Epilepsy NZ Secures International Purple Day Partnership

17 November 2011

Epilepsy NZ Secures International Purple Day Official Partnership

International Purple Day organisers recently announced that Epilepsy New Zealand will be the sole Official New Zealand Partner for Purple Day.

Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy. On March 26th annually, people in countries around the world are asked to wear purple in support of epilepsy awareness.

“Being selected as the sole New Zealand partner for International Purple Day is an enormous honour for ENZ. We are currently working with a number of strategic partners around New Zealand to make Purple Day 2012 huge, but we need everyone’s support”, says Marketing and Communications Executive, Janelle Spencer. “Keep an eye on Epilepsy New Zealand’s social media pages and website www.epilepsy.org.nz for updates and information about planned activities”.

Purple Day was founded in 2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Canada. Motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy’s goal is for people with epilepsy everywhere to know that they are not alone. In 2009, Purple Day was launched internationally. Cassidy chose the colour purple after the international colour for epilepsy, lavender. The lavender flower is also often associated with solitude, which is representative of the feelings of isolation many people affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders feel.

ENZ is planning a full nationwide campaign in March 2012 to raise awareness of epilepsy on a national scale in New Zealand to a level never achieved before, and is the only New Zealand epilepsy organisation to be involved in Purple Day activities.

ENDS