Did you know that 1 in 100 people have epilepsy? That means if you have 100 kids at your gym or school, one of them is living with epilepsy. The cheer and dance community is joining Global Purple Day and wearing purple on March 26 to raise awareness and understanding.
Lake Mary, Florida, March 22, 2011 – Cheer for a Cause is uniting the Cheer and Dance World to wear purple on March 26 for epilepsy awareness – tons of teams have already signed up! The Anita Kaufmann Foundation of Nova Scotia, Canada, produced a brand new video for Cheer for a Cause to introduce us to Cassidy Megan and share why she created Purple Day.
Cassidy is a 12-year-old allstar cheerleader from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and cheers for West Halifax Cheer. Cassidy, who lives with epilepsy, created Purple Day for Epilepsy (Purple Day) held every year on March 26 to increase awareness and dispel myths about one of the most common neurological disorders.
Watch for the release of a new Cheer for a Cause video each day this week counting us down to Purple Day! You’ll also meet a three-time Morehead University national champion cheerleader who has seizures, Madison from Orlando Allstars who cheers and flies with epilepsy and others.
You can find links to all the videos, the Purple Day event and helpful information on the Cheer for a Cause website. The videos are also on Cheer for a Cause’s YouTube channel – cheerforacause. Subscribe to the page to ensure you do not miss a thing!
Julie Bolton, founder of Cheer for a Cause says, “A little love and understanding can change the world! Our cheer and dance community has such passion and certainly has the spirit to make it happen.”
Epilepsy affects three million Americans, 300,000 people in Canada and over 50 million people worldwide, which is more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease combined. Despite its prevalence, epilepsy is not well understood and people with epilepsy continue to face social stigma and discrimination.
What’s your cause? Cheer for a Cause will support special needs teams in April and May, anti-bullying in June, our troops in July, safe driving in August and children’s cancer in September. Their website features the monthly section “Stories of Hope, Healing & Heart”. Teams and athletes are encouraged to share stories, send in photos and video. To partner on a cause or share your story, email [email protected].
Cheer for a Cause is a nonprofit corporation. Their mission is to unite the giving and giving back in the cheer and dance world, celebrate efforts to help others, unify support for athletes and teams experiencing tragedy and raise awareness and funds for causes. You can find Cheer for a Cause at www.cheerforacause.org, on facebook and twitter.
Andre J. Carter 
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