Observances & Commemorations is a component of AdvanceEdition, AScribe's essential newsletter for media professionals in the public interest sector. This feature notes recurring campaigns mounted each year by public interest organizations to increase awareness of important social, cultural or health issues.

See also AScribe's Key Dates, a calendar of future coverage opportunities.

* National Recreation and Parks Month

This annual celebration is promoted by the National Recreation and Parks Association. Many state and local parks and recreation agencies organize events. The observance recognizes the many contributions of employees and volunteers who keep public parks clean and safe, organize and coach youth sports teams, provide educational programming on health, nutrition, first aid and gardening, and advocate for more open space and better trails. See:

http://www.nrpa.org

* UV Safety Month

Long term exposure to the sun can lead to potentially blinding conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that reflected sunlight - light that bounces off water or snow, for example - can be the most dangerous type of UV (ultraviolet) light because it is intensified. The AAO says children as well as adults should wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays and a broad-brimmed hat. See:

http://www.aao.org/aaoesite/eyemd/uv.cfm

http://www.preventblindness.org/uv/

* Group B Strep Awareness Month

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterium that causes illness in newborn babies, pregnant women, the elderly, and adults with other illnesses such as diabetes or liver disease. GBS is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns. See:

http://www.thejessecause.org/pages/home.html

* National Hot Dog Month

Americans will consume two billion hot dogs in July, including 150 million on the Fourth, according to the National Hotdog and Sausage Council. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated July as National Hot Dog Month in 1957.

* National Ice Cream Month

In 1984, the notoriously sweet-toothed President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. Reagan called for observation of these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities." Ninety percent of Americans eat ice cream, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales; about 9 percent of U.S.-produced milk is used to make ice cream. See:
http://www.idfa.org/facts/icmonth/page1.cfm

* National Immunization Awareness Month

August is historically the time when parents must see to it that childhood immunizations are complete in order to be able to enroll their children in school. Schools and public health agencies conduct awareness programs at this time of year. It's also the time when health care professionals begin preparations for the next flu season. See:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/default.htm

* Purple Ribbon Month

A child left unattended in a parked car can die in a matter of minutes from overheating, even if the outside temperature is moderate. Purple Ribbon Month raises awareness of "Kaitlyn's Law," which makes it illegal to leave a child under the age of six unattended in a vehicle. The law was named for 6-month-old Kaitlyn
Marie Russell, who died of hyperthermia after being left in a vehicle by her babysitter. The organization 4 R Kids Sake encourages communities to display purple ribbons as reminders to prevent such tragedies, which occur dozens of times each summer. See:

http://www.4rkidssake.org/

* National Child Support Awareness Month

President Ronald Reagan issued the first proclamation in 1983 to encourage local courts, law enforcement agencies and social service providers to work together to collect child-support payments from deadbeat parents. See:

http://www.ncsea.org/

* National Inventors' Month

This commemoration was founded in 1998 by Inventors' Digest magazine, the United Inventors Association and the Academy of Applied Science to promote public awareness of inventors and their accomplishments. The sponsoring organizations distribute educational materials to libraries and schools.

* Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the number one genetic killer of children under the age of two, is a group of inherited diseases that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement. See:

http://www.curesma.org

* Psoriasis Awareness Month

Psoriasis is a common, noncontagious skin disease that has more than its fair share of negative psychological and physical effects. Those afflicted often feel anger, embarrassment and depression. The condition, as yet incurable, results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing lesions that crack and bleed. Many people with psoriasis also develop a form of arthritis. See:

http://www.psoriasis.org/events/pam/

* Cataract Awareness Month

Twenty million Americans age 40 and over have cataracts, one of the most curable causes of vision loss. This observance is meant to raise awareness that cataracts (clouding of the eye's lens) usually can be removed with surgery. See:

http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/conditions/cataracts/index.cfm

* Hair Loss Awareness Month

This campaign of the American Academy of Dermatology is intended to dispel myths about hereditary hair loss -- a condition that affects 80 million Americans -- and promote treatment options. See:

http://www.aad.org