The Anita Kaufmann Foundation has teamed up with epilepsy organizations from around the world to help make Purple Day one of the largest global epilepsy awareness initiatives ever. As a global sponsor for Purple Day, AKFUS has created materials for distribution available here.
In 2008, nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada created the idea of Purple Day. Motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy’s goal is to get people talking about the disorder in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they are not alone. She named the day Purple Day after the internationally recognized color for epilepsy, lavender.
In 2009, the New York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation and Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia joined forces to launch Purple Day internationally. As global sponsors of Purple Day, both organizations are committed to partnering with individuals and organizations around the world to promote epilepsy awareness.
The combined efforts of AKF and EANS have lead to the involvement of numerous organizations, schools, businesses, politicians and celebrities around the word. Last Purple Day, people living in countries around the globe wore purple to support epilepsy awareness. In fact, people in all continents aside from Antarctica proudly displayed their purple hearts.
UPDATE: Planning for Purple Day 2012 is now underway! For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.purpleday.org.
Join us in wearing purple on March 26, 2012 to support epilepsy awareness worldwide.
