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10 Ways to Celebrate Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
This year, the ASPCA’s inviting animal lovers across the country to spend the month of April ‘Going Orange for Animals’ to raise awareness for ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ month. From creating grassroots fundraising events to getting the buildings in your town to light up orange, the possibilities are endless! Join us for April’s ‘Go Orange for Animals’ campaign—together we can improve the lives of animals in every corner of the country.
1. Become an ASPCA Ambassador
Become an ASPCA Ambassador and create your own grassroots event, inviting friends and family to sponsor your efforts on behalf of the ASPCA. Whether you decide to run a marathon for animals, plan a pet parade or have an orange bake sale, your grassroots fundraising efforts will help us achieve our goal to end animal cruelty and find permanent, loving homes for America’s adoptable pets.
Once your plans are in place, register your unique event on www.aspcaambassadors.org to share with animal lovers everywhere. You’ll have the opportunity to exchange stories and photos, engage other animal lovers and raise lifesaving funds that support the vital work of the ASPCA. Then be sure to enter the ASPCA’s Community Leader Contest for a chance to win a $500 Amex gift card for you and a $1,000 grant for a shelter or rescue group of your choice.
2. Inform the Media
Write a letter to the editor of your local or regional newspaper, reminding them that April is ‘Go Orange for Animals Month’. Be sure to include a heads-up about your ‘Go Orange’ plans. You can also contact TV and radio stations, letting them know about your event and inviting them to add their unique efforts to the ‘Go Orange for Animals’ campaign.
3. Light Up Your Town
Call your city council and find out how to get prominent buildings and landmarks to light up orange—it could be your town hall, local businesses, schools, libraries, museums, baseball fields, you name it. Let them know that last year New York, Chicago and many other cities lit up—even Niagara Falls went orange. Nothing’s impossible!
4. Party!
Attend one of the extraordinary ASPCA-hosted events in the following cities:
- New York, NY: April 7, Union Square Park
- Los Angeles, CA: April 25, Venice Beach
- Austin, TX: April 18, Zilker Park
You’ll be treated to live music, refreshments, free advice at ASPCA expert booths and a host of pet-related activities. People in the Austin and Venice Beach areas can register to raise funds in a dog walk, helping to further our mission and get their friends and family to Go Orange for Animals.
5. Pledge Your Allegiance to Protecting Animals
Can you commit to doing all that is possible to help animals live happy, healthy lives throughout April and all year long? Sign the ASPCA anti-cruelty pledge and show the world that you support the ASPCA and the pets we protect.
6. Show Your Virtual Support
Dedicate your MySpace page, Facebook status or blog to the ASPCA during the month of April and encourage your friends to spread the word about the month-long ‘Go Orange’ campaign! Keep on the lookout for a ‘Go Orange for Animals’ discussion group on the ASPCA Online Community, where you can share ideas for events. You can also join our cause on Facebook or put an ASPCA donation widget on your personal web page.
7. Inform Your Neighbors
Hang downloadable ASPCA posters (available on ASPCAApril.org soon!) in public places like your library, school, gym and office and hand out anti-cruelty information like our Top Ten Ways to Prevent Animal Cruelty.
8. Support Your Local Animal Shelter
Coordinate a ‘Go Orange for Animals’ event with a local animal welfare group or shelter of your choice and donate the proceeds and/or supplies that you collect. Be sure to alert your local media about your event! Possibilities include decorating the building orange and holding an adoption event or donation drive. To find a shelter or rescue group near you, visit our shelter database.
9. Become an Animal Activist
Visit our lobby section to find out everything you can do to raise awareness for animal rights. You can start by learning your state’s animal cruelty laws. The ASPCA has an online database of more than 580 of these laws—and their penalties—in all 50 states.
- Call or write your local law enforcement officials. Let them know that animal cruelty is a crime and investigating these cases should be a priority.
- Help fight for the passage of strong anti-cruelty laws on federal, state and local levels by joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade. As a brigade member, you’ll receive emails asking you to write letters encouraging your legislators to pass these laws—and you can send them directly from our website.
10. Give a Homeless Pet a Second Chance
Sponsor an advertisement in your community paper for an animal from your local shelter who needs a home. You can even ask to feature a photo of the animal wearing an orange bow—either real or graphically created. Make sure the ad says that you sponsored that animal for ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month’, and encourage others to do the same.
Remember to show the entire country how creative you can be this April by sharing photos of your efforts. Upload them onto Flickr and include "goorange2009" in the tags.
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