ASPCA Day

Ways to Go Orange

WHAT IS ASPCA DAY?

Every year on April 10, the anniversary date of the founding of the ASPCA in 1866, the ASPCA will be celebrating ASPCA Day and encouraging animal lovers of all ages nationwide to GO ORANGE FOR ANIMALS!  Going Orange on ASPCA Day is a tribute to the work of the ASPCA and a celebration of compassion and kindness for all living things everywhere.  (Orange is the official ASPCA color and what better to celebrate than our love of animals?) 

In our hometown of New York City, many iconic Big Apple buildings light up orange on April 10.  Other big cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin and Philadelphia, will be “going orange,” too.   Join the ASPCA Grassroots Team and help us GO ORANGE in your home town!

The ASPCA is the first and oldest humane organization in the Western Hemisphere and we need the continued support of animal lovers like you to help us spread our message of kindness and compassion across the country. We’ve created this ASPCA Day Grassroots Kit to get you started. Please join us in celebrating the work that we do and the animals that we serve by going orange for animals on April 10.

GO ORANGE!  GLOW ORANGE!  SHOW ORANGE FOR ANIMALS!

SO HOW DO YOU “GO ORANGE?”

It’s fun to go orange—and the more creative you get, the more fun it is!  Orange is a vibrant, energetic color that most people find inspiring. So use it joyfully to show the world you care about animals on April 10! We’ve provided the following ideas and suggestions on how you can go orange in your community, classroom, business, library, website, etc.! Whether you organize a pet parade in your neighborhood, get your town hall to light up in orange, decorate your office door with an orange bow, or have your school, club or office workers wear orange on April 10—we thank you for being a vision in orange and helping the ASPCA spread the word about animal welfare.

LIGHTEN UP
OK, so you don’t have a tower like the one on the Empire State Building on top of your house, but you can still let the world know that animal lovers live in your home.  Purchase orange string or rope lights, available online and at hardware and specialty lighting and novelty stores, and wrap your house, terrace, trees, lamppost, porch steps, mailbox…even the family swing set. Start small by replacing your porch light or driveway light with an orange bulb, and see where that takes you.

SIGN LANGUAGE
Let our posters do the talking. You can download our specially designed ASPCA Day posters and use them to inspire others to show their orange colors for animals on April 10.

HOW ‘GLOW’ CAN YOU GO?
Get that orange GLOW by wearing and handing out orange glow sticks and glow jewelry. How about a glow light party or parade in your town?  (These colorful accessories can be found online or purchased at party supply stores.)

PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO PROTECTING ANIMALS
Can you commit to doing all that is possible to help the animals in your community live happy, healthy lives—on ASPCA Day and every day? Sign the ASPCA pledge and show the world you support the ASPCA and the pets we protect.

TIE ONE (OR TWO!) ON
Be a wrap star when you decorate with orange bows. They’ll look great wherever you put them—on trees, over your office door, hanging from your dashboard, on your pooch…and so on and so on.

HOW ICON-IC!
Each year the ASPCA decorates special animal-themed sculptures in New York City with orange bows and lights—the famous Wall Street Charging Bull sculpture glows with orange ribbons and streamers on April 10, and we put ASPCA Day posters on lampposts near the sculpture!  We have also decorated the sculpture of Balto, the hero Alaskan sled dog sculpture in Central Park.  So get out the orange for an animal sculpture or another meaningful icon in your neighborhood that has high visibility—but do get permission first!

PLAY DRESS-UP
Open your closet and get out those bright orange pants, shirts, ties, shoelaces and socks that you don’t wear because you don’t think they match anything. Fear not—you’ll be majorly en vogue on April 10, we promise. If you suffer from a dearth of citrus-colored clothing, simply visit the online ASPCA Store.  You’ll find a variety of orange accessories for both humans and your canine sidekick!  

ON THE MOVE
Plan a dog walk or hike in your town where dogs and their humans go orange! For the organizationally challenged, walking through town with your friends (both furry and human) is just as good, but do be sure you’re all wearing something orange and carrying our poster, or your own sign, telling people why you are walkin’ and glowin’!

TAKE A BIG GULP
Mix up some batches of orangeade or orange Kool-Aid and have a sale to benefit your local humane organization or animal shelter. There’s a reason this is the quintessential kid’s fundraising activity—it’s inexpensive, and it works!

SWEET TREATS
Organize an orange bake sale for animals at your local shelter or rescue group.  Make orange cupcakes, orange cookies, orange-frosted cakes or cat and dog cookies wearing orange frosted collars. (P.S. Remember, a little food coloring goes a long way!)  Set up a table at your school, church, local library, club or office and let people know their purchase of special orange deliciousness will benefit animals for ASPCA Day!  You can also convince your local bakery to create special orange baked goods and ask if they might donate some of the proceeds to animal welfare efforts.

Bake orange cookies or cupcakes for your friends, coworkers, classmates, etc and give them away.  Tell them your baked goodies are a symbol of kindness to animals for ASPCA Day. 

ESPECIALLY FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
Organize a Wear Orange For Animals Day on April 10, and give out orange animal cookies or cupcakes.  Use this day as an opportunity to educate your students or library visitors about how and why the humane movement began in the United States, and why it is important to be kind to those who cannot speak for themselves.   To learn more about our history and how you can share this important information with your charges, visit www.aspca.org/history.

Have your students read Black Beauty and other humane children’s books. You can also work with your students or local theater group to present a play or speech about kindness to animals, or a brief history of the ASPCA. For more ideas, our ASPCA Humane Education department has prepared lesson plans and a list of ASPCA-approved books about animals and animal welfare, which you can find at ASPCAEducation.org.

LET IT SHINE
Ask your town hall and local officials to help you go orange for animals in your neighborhood to help raise awareness about kindness and compassion. Remind your representatives that kindness to animals means kinder citizens—who are more compassionate to each other.

SEEK SHELTER
Coordinate an ASPCA Day event with your local animal shelter or animal welfare group, and be sure to alert your local media. Wrap your shelter in an orange glow and hold an awareness event or fundraiser on or near April 10. To find a shelter or rescue group near you, visit our shelter database.

CONSTRUCTION WORK
Know of a cool building in your town or city that would look great lit up orange? Find out who the management company is and ask them to join in with New York City’s tower buildings and the many buildings that will be lighting up orange on April 10. As an added incentive, let them know that their building could receive great coverage if they light up for animals; good idea to alert the media first.

MIND YOUR (LOCAL) BUSINESS
Have your local pet store or tack shop go orange and feature special promotions or discounts on April 10, with some proceeds going toward local animal welfare efforts. Encourage your local bookstore to go orange by promoting and displaying humane literature for kids and adults. Visit ASPCAEducation.org for a list of top animal-themed titles. Local students and teachers could help create the display, too!

GROW ORANGE
Got a green thumb? Plant an orange garden for animals. Ask your local garden center what orange flowering plants work best in your area, and do some creative landscaping. Trim your shrubs into animal shapes, and decorate them in orange bows or lights. 

No garden? Try window boxes or flower pots, but do let people (and the media) know that your orange garden is all for and all about animals. (Be careful though, as some plants can be toxic to animals and wildlife. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center to find out which ones.)

GIVE A HOMELESS ANIMAL 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 ASPCA Day, and encourage others to do the same.

YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES!
Show the ASPCA and America how creative you can be on April 10 by sharing YOUR photos of your celebration with us. Upload them on Flickr and include "aspcaday" in the tags.

SHARE THE ORANGE SPIRIT ON LINE! 
Here’s an easy and fun way to jumpstart your ASPCA day celebration—send an ecard to friends and family! 

(Note: All above information is re-posted from the ASPCA Web site: http://www.aspca.org)