There’s a scene in Disney’s Christopher Robin in which Christopher and Winnie the Pooh are racing through a train station and the little bear just has to have a red balloon. After making it to the train just as the doors are closing, the balloon gets caught and Pooh is disappointed. He asks Christopher something to the effect of, “but don’t balloons make you happy?” to which Christopher quickly shrugs off with “not really.” That is me. Ask my children and they will tell you that “daddy doesn’t like balloons” – and that’s fairly accurate. But balloons really do make little ones happy, and with that comes International Balloon Month (remember, everything has a month now) and some new tips from the folks at The Balloon Council, who stress that releasing the inflatable allergy terrorizers balloons is a bad idea. They wish to share smiles and smart balloon practices together.
From the Official Announcement: The #LiftUpSomebody campaign inspires people around the world to “thank” someone special in their community by giving them balloons, and then share those moments of joy on social media. The campaign also encourages people to promote and follow the motto: “Don’t let go: Inflate. Weight. Enjoy.”
“Giving balloons to important people in our community such as firefighters, care givers and teachers, helps spread goodwill and demonstrates the positive power of balloons. This also provides a great opportunity to increase awareness of the proper ways to use and handle balloons, so they don’t wind up in places where they don’t belong,” said Lorna O’Hara, Executive Director of The Balloon Council which sponsors the #LiftUpSomebody campaign.
“Simple practices such as always weighting balloons, popping and disposing of them after the celebration, never inhaling helium, making sure children are always supervised when playing with balloons, and most importantly never releasing balloons, are just some of the tips we are encouraging people to share,” explained O’Hara.
The Balloon Council recently announced a revised stance on balloon releases to emphasize the fact that balloons should not be released. “Over the years, as the social and political climates have changed, our position has also evolved. This change in stance fully recognizes the need for everyone to be as ‘green’ as we possibly can be to protect our planet,” said Dan Flynn, Chairman of The Balloon Council. “Our new motto is “Don’t let go: Inflate. Weight. Enjoy.”
Photos using #LiftUpSomebody that are shared on Facebook and Instagram (@balloonsliftup) will automatically be entered into the photo contest. Winners will be featured on balloonsliftup.com and announced at the FLOAT 2019 convention.
Schools and community youth groups are encouraged to take the “Faraday Pledge Card Challenge”and compete to see which organization fills out the most pledge cards. The pledge is part the national “Meet Faraday: Smart Balloon Practices” campaign that is travelling around the U.S. to educate communities about smart balloon practices.
The Balloon Council is a non-profit organization made up of responsible retailers, distributors, and manufacturers dedicated to educating others about the wonders of balloons and the proper handling of them.
