Motivation is a powerful tool in the charitable sector. It allows people to see beyond themselves and reach out to others. The motivation to help others can be as complex as a child losing a parent at an early age to cancer and striving to eradicate the disease as a life goal. Or it can be as simple as a parent deciding to volunteer with the local figure skating club because their child is involved.

Whatever someone’s reasons might be, connection to the cause is key. People can’t help if they don’t know how to turn their motivation into action. This is where an awareness day can offer just the necessary inspiration. It’s a way for an organization to educate the community en masse about their mission, and provide individuals with the opportunity to get involved and show their support for the cause.

Working together to make things happen

For epilepsy, March 26th is the day to speak up and increase public awareness. Known as Purple Day, the event was founded by a young girl from Nova Scotia just over a year ago and has already become an international awareness day. Because epilepsy does not have a governing body in Canada, it’s a big task to coordinate such a day, but according to , executive director and founder of Epilepsy Peel Region, the rewards far outweigh the effort.

Dunlop says that “Cassidy (the young girl who founded the day) herself is a champion, but the real champions of Purple Day are all of the associations across Canada that came together to implement…and bring it to the public. We all partnered together to deliver something nationally.” The success is that much sweeter when it is shared by organizations from coast to coast, but it also means that proper preparation and planning are essential. “The associations that are working together to make this happen are all volunteering their time above and beyond what we do day to day,” Dunlop explains. She estimates that nationally, since they started planning in the fall, individuals working on Purple Day have combined to donate hundreds of hours in order to make the day successful.

Begin the process with planning

It all begins by talking to your supporters and creating awareness that this day event exists. Dunlop suggests finding support among corporations, from your local MPP, by way of volunteers, and of course, from the community. She advises that it’s best to build your community partners first, but also think in terms of the big picture. When brainstorming, it’s important to remember that “five people delivering one message are a lot more effective than one individual person.”

Once you’ve had your internal discussions, it’s time to enlist the necessary support to make your day a success. When going into discussions with other groups and organizations, Dunlop feels that it is best to start by introducing your main objective for the awareness day, what you are planning both locally and nationally, and what type of impact you expect to have on the community. For Dunlop, “the number one goal is to increase public education [for epilepsy]…Purple Day is a vehicle to collectively promote education throughout Canada.”

Awareness with a side of fundraising

Although public education is the number one goal, it’s vital to recognize that even though it’s not a fundraising event, there is always a fundraising aspect. Contributions to this year’s Purple Day in Ontario are used primarily to help educate the public. There are also other types of contributions that can assist, such as public service and radio announcements. Using different types of media such as television and print is crucial in having your message heard by as many people as possible. Therefore, it’s important to be prepared in advance when dealing with the media. Having your story ready, complete with quotes and sound bytes, can really make an interview stand out.

Be creative and colourful when getting your message out so it will capture an audience and create buzz for your awareness day. The idea is to do something memorable. For instance, in Ontario, Purple Day has been given authorization to have the and Niagara Falls lit purple on March 26th. This will spark public interest and encourage people to discuss the issue. Having the media help spread the word about why these structures are glowing purple is also crucial to the campaign. There is also a Purple Day kick-off at the Denny’s locations in Mississauga and Brampton, where they are giving a portion of their sales that day to Purple Day.

What does it all mean?

The main goal for Purple Day is also the biggest challenge for the project. That is, educating people about epilepsy. As Dunlop declares, “Really everybody is affected by epilepsy. One in 100 people across Canada have epilepsy. It’s not just the person that has epilepsy; it’s their family, spouse, employer, teacher, friend, neighbour and community. It isn’t just a particular person that we are targeting. It’s about getting our message to the entire community. It definitely impacts a community, not just an individual. And the challenge is that many people are not properly educated about epilepsy. It affects everybody.”

In terms of gauging success for Purple Day, Dunlop feels it is already successful. “Coming together nationally to be able to deliver a public education campaign, to me, is the most important success that we have achieved. Number two are all of the local communities. Every local community across Canada has something to offer in terms of participation.”

With all of her hard work and dedication to her job, Dunlop says the most rewarding part is building a community and a network through the Peel region to support those that live with epilepsy. “Part of the reason why I do it is because I have a child with epilepsy, so I understand the need. I understand that my son may have needs down the road. I understand from a family point of view from the time that he’s a child to the time that he’s an adult that he’s going to live in a community that needs support as well. So for me, a part of my own fulfillment is to make sure that other individuals, not just children, have a support system in place so they can have an improved quality of life. It’s my passion. It’s what I’m here for.”

Karl Noseworthy is a freelance writer from Newfoundland who currently resides in Kitchener, Ontario. He can be reached at karlnoseworthy@hotmail.com.