Each year, at the third week of September, the Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week is held. The Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week (GMDAW) is marked by awareness, education, fundraising and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about mitochondrial diseases (mito) all around the world.
This year we want to set the Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week globally on the map by beating the world record of lighting out the most monuments/landmarks ever. Of course in green light, the colour which represents the disease best. The current Guinness World Record for most monuments lighted out (24 hours) is held by Estee Lauder for Breast Cancer Awareness with 38 monuments. The goal for us is to light out 55 monuments for 24 hours worldwide on Saturday/Sunday September 16th-17th 2017. 55 monuments, because in 2017 it’s 55 years ago that the first Mitochondrial diagnosis was set.
Below some photos of featured in green monuments for earlier Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Weeks, to give you an example what we are looking for.
MitoCanada, AMDF Australia and Dutch Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week will take the lead under the umbrella of International Mito patient’s (IMP) to start up this record breaking goal for the Global Awareness Week 2017,
but we need your help!
We would like to ask you with targeting the right monuments/landmarks in your own country, so that we have global coverage, starting in morning on the 16th in New Zealand and further the day around the globe.
Monuments and landmarks are more and more equipped with a led lighting system, which could be easy switched to a green lighting. You can help use to beat that record, so to contact the owners of these monuments and ask to support us with this challenge by switching the lightning to green at that specific day or even better for the whole Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.
Our goal is to bring in a substantial marketing budget to the table to generate media attention to this awareness week and our attempt to beat this world record, so also the owners of the momuments/landmarks benefit from that “free publicity” as well. With the hashtag #lightupformito we want to share as much photos of the monuments and our hope will be that the Global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week goes viral that week.
So the simple question is: Can you contact the owners of monuments and landmark in your own country. And if they’re willing to join, make the proper arrangements with them and then share these monuments and/or landmarks with us, latest March, 1st 2017. We will put them on the list for the application at the Guinness book of Record comity.
If you need more information or if you want to share your ideas to raise awareness, please contact one of the undersigned contact persons.
We are all looking forward getting your positive reactions; together we are strong and able to set a record for Mito!
Maureen Latocki (Canada) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Rebecca Davis (Australia) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Alfons Heetjans (Netherlands) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
