WHEN TO HOST A WELLNESS PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY

The program ideas in this guide can be held at any time of the year. However, you might find it easier to publicize an activity if it coincides with a local or national event of interest. You might also be able to combine your activity with other activities in your community to reduce your costs. For example, you might plan an activity around a local event such as a neighborhood party, the opening of a new grocery store or restaurant, or a community-wide festival. You also could plan an activity around a national holiday such as Mother's Day, or a national observance such as Women's Health Week.

Here are some more observances that you could use to promote your activity. These observances are intentionally diverse to give you a range of events to plan around. Be creative and look for more opportunities in your community! Emotional wellness can tie in with any number of issues.

Selected Observances Related to Emotional Wellness

	EVENT	SPONSOR	CONTACT INFORMATION
January	No Name Calling Week	Girls Inc.	www.nonamecallingweek.org
February	National Wear Red Day (Women's Heart Health)	National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute	www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth
March	National Nutrition Month	American Dietetic Association	www.eatright.org
	National Sleep Awareness Week	National Sleep Foundation	www.sleepfoundation.org
	Women's History Month	National Women's History Project	www.nwhp.org
April	National Counseling Awareness Month	American Counseling Association	www.counseling.org
	YMCA Healthy Kids Day	YMCA	www.ymca.net
	National Public Health Week	American Public Health Association	www.apha.org
	National Youth Violence Prevention Week	National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere	www.violencepreventionweek.org
	National Volunteer Week	Points of Light Foundation	www.pointsoflight.org
	Sexual Assault Awareness Month	National Sexual Violence Resource Center	www.nsvrc.org
	National Child Abuse Prevention Month	Child Welfare League of America (sponsors National Children's Memorial Flag Day as a part of this month)	www.cwla.org
	WalkAmerica (Birth Defects)	March of Dimes	www.walkamerica.org
May	Mental Health Month	National Mental Health Association	www.nmha.org
	National Mental Health Counseling Week	American Mental Health Counselors Association	www.amhca.org
	Children's Mental Health Week	Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health	www.ffcmh.org
	National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day	Freedom From Fear	www.freedomfromfear.org
	National Women's Health Week	Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	www.womenshealth.gov/owh/campaigns
	Older American's Mental Health Week	Older Women's League	www.owl-national.org/mentalhealthweek
September	National Suicide Prevention Week	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration	www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
October	Domestic Violence Awareness Month	National Coalition Against Domestic Violence	www.ncadv.org
	National Breast Cancer Awareness Month	National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Board of Sponsors	www.nbcam.org
	Mental Illness Awareness Week	National Alliance on Mental Illness, and others	www.nami.org
	National Child Health Day	Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration	www.mchb.hrsa.gov
December	World AIDS Day	World AIDS Campaign	www.worldaidscampaign.info