Adopting an animal can make a significant life-changing choice for both the person and the animal.

Remember Me Thursday was established to encourage animal adoption. Many animals are left behind in shelters. This holiday promotes awareness about this sad fact and helps people understand why adoption is better for both you and the animals.

Remember Me Thursday is the time to remember and show appreciation for these animals

Remember Me Thursday is an international social-media awareness day. It brings attention to the millions waiting for pets to adopt, and also honors those who have not yet made it out.

Remember Me Thursday, which began in 2012, has been viewed more than 1,000,000 times on social media. This popularity can be attributed to A-list celebrities like Wynonna Judd, Wynonna Judd, Ian Somerhalder and Diane Keaton.

These celebrities invite everyone to #RememberMeThursday, the fourth Thursday in September, to highlight pet adoption. The Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego County is the first to start this social media movement. This non-profit organization has been helping animals find their forever homes for more than 40 years.

The awareness of the importance of animal adoption has increased steadily since the beginning of the movement over a decade ago. Over 330 million people participated in spreading awareness about animal adoptions by 2017, which is a huge boost to the cause of making this a worldwide event.

This social media movement has helped increase animal adoption worldwide and brought new families to animals in dire need.

Remember Me Thursday is about giving honor to animals left in shelters. You can do this in many ways to raise awareness and maybe even provide homes for these pets. These are some ideas to celebrate Remember Me Thursday.

Remember Me Thursday is made even more special by welcoming a new pet into your family. A pet is one less animal who feels abandoned and alone. The ASPCA offers pet adoption information for those who are interested in adopting a pet. https://www.aspca.org/adopt-pet/adoption-tips

Volunteering at an animal shelter is a great way to help those who don’t want to adopt animals or aren’t available to do so. Shelters are always in need of more animal-loving volunteers, whether they’re looking for people to take their cats for walks, clean out their cages, or promote awareness.

To find out what assistance they may need, call or stop by a local shelter. Or make a donation.

Get together friends who have adopted animals from shelters to hold a community event. You can be creative with simple ideas such as a dog walk in your neighborhood or a festival inviting representatives from local shelters to participate. You can find clever ideas on the Remember Me Thursday website, as well as a planning guide that will help you organize groups, individuals and organizations to join this important movement. https://remembermethursday.org/planning-guide/

You can inspire others by engaging them on your own, or through a community-organized event. This day is about creating hype and attention. Invite your neighbors, family, and coworkers to join you in remembering me Thursday.

People like to remember this day on social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook. Local pet adoption centers will often provide their hashtags or links for people to find them. Spreading the word will increase the chances of a lonely pet finding a home.

Jennie Garth, Andie McDowell, Wil Wheaton and Kristin Chenoweth will be joining Katherine Heigl to share the dream of every animal having a home!

A candle can be lit to remember Remember Me Thursday in a peaceful and serene way. This will show respect for the animals who have died and to mourn those that did not make it to safety. This day will see a candle-lighting ceremony taking place all over the globe. You can participate at home, with a group of your friends, or as part of the Remember Me Thursday public event.