User:Drmrfordancing/International Alopecia Day

International Alopecia Day ...

International Alopecia Day is an annual event designed to raise public awareness about Alopecia Areata, an auto-immune disorder, and to celebrate the people with this disorder. It takes place on the first Saturday in August each year. It began in the United States in 2009 under a different name, and became known as "International Alopecia Day" in 2010.

On International Alopecia Day, local groups or individuals organize events such as picnics, lunches, parties, or walks. Organization of the events is done on the website Alopecia World, where there is an International Alopecia Day Group, and also more recently on the Facebook Group of the same name. At each year's events, participants take photographs which are included in a YouTube video produced after International Alopecia Day. Often, participants hold signs in the photographs showing their location. The event has taken place on July 19, 2009 (under first name), July 17, 2010, August 6, 2011, and August 4, 2012. Beginning in 2011, and for future years, the holiday will fall on the first Saturday in August.

In 2009, United States locations represented in the annual video included: Phoenix, Arizona, Boston, Massachusetts, Detroit, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, Richmond, Virginia, and San Diego, California. In 2009, Birmingham, England also participated.

In 2010,the scope broadended, and included more locations outside the United States: Ontario, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Nantes, France, The Netherlands, Japan, Canberra, Australia, Madrid, Spain, and Germany. 2010 U.S. locations were Phoenix, Arizona, Massachusetts,Detroit, Michigan, San Diego, California, Akron, Ohio, and Maui, Hawaii. This is the 2010 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWHCmmBdy2o

In 2011, outside-of-the-U.S. participants were Tokyo, Japan, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Parham, Ontario, Canada. U.S. locations in 2011 were Miami, Florida, Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Opelika, Alabama, Allentown, Pennsylvania, San Diego, California, and Detroit, Michigan. Here is the 2011 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-RmwsobOA

On August 4, 2012, British Olympic cycling champion, Joanna Rowsell, won the Gold Medal. Ms. Rowsell has alopecia areata, and is bald. She was quoted in news stories on August 4 saying that a fan had contacted her on Twitter to tell her about the special day.

She said: "I thought 'wow, that's a bit spooky that our Olympic final is the same day'.

Citations of news stories:

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