A is for Awareness

April has begun and the showers have come a bit early. Things are quite wet in this neck of the world. Signs of spring are everywhere. The A to Z Challenge has begun.

April is also an incredibly busy month. However, April is not the busiest; a simple search shows that October is the busiest.

For instance, April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. Across the country, advocates are bringing awareness to all the victims and survivors of this awful issue. My office is beginning a campaign called “Start by Believing.” More to come on this topic later.

April is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. If you happen to see the silver and blue pinwheels planted around your area, this group of folks is working to prevent child abuse before it happens.

Earth Month also occurs in April. Regardless of which side of the “the earth is in trouble” debate, spending some time this month focusing on ways to recycle, reduce, and reuse is a good idea. Someone once said to me that we live in a world of dwindling resources. Earth Month is a way to bring awareness to this problem.

Apparently, according to Wikipedia, April is a commemorative month for many other things:

Autism
Confederate History
Financial Literacy
Jazz Appreciation
Mathematics Awareness
National 9-1-1 Education Month
National Poetry Month
National Volunteer Month
Parkinson’s Awareness Month
Prevention of Animal Cruelty
and, last but not least,
Sexually Transmitted Disease Awareness Month

And, this list is only April. I guess there is a month for everything.

Each of these causes has a group of people, most likely in each part of the country, working to bring awareness to and/or prevent something. And, each of these causes could use volunteers. Pick one, or even two, and find out what events they are having. Join and lend a hand. You may surprise yourself.

On a side note, Camp NaNoWRiMo begins today – eek!

It’s going to be an interesting month.