All - Leep Calendar

Purebred dogs have achieved their pedigree through decades and centuries of breeding. Each breed has a purpose and distinct trademarks of action and form. Today is a day to celebrate these amazing animals. The American Kennel Club is the sole purebred dog registry in the United States and it conducts thousands of inspections each year to ensure compliance with standards that support the health, safety, and welfare of dogs and the environments in which they live. This event was created in 2013 by writer Susi Szeremy.

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May

REACT Month: May

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Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams (REACT) are highlighted this month. REACT teams are public service volunteers who monitor 2-way emergency radio communications from motorists, boaters, hikers and other in distress. They also provide additional security at public events and venues. They are one of the first lines of defense during natural disasters and emergencies. REACT Month teaches the public about the service and also aids in the recruiting of new volunteers.

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May

Read to Your Baby Bump Month, Ntl.: May

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Lower maternal stress, bond with your baby and give it a head start on language skills, these are all reasons to read to your baby bump, especially from six months on. Read to Your Baby Bump Month seeks to remind parents, mommy and daddy, to share the word, literally.

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May

Recommitment Month, Ntl.: May

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National Recommitment Month is a time to take stock in your goals for the year whether health related, relationship related or financial. The originator of this month remains unknown, but it seems to have been picked up by everything from The US Army to couples counseling practitioners and nutrition and fitness buffs. That makes this unofficial event official. Some questions to ask that will allow you to make the most of this month: How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you made progress? If not, what will it take to refocus your energy on accomplishing what you set out to do this year? Recommitment month is all about recommitting to the aspects in your life that fill it with love, richness and pride.

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May

Responsible Animal Guardian Month: May

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Whether it's an aquarium, terrarium, gilded cage or the run of the house on up to four paws, pets add to your life. National Responsible Animal Guardian Month in the United States is about focusing on the needs of your pets and services that keep them in their best health and happiness. This event is believed created by California non-profit In Defense of Animals. Per their 2017 press release the organization outlines their objectives: As animal guardians, we urge all who share their homes with one or more animal companions: 1. To make a lifetime commitment to them, to cherish and love them, to always treat them as family, with respect, compassion, consideration, kindness and gentleness. 2. To care for their emotional needs and work through any behavior issues that may arise. 3. To promise to only adopt, and to never to buy or sell a fellow being - for they are not objects, property, commodities or things to be bought and sold. 4. To commit to sterilizing your animal companions. 5. To always provide them with nutritious food, fresh water and daily exercise and to avoid the use of toxic cleaners and chemicals in your home. 6. To always refer yourself and others as guardians and family of your animal companions, rather than owners or masters. 7. To treat all our fellow beings with whom we share our homes and planet with respect, consideration, kindness, justice and compassion. 8. To protect our and their environments, to preserve their habitats, to work to end their enslavement, and to end any and all cruel and outdated customs and tradition, in our country and around the world. The concept of animal ownership, enslavement and exploitation must be fought and ended. We invite you to pledge now to drop the word "owner" and become from this day a "guardian" to all animals. Thank you for doing your part.

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May

Feast of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (PH): May

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An annual celebration of the Virgin Mary in the Philippines, Our Lady of Good Peace and Voyage is a month long celebration of the Mother of Jesus Christ, throughout the archipelago nation. Special masses are said each day. Parades and festivals occur throughout the country. As a nation of islands, blessings on travel figure prominently inn the celebration Image: By Roel Balingit - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77572480

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May

Santacruzan, Flores de Mayo (PH): May

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If you've dreamed of visiting the Philippines, May is an ideal month. Several festivals honor the Virgin Mary, who is considered the patron of the month. The most fragrant and colorful is Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan. Santacruzan is legendary pageantry, with parades, beauty contests, period costumes, all in the unique flavor of the Philippines. It is glamorous, beautiful, and ultimately celebrates the search for the Holy Cross, and the celebrations of it in Jerusalem by the first emperor of the Roman Empire, Constantine. This several centuries old celebration occurs during the entire month of May, and is also observed by the Filipino diaspora community throughout the world. Image: Connie Veneracion, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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May

Salad Month, Ntl.: May

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National Salad Month (NSM) celebrates creative salad recipe and encourages consumers to eat more leafy greens. Created in May 1992 in response to a Gallup Poll that revealed three out of four people eat a tossed salad at least every other day, a research study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that salad eaters tend to have higher intakes of key nutrients, including vitamins C, E and folate. The latest recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest eating more fruits and vegetables and prompted the release of the MyPlate icon that depicts filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Eating a salad every day with your favorite dressing is an easy way to meet this guideline and increase intake of key nutrients. Research by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that eating vegetables with added fat, such as full-fat salad dressings, actually promotes the absorption of lycopene, alpha and beta carotenes, all of which aid in the fight against cancer and heart disease. The healthy oils found in many salad dressings help the body to better absorb key nutrients. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans also recommends increased use of oils to replace solid fats where possible. Oil-based salad dressings were highlighted as foods that contain oil. Additionally, the majority of salad dressings are free of trans fats. To find creative salad recipe ideas and information about the healthfulness of consuming salads with your favorite dressing, visit www.saladaday.org or www.dressings-sauces.org.

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May

Service Dog Eye Examination Month, Ntl.: May

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National Service Dog Eye Examination Month is sponsored by American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists/StokesRX and is a philanthropic effort generously provided to the public by the board certified Diplomats of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists who donate their time, staff and services to provide free screening ocular exams to qualified Service Animals. Service Dog owners can register their animals for the free exam in April each year prior to National Service Dog Eye Exam Month, which occurs in May. Free screening-wellness eye exam to Service Animals including those provide the following services: guide, hearing assistance, drug detection, police/military, search and rescue, therapy, and those assisting people with disabilities other than blindness. Registration takes place during the month of April each year. Exams are performed in May. Register on the ACVO site: https://www.acvoeyeexam.org

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May

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Ntl.: May

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Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Whereas the Senate is committed to the awareness, prevention, and deterrence of sexual violence affecting individuals in the United States;

Whereas, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2008 and 2018, approximately—

(1)3,434,326 women were victims of rape and sexual assault; and

(2)523,895 men were victims of rape and sexual assault;

Whereas, due to the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID–19 pandemic, including mandatory stay-at-home orders, the needs of sexual assault victims have become even more complex and challenging;

Whereas, according to a March 2020 survey by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence of more than 600 rape crisis programs, 89 percent of those programs need emergency stimulus funding to respond to requests from survivors for support and emergency assistance;

Whereas, according to the March 2020 survey, since the onset of the COVID–19 pandemic, 40 percent of the programs surveyed have experienced an increased demand for services both in terms of new requests and more dire and complicated requests from existing clients, including requests relating to technology needs for virtual services and emergency needs of vulnerable survivors;

Whereas, during the pandemic, many rape crisis centers have had to cancel signature fundraisers and have experienced overall decreases in private donations;

Whereas, according to the 2018 Child Maltreatment Report of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2018, child protective services agencies substantiated or found strong evidence to indicate that 47,124 children under 18 years of age were victims of sexual abuse;

Whereas, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2014 and 2018, an average of only 29 percent of rapes or sexual assaults in the United States were reported to law enforcement agencies;

Whereas studies have suggested that the rate at which American Indians and Alaska Natives experience sexual violence is significantly higher than for other populations in the United States;

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1/2 of all female rape victims reported being raped by an intimate partner;

Whereas sexual violence is a burden for many individuals who serve in the Armed Forces, and the Department of Defense estimates that approximately 20,500 members of the Armed Forces, including approximately 13,000 women and 7,500 men, experienced some form of contact or penetrative sexual assault during 2018;

Whereas sexual assault does not discriminate on any basis and can affect any individual in the United States;

Whereas sexual violence may take many forms, including acquaintance, stranger, spousal, and gang rape, incest, child sexual abuse, elder sexual abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation of disabled persons, commercial sex trafficking, sexual harassment, and stalking;

Whereas, according to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, in addition to immediate physical and emotional costs, sexual assault can have numerous adverse consequences for the victim, which may include post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, major depression, homelessness, eating disorders, and suicide;

Whereas, according to a 2019 survey of rape crisis centers by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, ½ of such centers have a waiting list, in some cases months long, for counseling services, 44 percent lack a therapist on staff, and 84 percent have experienced an increased demand for services;

Whereas many sexual assaults are not reported to law enforcement agencies, and many States have restrictive criminal statutes of limitations, which enable many perpetrators to evade punishment for their crimes;

Whereas advances in deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known as DNA) technology have enabled law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute the perpetrators in tens of thousands of previously unsolved sexual assault cases;

Whereas incarceration of sexual assault perpetrators can prevent perpetrators from committing additional crimes;

Whereas national, State, territorial, and Tribal coalitions, community-based rape crisis centers, and other organizations across the United States are committed to—

(1)increasing public awareness of sexual violence and the prevalence of sexual violence; and

(2)eliminating sexual violence through prevention and education;

Whereas important partnerships have been formed among criminal and juvenile justice agencies, health professionals, public health workers, educators, first responders, and victim service providers;

Whereas thousands of volunteers and staff at rape crisis centers, State coalitions against sexual assault, and nonprofit organizations across the United States play an important role in making crisis hotlines and other services available to survivors of sexual assault;

Whereas free, confidential help is available to all victims and survivors of sexual assault through—

(1)the National Sexual Assault Hotline—

(A)by telephone at 800–656–HOPE; and

(B)online at https://hotline.rainn.org; and

(2)more than 1,000 sexual assault service providers across the United States;

Whereas the victim service programs of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (commonly known as RAINN), including the National Sexual Assault Hotline—

(1)in 2019, helped 304,275 survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones, which represented the greatest number of people assisted since the founding of the hotline in 1994; and

(2)continue to receive a record number of requests for support in 2020;

Whereas the Department of Defense provides the Safe Helpline hotline, Safe HelpRoom online chat service, and Safe Helpline mobile application, each of which offer support and help to members of the Department of Defense community—

(1)by telephone at 877–995–5247; and

(2)online at https://safehelpline.org;

Whereas individual and collective efforts reflect the dream of the people of the United States—

(1)for individuals and organizations to actively work to prevent all forms of sexual violence; and

(2)for no victim of sexual assault to be unserved or feel that there is no path to justice; and

Whereas April 2020 is recognized as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month: Now, therefore, be it

That—

(1)it is the sense of the Senate that—

(A)National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month provides a special opportunity to—

(i)educate the people of the United States about sexual violence; and

(ii)encourage—

(I)the prevention of sexual assault;

(II)improvement in the treatment of survivors of sexual assault; and

(III)the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual assault;

(B)it is appropriate to properly acknowledge survivors of sexual assault and to commend the volunteers and professionals who assist those survivors in their efforts to heal;

(C)national and community organizations and private sector supporters should be recognized and applauded for their work in—

(i)promoting awareness about sexual assault;

(ii)providing information and treatment to survivors of sexual assault; and

(iii)increasing the number of successful prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual assault; and

(D)public safety, law enforcement, and health professionals should be recognized and applauded for their hard work and innovative strategies to ensure perpetrators of sexual assault are held accountable; and

(2)the Senate supports the goals and ideals of National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

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May

Silver Star Families of America Day: May 1

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Silver Star Families of America Day was founded in 2004. The Silver Star Families of America's main goal is to assist the American soldiers, wounded or who have fallen ill in the line of duty, as well as their families. The Silver Star is given to those whom have been injured or killed in combat. This day supports them and the advocates for them in educating their families and the public about their plight.

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May

Sleep Month, Better: May

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Better Sleep Month is sponsored by the Better Sleep Council, which is a non-profit set up by the Mattress Industry. It seeks to assist people in getting a good night sleep with tips, facts and research. Sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Like eating right and exercising, sleeping well is essential to feeling your best during the day. It affects how you feel, your relationships, your productivity and your quality of life. While you sleep, your brain goes to work, consolidating the day's learning into memory and reenergizing the body. The average person needs 7-8 hours a night, but it differs for every person. Some people may need as much as 10 hours a night and others need much less. If you sleep longer on the weekends than during the week, you probably aren't getting the sleep you need every night. The Sleep Better Website has tips, research, tests you can take and apps to help you sleep at bettersleep.org.

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May

Small Business Week, Ntl.: May 1-7

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Every year since 1963, the United States' Small Business Administration highlights the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from across the nation through National Small Business Week. Events take place across the country to engage the small business community and highlight their importance as innovators and job creators who strengthen the nation’s economy.

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May

Spiritual Literacy Month: May

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Spiritual Literacy Month is a celebration of the common meeting point of all faiths: charity, tolerance, and belief. It's a month to explore faith and learn about the shared spirituality of humanity. Annually in May.

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May

Stroke Awareness Month, Ntl. (US): May

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Created in 1984, National Stroke Awareness Month occurs in May each year in the United States. Canada has its Stroke Awareness Month in June and Australia devotes a week to this subject each September. The month is sponsored by the National Stroke Association. On their website they’ve included dozens of resources for the public to explore aimed at increasing public awareness of lifesaving stroke information and provide the stroke community a role in the act of raising awareness. More than 7 million people in the United States today have survived a stroke. Stroke affects physical, cognitive and emotional functioning, but there are things that can be done to reduce the impact of post-stroke effects. Each patient’s stroke experience is different and depends on the type of stroke and which areas of the brain are damaged. Effects can be experienced at varying degrees at any phase of recovery. Understanding the nature of the effects of stroke and what can be done about them is the first step to recovery. To view an interactive presentation on strokes, please see: http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=EFFECT

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