Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.” On Remember Me Thursday, animal lovers across the globe will illuminate the plight of homeless cats and dogs by lighting either a real or virtual candle, and letting its glow be a beacon of hope.
When is Remember Me Thursday?
The 2023 Remember Me Thursday® event takes place on September 28; the event is always planned for the fourth Thursday of September. This annual pet awareness day was founded in 2013 by San Diego’s Helen Woodward Animal Center, united with animal welfare proponents and organizations worldwide.
Approximately 190 countries unite to take part in Remember Me Thursday. While more than 800 animal welfare organizations will hold candlelight vigils, animal lovers the world over can also help to spread the light by spreading the mission’s message of mercy via social media, using the hashtag #RememberMeThursday.
2023 Celebrity Spokesperson
Since it began in 2013, stars have aligned to take part in and promote Remember Me Thursday. In 2023, the mother/daughter duo of Andie MacDowell and Rainey Qualley will act as Official Spokespersons for the event!
“We’ve always had some kind of pet,” says MacDowell. “We had cats or dogs, and the love that my children received from them I understood deep to my core. I also loved watching my children return that love, understanding and the responsibility of having a pet.”
An A-list animal advocate, Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and A Funeral, Groundhog Day, Ready or Not) shares her home with many four-legged friends, among them a rescue dog named Ava.
Following in her famous mother’s philanthropic footsteps, singer/actress Rainey Qualley has fostered kittens and is a proud pet parent to three cats (Jesus, Myrtle and Wizard), five chickens and a rescue dog dubbed Arlo, who was adopted from the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
“I lived in Montana as a young child where we had horses, cows, chickens, pigs, bunnies, dogs and plenty of cats, which I’ve always had a particularly soft spot for,” explained Qualley. “Loving animals as much as I do, I’ve been vegetarian for 17 years now. It brings me so much joy to take care of animals.”
Previous Spokespeople
Since it began in 2013, stars have aligned to take part in and promote Remember Me Thursday. In 2022, the Official Spokesperson is Jasmine Tookes, an American fashion model and businesswoman. She grew up surrounded by animals including cats, rats and turtles just to name a few!
“Pet adoption is something that is near and dear to my heart, but a lot of people may not have the knowledge or information on pet adoption. Remember Me Thursday provides the perfect opportunity to learn and hopefully change people’s minds who were once never open to the idea of adoption.”
Jasmine Tookes
Jasmine Tookes is following in the footsteps of such animal-loving luminaries as Katherine Heigl, Kristen Chenoweth, Wynonna, Carrie Ann Inaba, reality personality Bethenny Frankel and actress Jennie Garth of Beverly HIlls 90210 fame and Brittany Aldean (animal advocate and wife of country music star Jason Aldean).
“To know that you have altered the course of an innocent animal’s life by giving them a chance to live happily and healthily is one of the best things you can do. I am so excited to be the Remember Me Thursday spokesperson and cannot wait to help everyone #SeeTheLight on the importance of rescuing animals!” — Brittany Aldean
Cat Influencers Lend a Helping Paw
Along with animal-loving luminaries of the two-legged variety, the day to pause and reflect on our pals with paws who are in need. Through the years, the event has featured a clowder of cat celebrities who used their collective star power to light the way for a better tomorrow for shelter pets:
- Alien Cat Matilda: an Internet sensation whose blindness due to a genetic disorder does not stop her from seeing a vision of a better tomorrow for her furry friends in need.
- Choupette: a glamorpuss whose famous father happens to be fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
- Cole and Marmalade: YouTube stars who want to help shelter cats and dogs win starring roles in the lives of loving pet parents.
- Justin the Fire Survivor: a tuxedo cat who was intentionally set on fire as a kitten has turned tragedy into triumph by becoming an animal advocate on a “kitty krusade.”
- Lil BUB: an intergalactic icon who has used her own special brand of space magic to raise more than $400,000 for cats and dogs in need.
- Monty Boy: a cat with chromosome abnormalities who is showing the world that being a little different can be a beautiful thing.
- My Cat Kyle: a tuxedo cat whose quest to shine a light on the need for domestic violence shelters to accept furry family members continues even after he has crossed Rainbow Bridge.
- Nala Cat: a six-year-old Siamese/tabby adopted from an animal shelter as a kitten who promotes the option of pet adoption via social media
- Purrminators: (aka Pickles, Noodles and Buddha) from The Netherlands, who use their star power on social media to promote pet adoption
- Sauerkraut Kitty: a famous feline facing several health issues is using her popularity to promote animal fostering, the option of shelter adoption and the overall awesomeness of animals with special needs.
- Vito Vincent: A former shelter cat who gained fame as a star in the Broadway production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s helps cats and dogs who are standing in the wings in animal shelters across the country, waiting for the day when they can take center stage in the life of a forever pet parent.
- Worried Cat (aka Bum): A feline with a frightened expression is a brave animal advocate who helps to promote pet adoption.
Representing Rovers on Remember Me Thursday will be social media stars Norbert, Paddington, Tango and Tuna, and Pumpkin the raccoon, whose friendship with Fidos Toffee and Oreo is chronicled on Instagram, have also shown support for her cat and canine friends.
Celebrity Luminaries
Previous Remember Me Thursday’s star supporters have included:
- Alexander Jean (the music duo comprised of BC Jean and Mark Ballas of Dancing with the Stars fame)
- Coco Austin
- David Backes (captain of The St. Louis Blues and founder of Athletes for Animals)
- Kristin Bauer van Straten
- Dr. Marty Becker
- Ashley Bell
- Bryan Bickell (former NHL player and the co-founder of The Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation)
- Mark Buehrle
- Jeff Carter
- Wendy Diamond (founder of Animal Fair magazine)
- Jackson Galaxy (star of the Animal Planet series My Cat from Hell and founder of the Jackson Galaxy Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps shelters in need with donations of food and funds; enhances the design and construction of cat accommodations in shelters, and educates shelter staff and adopters on the topic of a cat’s true nature)
- Tamar Geller (creator of “the Loved Dog” dog training method)
- Stephen Kramer Glickman
- Katherine Heigl (Emmy Award winner, co-founder of The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation and 2014 spokesperson for Remember Me Thursday)
- Liam Hendriks
- Elaine Hendrix (actress and founder of The Pet Matchmaker)
- Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars judge, founder of The Carrie Ann Inaba Animal Project and 2015 Remember Me Thursday spokesperson)
- Wynonna Judd
- Diane Keaton (Academy Award winner and member of Helen Woodward Animal Center’s board of directors)
- Kevin Kiermaier
- Evan Longoria– (Professional baseball player who hits a home run in the hearts of animal lovers each year by donating funds for each home run he hits during the MLB season to Pet Pal Animal Shelter)
- Andie MacDowell
- Holly Madison
- Anze Kopitar (Two-time Stanley Cup winner who helped to rescue abandoned animals during the winter Olympic games in Sochi)
- Bonnie-Jill Laflin (the first and only female NBA scout and founder of Hounds and Heroes)
- Joey Logano
- Courtney Lopez
- Jake Muzzin
- Kathy Najimy
- Ryan Newman (race car driver and founder of Ryan Newman’s Rescue Ranch)
- Eric Paslay
- Pauley Perrette (NCIS star, who acted as the 2016 spokesperson for Remember Me Thursday)
- Jill Rappaport (NBC News animal welfare correspondent)
- Nikki Reed
- Ashley Roberts
- Eric Roberts
- Marc Rzepcynski
- Hannah Shaw (aka Kitten Lady, who received the 2017 Advocate of the Year at CatCon)
- Christian Siriano
- Ian Somerhalder (star of The Vampire Diaries and founder of The Ian Somerhalder Foundation)
- Mark Steines
- Beth Stern (pet parent to six cats, foster parent to numerous kittens and the national spokesperson for North Shore Animal League America)
- Victoria Stilwell
- Lou Wegner (Young actor and founder of Kids Against Animal Cruelty)
- Wil Wheaton
- Bellamy Young
Photo Credits: Helen Woodward Animal Center; Coupette Lagerfeld, Sauerkraut Kitty, Jackson Galaxy, Ian Somerhalder/Instagram
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