South Jordan Proclaims March 26th Purple Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

South Jordan Proclaims March 26^th Purple Day

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, February 19, 2013 –  On February 19^th, 2013, South Jordan Mayor Scott L. Osborne officially proclaimed March 26^th, 2013 and every subsequent March 26^th, Purple Day in the city.  Following the efforts of Demi Sintz, Purple Day Ambassador for South Jordan, and the office of the Mayor, the proclamation is the first to be signed in the state of Utah this year.

12 year old Sintz became an Ambassador to raise awareness for all the right reasons:

“If you asked anyone in my school what they would do if they saw someone have a seizure, I bet most of them wouldn’t have a clue.” Sintz said. “My little brother has epilepsy. I became a Purple Day Ambassador to be an advocate for my brother and to help make people more aware about epilepsy. I want people to know what to do if they see my brother, or anyone else, having a seizure. It could happen anywhere. It could save a life if you know what to do!”

She continued: “I want people to know what a seizure looks like. I want them to know it will be scary and it will be every time, but you need to be calm. Let the person know you are there for them. You need to know what to do. I have learned to be there for my brother and I know it will be ok!”

The Epilepsy Association of Utah applauds Demi and the City of South Jordan for dedicating the day to the 150,000 people of Utah, and their families, who live with the condition.

ABOUT PURPLE DAY

Purple Day for Epilepsy is held each year on March 26 and is dedicated to raising awareness about epilepsy. It helps reduce stigma and empowers individuals living with epilepsy to take action in their communities. Purple Day was founded in 2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, and named after the internationally recognized colour for epilepsy, lavender.  Purple Day was launched internationally in 2009. The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia and the Anita Kaufmann Foundation in the United States are the global partners for the Purple Day campaign.  UCB Canada Inc. is the exclusive Canadian biopharmaceutical partner for the 2012 Purple Day campaign. For more information, please visit www.purpleday.org. 

ABOUT THE EPILEPSY ASSOCIATION OF UTAH

Founded in 1973, The Epilepsy Association of Utah is a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all individuals living with Epilepsy and seizure disorders. 1 in 26 people will develop Epilepsy at some time in their lives leading to over 150,000 people in Utah alone. Epilepsy is the 4^th most common neurological disorder in the US after migraine, stroke and Alzheimer’s. The Epilepsy Association of Utah offers a public education program, statewide support groups, personal and professional advocacy, college scholarships, art exhibits, educational conferences, summer camp and more.  Visit http://epilepsyut.org for additional information.

Press Contact:        Lindsey Palmer

Email:                    lindsey@epilepsyut.org

Website:                 www.epilepsyut.org

Purple Day Balloon Launch 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PURPLE DAY BALLOON LAUNCH SCHEDULED

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 13, 2012 – In its efforts to help increase global and local Epilepsy awareness, the Epilepsy Association of Utah (EAU) will celebrate National Purple Day, held annually on March 26th, by holding a Purple Balloon Launch in Murray City. Each of the hundreds of balloon will be filled & tied with thoughts, hopes and memories of everyone, including the 50 million affected worldwide and as many as 150,000 from Utah; and then, released as a symbol of freedom and independence while each purple balloon finds its way into the world.

Date:     Monday March 26th
Time:     6:00pm
Place:    Murray City Hall Building
    5025 South State Street
    Murray, UT

Those interested in attending should meet at Murray City Hall at 6:00pm to prepare for the balloon launch. Admission is free and all ages are encouraged to participate. More information regarding this and other scheduled Purple Day events can be found on the Epilepsy Association of Utah’s website: www.epilepsyut.org

About Purple Day
National Purple Day was created by the idea of a 9-year-old girl, Cassidy Megan, motivated by her own struggles with Epilepsy. Cassidy's goal was and continues to be encouraging people to talk about Epilepsy while dismissing the myths and assuring those with seizures - they are not alone. Now every year on March 26th, people all around the world are invited to wear purple and involve themselves in events in promotional events supporting Epilepsy awareness.

About the Epilepsy Association of Utah
The Epilepsy Association of Utah provides awareness, education, support services and advocacy for and in behalf of all those dealing with the many challenges of Epilepsy/seizure disorders. More information can be found on their website @ www.epilepsyut.org

A Purple Jolt for Utah's Purple Day!

The Epilepsy Association of Utah proudly presents "Purple Jolt 2012 Benefit Rock Concert."  The performance follows the Purple Day Balloon Launch at 6:00 pm, held at Murray City Building.  The group who will be performing is Caroline's Spine, with special guest Jeremy Anderson.


About Caroline's Spine:

• Spine is an alternative American Rock band who has toured the United States and Europe with popular performing artists such as Aerosmith, Nickleback, as well as Kiss.  
• Spine is a RIAA-certified Gold and has achieve four "Top 40" rock radio hits.  
• Spine's music has been used by well-known TV networks such as ESPN, MTV, and Disney.  
• Spine is, as noted by Yamaha Music, "...one of the top 5 unsigned bands in America."

The Top Five Caroline's Spine Songs (via iTunes):

1. Sullivan
2. Attention Please
3. You and Me 
4. Nothing to Prove
5. The Light Inside

Sullivan and You and Me both come from Spine's 1997 album entitled "Monsoon."  Sullivan is reportedly the band's most popular song, due to it's accessible melody and compelling subject matter related to WWII.  You and Me starts out with a slower softer beat than Sullivan, but then turns to quicker tempo and heavier rock, it's a great song to jam out to and it seems to resonate with the frustrations rough relationships can sometimes bring.

Two years later, Spine released "Attention Please," where the tracks Attention Please and Nothing to Prove are heard.  Both tracks received high ratings on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart at #30 and #23, respectively.  Nothing to Prove is probably a personal favorite of mine and all that I can say about it is take a listen to it below.  Attention Please, on the other hand, has a deep grungy sound whom's chorus seems to question life's train and where, as passengers, we are going.  That idea seems to ring true for a lot of people who deal with various problems, including seizures and Epilepsy.  Sometimes we wonder why it is that we have certain issues to deal with and it is, indeed, a fair question.  Until we find out why and where we are going, we can do our best to hold on for the ride.     

The last, but definitely not the least, of the top five tracks is The Light Inside from "Work It Out." It wouldn't surface until nearly a decade after Spine's aforementioned album, "Attention Please."  Nevertheless, the track definitely earned it's place among the top tracks of Spine's music.  The music is heavy with awesome beats with deep enlightening lyrics that question, and at the same time seem to encourage, the listener's ability to go on and continue to do their best despite difficulties they might experience.

Can't wait to see the band in action?  Well, the countdown is on and the concert is just days away, but until then, feel free to check out this video, from YouTube, of the group singing a song I particularly favor, Nothing to Prove.

  

Critical Info!

What: Purple Jolt 2012 Benefit Rock Concert

Where: Murray Historic Theatre 

 4961 S. State St., Murray, UT. 84107

When: Monday, March 26, 2012

Time: 7:00 pm

Tickets:

Prepaid Individual: $10

At-The-Door Individual: $12

VIP Table (includes backstage pass to meet the band, food, and private seating) $100
Buy Your Tickets Now!  

Contact: info@epilepsyut.org

Hope to see you soon for Utah Purple Day, and the Purple Jolt Rock Concert!  

Sources and Links:

Jimmy Newquist

carolinesspineofficial.com

Jeremy Anderson 

iTunes

Wikipedia 

*Caroline's Spine

*Monsoon

*Sullivan

*Attention Please

*Work It Out

Twitter 

Facebook Album Page

Facebook Musician Page

YouTube

    

Winter Rewind

It has been an exciting few months since our last post, all of the events we have held have been successful thus far.  So, lets rewind.

Fall, 2011

UEA was definitely a success, we were able to speak with many educators about Epilepsy Awareness and we invited them to join our interest lists as well as sign up for a free Seizure Smart Presentation.  As teachers and students continue to receive instruction from the presentations, they will have gained a knowledge of how to deal with seizures in the classroom.  That comes with the ability to discourage oppressive and stigmatizing actions as well as comments made by classmates, which allows students to become "Seizure Smart" as well!  Another thing that teachers are equipped with when they learn more about Epilepsy and seizures is the ability to give rescue medication, as directed, for long-lasting seizures.  Lastly, as all people gain from the presentations, they will have gained an awareness for Epilepsy and seizures, connections to activities, events and conferences the Epilepsy Association of Utah hosts, such as Whispers in the Park. 

Bounty-Hunters and little Luke Skywalker!

Whispers in the Park was our first Halloween carnival this year.  It was simply amazing how much fun everyone had.  Costumes were worn, games were played, costume contests were strutted through, prizes were won, vendors offered their items for sale, and the food was scrumptious.  A pair of Star Wars bounty-hunters even made an appearance.  A good time was had by all!  What was so awesome was that it was a festival where people with Epilepsy and seizures could come and be in a safe place to enjoy each others company.  Free from any sorts of stigma or oppression, people are were very understanding.  Through those gentle whispers, the Epilepsy Association of Utah took the superstition and mysticism out of living with Epilepsy and put those thing where they belonged: Halloween.

Kimmie at Artilepsy

 November brought a busy month for the EAU, the month of awareness began with our second annual Artilepsy art gallary.  Artilepsy is a art gallary dedicated to all types of artists who are affected by Epilepsy or have loved ones who are affected by Epilepsy.  We had a fair few people enter their artwork for Artilepsy.  We had photography, paintings, drawings, quilts, and even faberge eggs!  One of the artists, Kimmie (age 13), submitted a beautiful photo of the "Up" house and won first place in the teen photography category.  Well done!

Jenn, Jeremy, & Kris after Jeremy's comedic performance

The next day, our second annual Gala was held, this time it was at Noah's event center.  Several persons very close to persons affected by Epilepsy or affected by Epilepsy themselves spoke at the Gala, including, Dr. Afrah (a U of U Epileptologist), Glenn Fenster (Destinymaker), Mayor JoAnn B. Seghini of Midvale, the parents of Lynsay Lynch (of Laps for Lynsay), Jeremy Anderson (see right) and his comedic performance, Ryan Barnes, and two collegiate scholarship recipients as well as many others who were recognized for their service and support of the Epilepsy Association of Utah.  It was a great night to review what the EAU has been doing and it was encouraging to see how the potential for the Association is growing, as are our programs.  Thanks to the funding raised from the Gala as well as a few grants that have been awarded, the EAU is looking to start a Transportation Assistance program and Prescription Medication Assistance program.  There is even more that is being developed now, but you will just have to keep an eye out for more news!

And the morning after Gala was held, we headed up to the Univerisy of Utah's Neuroscience building for our Seizure Smart Education Conference.  Speakers included Glenn Fenster, Dr. Afrah, an AEEG specialist, Holly E. Ferrin, as well as a specialist of natural oils and their benefits with seizures and Epilepsy.  




We've got a spring that is buzzing with activities and events, including Purple Day, Caroline's Spine Concert, Crop Because You Care, and our NEW Camp Neuro Reveolution!  Be on the lookout for our next update (coming soon!).  I am sure that it will be easy to "Spring Forward" in 2012 with the Epilepsy Association of Utah!

 
"Like" us on Facebook (Epilepsy Association of UT page); "Friend" us on Facebook (Epilepsy Utah); and follow our Twitter feed for live updates!  



Thanks everyone, for your continued support!

Midvale Elementary Purple Day

Purple Day at Midvale Elementary was incredibly fun! Princess Amerah came and talked to the kids about her story of accepting yourself.  She also talked about her brother who has seizures. Thank you to Cari who arranged this and to Princess Amerah for sharing your Purple Day Story!