Due to the high demand for space, the Our Community calendar is used only for nationally significant events. Submissions for the calendar should be sent to service@ourcommunity.com.au.
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587 community events listed
Polite Pets Month
Animal Aid
March is Polite Pets Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness about behavioural issues in pets, and addressing solutions to these issues.
National
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
Epilepsy Australia
Dig out the best of your purple garb - March is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Marked by a huge range of community activities, media campaigns and events, the month culminates on Purple Day on 26th March. Be part of the movement and help spread the word by wearing purple on March 26th.
The Water Challenge
WaterAId Australia
1 in 10 people worldwide don't have access to clean water. This March, join thousands of Australians by making water your only beverage to help give safe water to others. Take the fizz out of your drink, give your coffee a wake-up call and raise a glass to the one drink the world can't live without.
Bandaged Bear Appeal
The Royal Children's Hospital Westmead
The Bandaged Bear Appeal is The Children's Hospital at Westmead's largest annual fundraising appeal.
Treating 100,000 patients every year, The Children's Hospital at Westmead relies on community generosity to raise essential funds for purchasing the most technologically advanced medical equipment, conducting vital research and maintaining the total healing environment that the Hospital is renowned for.
Australian Women's History Month
Women's History Month (WHM) is held annually in many parts of the world to acknowledge and document the role women play in making and shaping history.
National
Jump to Cure Diabetes
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
The Jump to Cure Diabetes is the ultimate challenge - and a great way to raise funds for type 1 diabetes research. A tandem skydive is the easiest way to experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane, while you make a big difference to JDRF and medical research.
March into Yellow
Endometriosis Australia
Join the March into Yellow challenge to help raise the profile & awareness of endometriosis - a disease affecting one in 10 Australian women. During March, for a day, a week or the whole month, take the challenge to WEAR yellow to show your support and care for the women that live with this insidious disease every month of every year. You can use the yellow challenge as a way to raise funds to help Endometriosis Australia develop and run education/awareness programs, as well as fund much needs research.
World Salt Awareness Week
World Action on Salt and Health (WASH)
Many people now know that eating too much salt is bad for their health and are looking to cut down. However, whilst you can take control of your salt intake when preparing food at home by reading the labels and not adding salt, when eating out out of the home it can be difficult to know where to start.
International
Coeliac Awareness Week
Coeliac Australia
Coeliac Awareness Week is held annually from 13-20 March. Coeliac disease remains one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in Australia. Public recognition of coeliac disease and the potential reactions to gluten (often self-diagnosed!) have never been higher, yet awareness of the condition among medical professionals continues to be low.
Walk for Water
WaterAid
1 in 9 people worldwide still don't have access to clean water close to home. For hundreds of millions of people, especially women and girls, that means long, dangerous and physically painful walks to collect water from sources that could be filthy.
10,000 steps is the equivalent of 100 minutes of walking or 8 kilometres. Track your steps using a WaterAid pedometer, which you can request after you sign up.
Ask your friends to sponsor you as you Walk for Water. Funds raised will help WaterAid reach people who have limited access to clean water sources.
International
Walk for Water
How far would you walk for a glass of water? Some women and children have to walk more than 30 minutes a day. To mark World Water Day, walk 10,000 steps for 5 days while raising money to help provide lifesaving clean water for some of the world's poorest communities.
International
Level 9
176 Wellington Parade
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002
176 Wellington Parade
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002
A Taste of Harmony
Scanlon Foundation
A Taste of Harmony celebrates diversity in Australian workplaces by encouraging colleagues to share food and stories from different cultural backgrounds.
National
International Day of Happiness
United Nations
Do something, big or small, to take part on 20 March and bring happiness to others.
International
Close The Gap Day
Oxfam
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are still dying 10 to 17 years younger than other Australians. For that reason, more than 40 national organisations came together in 2006 to form Close the Gap - Australia's largest ever campaign to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
National
1800 088 110
World Down Syndrome Day
United Nations
Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics or health.
Adequate access to health care, to early intervention programmes and to inclusive education, as well as appropriate research, are vital to the growth and development of the individual.
International
World Poetry Day
United Nations
The United Nations describes poetry as another facet of the dialogue among cultures. World Poetry Day is a celebration of the contribution made to society by poetry.
International
Harmony Day
Australian Government
Harmony Day 21 March is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home - from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it.
National
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
United Nations
Celebrated on the anniversary of the 1960 shooting of 69 anti-apartheid protestors, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a reminder to continue breaking down all forms of racism and racial discrimination.
International
International Day of Forests
United Nations
Despite all of the priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, we are destroying the very forests we need to survive. Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate - 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually. Deforestation accounts for 12 to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
National
Naw Ruz (New Year) - Baha'i
Naw-Ruz (`New Day') is the Bahá'í and Iranian new year. It occurs on the date of the vernal equinox, and symbolises the new life of spring.
International
Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination
United Nations
In 1979, the General Assembly adopted a Programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (A/RES/34/24). On this occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.
International
World Water Day
United Nations
World Water Day is held to focus attention on the need for fresh water, and the importance of the sustainable management of fresh water resources.
International
Ride2School Day
Bicycle Victoria
Ride2School day encourages children to become more active and healthy in and out of school. Children participate by walking, riding or scooting to school.
National
Orthoptic Awareness Week
Is it just us or are jokes about eyes getting cornea by the day? Terrible jokes aside, Orthoptic Awareness Week is a week of serious business held each year by the Orthoptic Association of Australia. As well as raising awareness of the profession of Orthoptics, it promotes the importance of regular eye examinations for eye related issues.
National
03 9857 9390
World Meteorological Day
United Nations
World Meteorological Day is a commemoration of the day the World Meteorological Organisation was formed in 1950.
International
International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims
United Nations
The purpose of the Day is to honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice.
International
World Tuberculosis Day
United Nations
World Tuberculosis Day is designed to build public awareness about the disease which causes the deaths of several million people every year, mostly in developing countries. The day also aims to raise funds to help eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem.
International
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
United Nations
A day for UN member states to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
International
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
United Nations
Known as Slavery Remembrance day, this is a day to remember the consequences and lessons learned from the transatlantic slave trade.
International
International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
United Nations
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is marked each year on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunman in 1985. His body was finally found in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in 2009.
International
Purple Day
Epilepsy Australia
Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26th annually, people in countries around the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of epilepsy awareness.
International
Earth Hour 8.30pm
WWF
Earth Hour is an international sustainability movement, where individuals and businesses are encouraged to turn off all lights for an hour. Earth Hour aims to increase awareness of the impact we have on our world through the use of fossil fuels and electricity.
International
Neighbour Day
Neighbour Day is Australia's annual celebration of community held on the last Sunday in March every year. Its aim is to encourage closer, friendlier relationships between neighbours and to strengthen communities.
MS Melbourne Cycle
MS Melbourne Cycle
The MS Melbourne Cycle is the perfect opportunity to get on your bike with friends or family and explore Melbourne while showing your support for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
National Advance Care Planning Week
Advance Care Planning Australia
Advance care planning is invaluable because it ensures your voice is heard if medical decisions have to be made for you. Having a plan means your friends, family and doctors aren't guessing what's important to you or what an acceptable outcome is for your life.
Get the conversation started in your community during National Advance Care Planning Week by hosting or attending a local event.
National
NSW Seniors Week
The Department of Family and Community Services NSW
NSW Seniors Week is the largest annual celebration of seniors in the southern hemisphere.
Every March during NSW Seniors Week, government, community and commercial organisations hold hundreds of events across the state - art, technology, entertainment, health, wellbeing, sport and much more! 2015 NSW Seniors Week will be held Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 March.
NSW
NSW Seniors Week project team
Locked Bag 4001
ASHFIELD BC NSW 1800
Locked Bag 4001
ASHFIELD BC NSW 1800
Leo Club Awareness Month
April is Leo Club Awareness Month - an opportunity for Leos and Lions to raise awareness about the importance of engaging young people in the community through the Leo Club Program.
Adopt a Greyhound Month
Greyhounds are very gentle dogs, but unfortunately the racing industry breeds far too many every year. They are exploited and mistreated by the racing industry which only has use for them while they run profitably.
If the greyhound is not profitable it is most likely killed. It is a sad fact that only a fraction of the approximately 20,000 greyhounds bred each year is alive to be re-homed.
Greyhounds need little exercise and generally spend about 18 hours a day sleeping, making them very suitable for people little in apartments.
Greyhounds need little exercise and generally spend about 18 hours a day sleeping, making them very suitable for people little in apartments.
International
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) originated in the USA in the 1980s as a week-long awareness raising event. SAAM is now an internationally recognised campaign held every April.
International
Supermarket Free Month
Go Supermarket Free this April to support local business, farmers and suppliers. Change your habits and buy local!
National
Parkinson's Awareness Month
Parkinson's Australia
Parkinson's Australia is the national peak body and charity representing more than 80,000 Australians living with Parkinson's. Parkinson' Australia advocates for the Parkinson's community, promotes best practice models of service delivery, works to increase awareness of Parkinson's and provides information and education on Parkinson's symptoms, diagnosis, causes and treatments.
VIC
02 6180 2817
Unit 8, 2 Phippes Close
DEAKIN ACT 2600
DEAKIN ACT 2600
Go Blue for Autism
Autism QLD
Each year on April 2, World Autism Awareness Day, iconic buildings across Australia and the world turn their lights blue to promote autism awareness. In support of this global initiative, Autism Queensland asks people Go Blue for the month of April to help raise awareness and funds to help us support Queenslanders of all ages living with ASD and their families.
National
07 3273 0000
World Autism Awareness Day
United Nations
Autism, a developmental disability, is a lifelong disorder that impairs social interaction, communication and behaviour. World Autism Awareness Day aims to increase understanding of the disability.
International
Be alarmed! Change your smoke alarm battery!!
Working smoke alarms provide vital early warning in the event of a fire. When people are asleep, they can't smell smoke. Smoke alarms are essential to wake people if a fire breaks out; they give occupants early warning and time to evacuate safely.
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
United Nations
This is a day intended to draw attention to the plight of mine survivors and the gradual reduction in new casualties since the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty entered into force in 1999.
International
World Stray Animals Day
The Day for Compassion, Care, and Action for Stray Animals Worldwide.
April 4 is the worldwide celebrated day to give special attention to the 600.000.000 stray animals in the world.
Dogs and cats should have a home. But stray dogs and stray cats don't. They lead poor and miserable lives on the streets, often illfed, suffering extreme heat, cold, and diseases, even more often being chased around by hostile and violent civilians and authorities.
But we, as people who care about animals, can do something.
International
Walk To Work Day
Diabetes Australia
Now in its 16th year, National Walk to Work Day is an annual event which encourages Australians to build regular walking into their daily routine.
People who walk before or during work are generally healthier, more productive and less likely to be absent.
White Shirt Day
Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation
Ovarian cancer is an insidious disease, often known as a "silent-killer" as symptoms are vague and often strike without warning. By wearing a white shirt or t-shirt on this day you will be showing your support for women and their families impacted by ovarian cancer along with the OCRF's vital research.
National
Day of Rememberance of the Victims of the Rwanda Genocide
United Nations
This day commemorates the deaths of 800,000 people who were murdered during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, central Africa.
International
Run for the Kids
Herald Sun/CityLink
Herald Sun / CityLink Run for the Kids will see people run or walk set courses - all people participating in this event play a part in raising money for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
VIC
03 9292 2901
World Health Day
United Nations
World Health Day is a commemoration of the founding of the World Health Organisation. It functions as an opportunity to focus on health issues that affect the international community.
International
Kidney Health Week
Kidney Health Australia
1 in 3 Australians is at increased risk of kidney disease. Kidney Health Week (encompassing World Kidney Day on 9 March) is a national, community campaign to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys, and to shine a light on prevention and early detection of kidney disease, which affects an estimated 1.7 million Australians - 90% of whom don't know they have it. Visit www.kidney.org.au for more information and to become involved.
National
VIC
Meet Us On the Street: Anti-Street Harassment Week
Meet Us On the Street: International Anti-Street Harassment Week is an opportunity to collectively raise awareness that street harassment happens and that it's not okay.
Riot Grrrl Day
April 9 is Riot Grrrl Day, in honor of Bikini Kill/The Julie Ruin/Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna. Riot grrrl is an underground feminist hardcore punk movement that originally started in the early 1990s and served as an inspiration for a musical movement in which women could express themselves in the same way men had been doing for the past several years.
World Parkinson's Day
Parkinson's Victoria
World Parkinson's Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the condition, while also raising funds to continue research into a possible cure. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure. Twenty-five Australians are diagnosed every day, with approximately 80,000 Australians currently living with the condition.
VIC
1800 644 189
World Parkinson's Day
World Parkinson's Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the condition, while also raising funds to continue research into a possible cure. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure. Twenty-five Australians are diagnosed every day, with approximately 80,000 Australians currently living with the condition.
International
International Day of Human Space Flight
United Nations
12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The General Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.
International
Wear Green for Premmies
L'il Aussie Prems Foundation
The 'Wear Green for Premmies' campaign is a day where thousands of people wear green to show their support of the 25,000 babies born prematurely in Australia each year. The day raises awareness of premature birth whilst highlighting the trials and hardships that families face after an early arrival.
Undiagnosed Children's Awareness Day
Syndromes without a name (SWAN) Inc
According to current estimates, 1 in 20 children are born with a genetic disorder, yet we only hear about the most common syndromes, or the ones that receive the most funding or have the biggest lobby groups. Of those children who present to geneticists with syndromic features, 60% may not ever receive a diagnosis.
National
Baisakhi - Sikh
The harvest festival of North India, the beginning of the solar year. For Sikhs, it represents the founding of the Khalsa, a Sikh brotherhood. Baisakhi always falls on 13th or 14th April and this is also the Hindu New Year for North India.
International
Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD)
National Youth Coalition for Housing
Youth Homelessness Matters Day aims to raise awareness and public discussion about youth homelessness so that we can develop sustainable and innovative solutions for not only supporting the needs of homeless youth, but supporting the dreams of homeless youth.
World Creativity & Innovation Week
Each year International Creativity and Innovation Week is a celebration of new ideas, imagination and anything that has made the world a better place.
International
World Haemophilia Day
Haemophilia Foundation Australia
World Haemophilia day raises awareness of the inherited bleeding disorder.
Nature Play Week
Kids in Nature Network
Nature Play Week celebrates initiatives of all shapes and sizes that reconnect kids with nature and the outdoors.
The week is filled with over 40 Nature Play experiences for kids and their families facilitated by dozens of wonderful local organisations, parents and schools across Victoria, and beyond.
World Heritage Day
World Heritage Day is an opportunity to appreciate heritage monuments and sites for the international community. The day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.
The National Trust Heritage Festival
The National Trust
Celebrate our nation's multicultural makeup with 1500 events across Australia during April.
Good Friday Appeal
The Good Friday Appeal is a unique fundraising activity that brings together people from all parts of the community in a very special way. The common goal is to raise money for The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
Good Friday
Good Friday is a religious holiday primarily observed by Christians commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
Passover
Probably the best known Jewish holiday, Passover commemorates the story of the exodus, where the Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery.
International
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
International
Earth Day
Earth Day Network
Earth Day is a celebration of the environment we all share. It also acts as a day of conservation awareness.
International Mother Earth Day
United Nations
The proclamation of 22 April as International Mother Earth Day is an acknowledgement that the Earth and its ecosystems provide its inhabitants with life and sustenance. It also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.
World Allergy Week
World Allergy Organisation
World Allergy Week aims to raise awareness of the impact of allergy in our communities. The Allergy and Immunology Foundation of Australasia and ASCIA (as a member society of the WAO) are supporting this initiative in Australia and New Zealand through our new 'wear a spot of red' campaign. This campaign encourages our supporters to help raise awareness and funds to support research into allergy, by wearing a spot of red or holding an event in their home, school or workplace.