World Health Day was created to honor the anniversary of the World Health Organization's formation. Now, that celebration is recognized worldwide as the interconnectedness between the planet and the health of its inhabitants. Each year, World Health Day is assigned a theme, 2022’s being Our Planet, Our Health, which emphasizes “keeping humans and the planet healthy and fostering a movement to create societies focused on well-being.” Each association has a different vision, but they’re all rooted in the same overarching goal — to benefit both the planet and its people.
AH’s most recent campaign, Association Impact, is dedicated to celebrating the contributions that associations provide to society. Through working in their respective industries, these organizations hone their areas of expertise constantly by utilizing their incredibly dedicated volunteers and devotion to their mission. The pandemic was a prime example of this: associations needed to work harder and smarter than ever before to maintain the status quo in a completely new environment. When annual meetings became virtual, hybrid events and the world transitioned to telework, the work was still being done by the ones who believed most in the mission. With 63,866 trade and professional associations and 1,237,094 charitable and philanthropic organizations in America, it’s undeniable that these organizations play a part in creating a healthy planet.
In recent months, AH has highlighted these associations’ visions that focus on the betterment of society as a whole.
World Health Day may be a day of awareness, but associations naturally treat it as a year-round initiative. For example, AH client partner the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has advocated for the advancement of juvenile product safety standards for the past 60 years. This kind of continuous attention and care improves the experience for parents to effectively choose and use baby products safely.
“JPMA is the voice of the industry ensuring safe, functional products are available to one of the planet’s most vulnerable populations — babies.” Says Kelly Mariotti, JD, CPA, CAE, Executive Director of JPMA. “Helping families through the parenting journey as they nurture our future generations and focusing on improved outcomes for all babies is what grounds our work.”
With constant advocacy and improvement of safety standards, every day is a step forward for associations.
As the world continues to turn and evolve, the need for these associations is stronger than ever. Areas of life are being improved by these organizations each day for the benefit of society at large, and those changes will only increase as time goes on.
