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PLAN A SUCCESSFUL AND FUN NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY EVENT Even if you have a National Wear Red Day planning committee of one, you don t have to plan it alone. Go Red For Women is here to help make your event fun for everyone! Just go to GoRedForWomen.org/WearRedDay and pick from a variety of resources to help spread the word about your National Wear Red Day event. It s important to plan ahead to have the most successful National Wear Red Day event! Here are a few suggestions to plan a few weeks before your event: If a fundraising event is in your plans to help support the Go Red For Women movement, be sure to create your own fundraising donation page before your event! It s easy to do. Just go to GoRedForWomen.org/WearRedDay and follow the simple instructions. Send invitations by mail or by email to announce your event date (preferably on Feb. 3rd, the official National Wear Red Day). Advertise the date of your event in your workplace. Just download and print the posters, flyers, social media message suggestions and other resources to help you promote your event. If you plan to have a guest speaker such as a cardiologist, heart disease survivor or nurse, plan ahead. Or, you could plan to have free blood pressure checks or a heart-healthy cooking demonstration. Think heart-healthy foods and foods that are. We have a list of ideas that you can download. Plan to hand out educational resources at your event. You can find heart-healthy documents to download for free on our Wear Red Day site. If you set up a fundraising page, be sure to ask your friends, family and coworkers to make a donation. You can easily share the link to your page in social media messages such as on Facebook and Twitter. Send an email with a link to your fundraising page. Even ask your friends to send the link to your fundraising page to their friends! Ask those who can t attend or participate in your activity to make a donation online. Don t forget to download the donation mail-in form for easy instructions on how to mail your donations to the American Heart Association. It s easy to share how we Go Red to help end heart disease and stroke in women. Find out how on the next few pages. 2
We Go Red IN THE WORKPLACE There are lots of ways to turn your workplace during February and to raise money for the cause. Before you finalize your plans, make sure management is on board. Ask employees to show their support by wearing. Light the exterior of your building. Light the interior lobby and hang up signs explaining why. Decorate the lobby with dresses on loan from your staff. Hang streamers and string lights. Cover the windows with gel paper or translucent film. Cover cubicle panels with paper. Decorate with poinsettias. Visit ShopHeart.org (bold URL) to purchase items for prizes or to decorate the workplace. Hold a contest for the most creative or craziest outfits. Distribute heart-healthy tips in employee paychecks.. Host an open house or luncheon with heart-healthy foods and tips. Hold drawings with Go Red For Women prizes from ShopHeart.org. Feature an infographic about women and heart disease in your employee newsletter. Feature women employees who are survivors in weekly emails to employees or on your intranet site. Put a Go Red page on your intranet, featuring heart-healthy tips and recipes. Distribute flowers to employee survivors or plant roses to honor employees with heart disease and stroke. 3
We Go Red HOME OR NEIGHBORHOOD Holding your own National Wear Red Day fundraiser opens all kinds of possibilities. Host a Wear Red Day fundraiser. Invite friends, serve heart-healthy snacks and ask survivors to share their stories. Decorate your house with string lights, streamers and balloons. Organize a Wear Red Day neighborhood parade with people and pets in costumes. Use social media to raise awareness for Wear Red Day. If you re active on Facebook, make sure you re a fan of the official Go Red For Women page at facebook.com/goredforwomen. Send support letters and emails to your friends, asking them to make a donation on your Go Red online donation page. (Visit GoRedForWomen.org for easy instructions.) Visit ShopHeart.org to purchase a flag or sign for your home. 4
We Go Red BUILDINGS AND LANDMARKS Wearing isn t just for people. It s for buildings, bridges, parks and landmarks, too. This year, you can help all of America Go Red in a big way by thinking on a grand scale. Light up a park or a building landscape by wrapping trees in string lights. Use in your fountain or entry lighting. Outline the entire building or structure in or use floodlights to change the surface color. Use a dress logo on the side of the building. Put We Go Red For Women on your outside signs or windows. Spell out We Go Red on fencing using cups or banners. Cover windows with gel paper, translucent film or Go Red For Women posters. If the building or landmark has a website, include banner ads and links to GoRedForWomen.org. Visit ShopHeart.org to purchase flags or other items. 5
We Go Red IN YOUR FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY F eature National Wear Red Day on message signs inside and outside the building. Tie ribbons around trees throughout the grounds. Post Go Red fliers or posters on the bulletin board. I nclude nutrition fliers or heart-healthy information with weekly service handouts. F eature Go Red For Women in a newsletter article and on the congregation website. I nvite a cardiologist or nutritionist to give a lecture to the congregation s women s group. D esignate a worship service on or close to National Wear Red Day for attendees to wear. O ur Have Faith in Heart toolkit has tools to help you plan your activities. Kit may be found at GoRedForWomen.org/WearRedDay. 6
We Go Red SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY Use your school spirit to energize the Go Red For Women movement! Raise awareness and funds funds to uce heart disease and stroke in the next generation of women. Ask students to dress up on National Wear Red Day and have contests for the most creative or craziest costume. Raffle off prizes or privileges to raise Go Red For Women donations. Invite speakers to give guest lectures on heart health. Ask a restaurant near the school to host a National Wear Red Day fundraiser by donating a portion of the day s profits to Go Red. Pit a faculty team against students in a National Wear Red Day quiz bowl about heart health. Sponsor sorority competitions for the most successful Go Red For Women fundraisers. Decorate the school in streamers, balloons and string lights. Hang Go Red For Women fliers throughout the school. Hold a contest for the best locker decorations. Hold a Red Out event during an athletic event, and encourage attendees to support the cause. Go Red With Macy s February 1 through February 6. Customers are invited to purchase a Red Dress pin for $3 at Macy s or wear to show support for Go Red For Women. 7
We Go Red SOCIAL OR SPECIAL INTEREST CLUBS Have your members register to join the movement during February at GoRedForWomen.org E ncourage your social group to start a distance walking club or sign up to train for a long walk or run together. D ecorate your organization s club in on National Wear Red Day. Encourage everyone in your group to wear as well. M ake plans to host a special lunch with your social group or club and encourage everyone to wear. Invite a cardiologist to speak on heart health and the importance of knowing your risk. P lan a fun group photo wearing and share on social media to raise awareness. Engcourage members to jsupport the cause. Go Red With Macy s February 1 through February 6. Customers are invited to purchase a Red Dress pin for $3 at Macy s or wear to show support for Go Red For Women. 8
Issue or co-sponsor a proclamation or resolution in recognition of National Wear Red Day and/or American Heart Month. Illuminate your government building or office in. We Go Red GOVERNMENT OFFICE Make brief remarks during during legislature or congressional proceedings. Post the video on your YouTube site. Include an article in your January constituent newsletter encouraging residents of your state/district to participate in National Wear Red Day. In your February newsletter, encourage women to join the movement at GoRedForWomen.org in your February newsletter or emails. Encourage your constituents and/or employees to learn about their risks for heart disease by taking our free, online risk assessment, Go Red Heart CheckUp, at GoRedForWomen.org. Download free National Wear Red Day posters to hang in your offices. Post a picture of yourself wearing to your Facebook profile or Tweet it to your followers. Encourage others to do the same. Gather your staff together for a photo op to show your Wear Red Day spirit and include the photo in your next newsletter. Wear a camouflage T-shirt with a dress pin. We Go Red MILITARY ORGANIZATION Light the entrance sign to your installation in, or put We Go Red on signs. Serve healthy foods that are on National Wear Red Day. Host a heart-healthy event to educate servicemen/women about how to have a healthy heart. 9
We Go Red FAMILY AND FRIENDS J oin the movement and encourage your family and friends to join you at GoRedForWomen.org. Encourage your friends and family to wear on National Wear Red Day. Host a brunch with friends and serve heart-healthy dishes or foods that are. Invite a guest speaker in the healthcare field to speak on heart health risks and discuss how to find out your family history. Find recipe ideas at GoRedForWomen.org. T urn your Faceboook profile and encourage your social network of friends and family to do the same. Host a National Wear Red Day party and get the kids involved. Invite a doctor or health specialist over to educate the whole family on the importance of healthy eating and exercising. Find a few friends or family members to join you and start a walking group or train for a half marathon. Post your support of Go Red For Women using #GoRed. Hand out heart-health awareness cards to every person you run into on National Wear Red Day. Be sure to wear, too! 10
IMPORTANT REMINDERS At the American Heart Association, we greatly appreciate your support. One of the ways we show our gratitude is by being good stewards of the funds you raise. That s why we re limited in our ability to provide printed literature and materials for Go Red For Women activities. As a result, supporters sometimes ask about adapting our materials or creating materials of their own. In the interest of protecting the American Heart Association brand, trademarks, service marks and copyrights, we provide specific guidelines. It s important to read our branding guidelines before you begin planning your event. 1. The Go Red For Women and National Wear Red Day marks are registe trademarks, and all Go Red For Women and National Wear Red Day materials are copyrighted and intended for internal use as provided. You are welcome to download and make copies of the materials we have created for you on our Go Red For Women website. We encourage you to distribute them to your friends, family, employees, students, colleagues, association members or to any other group you feel would benefit from the messages. However (and this is important), these materials cannot be alte in any way, and specifically cannot be alte to include any logos, service marks or branding of other parties. 2. The Go Red For Women mark (or logo) can only be used by entities having a contractual relationship or license with the American Heart Association. You are, however, free to use the name Go Red For Women in normal text format, and/or hyperlink to the GoRedForWomen.org website, in your efforts to draw attention to this important cause. To link to our website, please follow our linking policy found at heart.org. If you are interested in exploring a contractual or licensing relationship with Go Red For Women, please contact your local American Heart Association office. To find the office nearest you go to heart.org and enter your zip code into the Local Info section on the upper right corner of the page. PLEASE NOTE: The Red Dress is a trademark owned by the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHS). Use of the Red Dress without express written permission from the American Heart Association or DHHS is an infringement of trademark rights. QUESTIONS? You ll find the answers on our website under the Tips & Tools tab at GoRedForWomen.org/WearRedDay. GO RED WITH MACY'S Go Red With Macy s February 1 through February 6. Customers are invited to purchase a Red Dress pin for $3 at Macy s or wear to show support for Go Red For Women. Macy s will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the pins to the American Heart Association s Go Red For Women movement. 11