Sept 1-Dec 31 “Million Minute Family Challenge”: 13th Annual. An effort to bring family, friends, and neighbours together through board games. Goal is one million minutes of game playing. Add to the running total at www.millionminute.com. Call Beth Muehlenkamp from the Million Minute Family Challenge 1-800-524-4263, email bethm@patchproducts.com
Sept 1-30 “Big Brothers and Big Sisters Month”: See www.bbbsc.ca
Sept 1-30 “Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month”: See www.ovariancanada.org.
Sept 1-30 “Prostate Cancer Awareness Month”: See www.prostatecancer.ca.
Sept 1-30 “Arthritis Month”: See www.arthritis.ca
Sept 1-30 “International People Skills Month”: Get a better job, improve office atmosphere and increase rapport with your family by refining your people skills. Call Karla Brandau at People Skills International 770-923-0883 email karla@karlaspeaks.com
Sept 1-30 “International Self Awareness Month”: Drawing attention to the value of knowing oneself. Call Jim Cathcart 800-222-4883, email info@cathcart.com, or www.cathcart.com.
Sept 1-30 “Canadian Library Month”: To ensure every child obtains a library card and uses it. See the Canadian Library Assn. www.cla.ca.
Sept 1-30 “Pleasure Your Mate Month”: To promote love and show appreciation to your mate. Look for new ways to create happiness together. Call Donald Etkes 310-979-0245, email drdonetkes@aol.com.
Sept 1-30 “Shameless Promotion Month”: This is the month to go out and promote yourself or your product shamelessly [just in time for the BBM sweep] For outrageous tips email Marisa D’Vari expert@deg.com, or see www.buildingbuzz.com.
Sept 1-30 “Update Your Resume Month”: To encourage people to update and maintain their resumes. Call Laura DeCarlo, Professional Resume Writing and Research Assn. 888-867-7972, email info@careerdirectors.com. See www.careerdirectors.com.
Sept 1-30 “Women’s Friendship Month”: Every woman has special friends she can’t live without, those women to whom she tells everything, friends who will always listen and who know just what to say. Call Kappa Delta Sorority 901-748-1897, email dircomm@kappadelta.org.
Sept 1 “Emma M. Nutt Day”: To honour the first woman telephone operator who reportedly began her professional career at Boston, MA, Sept 1, 1878 and continued for 33 years.
Sept 1-7 “International Enthusiasm Week”: show genuine enthusiasm to every person, every project, every possibility that comes your way! Call Carolyn Stein at 877-771-0772, email carolyn@carolynstein.com, or go to www.carolynstein.com.
Sept 2 “Canada: Labour Day”: Annually, the first Monday in September.
Sept 4 “Rosh Hashanah”: begins at sundown. Jewish New Year.
Sept 4-8 “The Masters”: Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB. International show jumping competition. Call 403-974-4200, email information@sprucemeadows.com. See www.sprucemeadows.com.
Sept 5 “Be Late For Something Day”: Designed to create a release from the stresses and strains resulting from a consistent need to be on time. Call Les Waas the President of The Procrastinators’ Club of America 215-947-9020, email procrastinators_club_of_america@yahoo.com, web: www.geocities.com/procrastinators_club_of_america.
Sept 5-8 “Ottawa Folk Festival”: Hog’s Back Park, Ottawa, ON. Call 613-230-8234 for info or email officemanager@ottawafollk.com. See www.ottawafolk.com.
Sept 5-15 “Toronto International Film Festival”: Toronto, ON. 38th annual. A 10-day festival of contemporary Canadian and international cinema at various downtown theatres. Call 416-968-FILM, email tiffg@torfilmfest.ca, see www.tiffg.ca.
Sept 8 “International Literacy Day”: www.un.org
Sept 8 “National Grandparents’ Day”: To honour grandparents, to give them an opportunity to show love for their children’s children and to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.
Sept 8 “Terry Fox Run”: see www.terryfox.org.
Sept 9 “Wonderful Weirdos Day”: These are the folks who remind us to think outside the box, to be a little more true to ourselves. Today’s the day to thank them. Give them a hug and say “I love you, you weirdo!” Call Thomas & Ruth Roy at 717-279-0184 or go to www.wellcat.com.
Sept 10 “Swap Ideas Day”: To encourage people to explore ways in which their ideas can be put to work for the benefit of humanity and to encourage development of incentives that will encourage use of creative imagination. Call Robert L. Birch 703-533-3668.
Sept 13 “Alzheimer Coffee Break Day”: see www.alzheimer.ca.
Sept 15-21 “International Clean Hands Week”: Working together to improve health and save lives through clean hands. Clean Hands Coalition nbock@cleaning101.com
Sept 19 “Talk Like A Pirate Day”: A day when people everywhere add a touch of larceny to their dialogue by talking like pirates. While it’s inherently a guy thing, women have been known to enjoy the day because they have to be addressed as “me beauty.” Arr! Call Mark Summers at 541-791-8281, email capnslappy@talklikeapirate.com, web: www.talklikeapirate.com.
Sept 21 “Big Whopper Liar’s Contest”: New Harmony, IN. Twenty “storytellers” compete to see who can tell the BIGGEST whopper. Call Jeff Fleming 618-395-8491.
Sept 21 “World Alzheimer’s Day”: Alzheimer’s associations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Call the Canadian Alzheimer’s Society 1-800-616-8816, email pr@alzheimer.ca.
Sept 21-29 “Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup”: Groups and individuals across Canada will be volunteering their time in their communities to clean up our shorelines. Hosted by Loblaws and the Vancouver Aquarium. See www.shorelinecleanup.ca.
Sept 22 “Hobbit Day”: A day to celebrate the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins and their creator J.R. Tolkien. For information email the American Tolkien Society at americantolkiensociety@yahoo.com.
Sept 22-28 “Keep Kids Creative Week”: More than ever before, kids need encouragement to be imaginative. Set aside time this week to celebrate the inventive minds of kids. Call Bruce Van Patter 570-524-9770, see www.brucevanpatter.com/keepkidscreative.html.
Sept 22-29 “Deaf Awareness Week”: Celebration to promote deaf culture, Sign Language and deaf heritage. Email Natl Assn of the Deaf at nadinfo@nad.org. See www.nad.org.
Sept 23 “Innergize Day”: A day set aside for anyone who has said “I don’t have time to do the personal things I want to do for myself. Set the day aside for yourself to do anything you want to do. Call Michelle Porchia 203-924-1012, email michelle@innerdimensionsllc.com.
Sept 23-28 “International Women’s Ecommerce Days”: To celebrate women around the globe and their economic impact and purchasing power. Call Heidi Richards 945-981-5515, email heidi@wecai.org. see www.wecai.org.
Sept 24 “National Woman Road Warrior Day”: A day of recognition for the nation’s traveling businesswomen. Call Kathleen Ameche 312-202-0034, email kameche@amechegroup.com. See www.womanroadwarrior.com.
Sept 25 “One Hit Wonder Day”: Anyone who ever had a hit single deserves eternal remembrance. Call Steven Rosen 513-321-1018, email srosenone@aol.com.
Sept 27 “Love Note Day”: Words of love – powerful and poignant – expressed on paper. Call Leona Hamel 450-375-9566, email Leona@romanceunlimited.com
Sept 27 “Ancestor Appreciation Day”: Learn about one’s family. Give away “family tree” software, or arrange a promotion with a photographer for discounts on family portraits.
