Animal lovers who have made gallant efforts to protect wild and domestic animals, as well as their habitats, will get some recognition on October 4th when they’re honored at the first annual Animal Action Awards in the United States, presented by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The exclusive reception, will take place on World Animal Day in Santa Monica, California.

Though the awards may be a first, IFAW’s efforts to save animals certainly isn’t anything new. Animal Action Week – the world’s largest animal educational event—began 15 years ago, launching a new theme each year in an effort to help educate students on specific actions they can take in order to make a difference.

This year’s theme, “To the Rescue: Emergency Relief for Animals,” will focus on the need for emergency relief when natural disasters, such as hurricanes or tsunamis, strike. Beginning October 1st, IFAW will help to promote and educate young people on what they can do in order to save animals through these terrible incidents.

Scholastic Inc. and Weekly Reader partnered with IFAW to provide youth groups and at least 100,000 U.S. classrooms with free educational packets geared to 8-13 year olds. These packets will include:
· A teacher’s guide with activity pages for students
· A large calendar/poster for the wall
· Additional items giving these students the tools they need to learn how to save animals along with their habitats

More than two million people from 15 countries participated in last year’s activities, which included an annual “Design-A-Calendar” contest, in which students were able to submit drawings relating to animals, along with various other activities. For more information about animal action week, the different contests and activities going on and how to get involved, you can visit www.animalactionweek.org.

For more information about the Internation Fund for Animal Welfare, or to become a member, you can visit www.ifaw.org .