National Big Wig Day Date in the current year: January 26, 2024

National Big Wig Day was started by Patty Sharkey on January 2, 2016. She had a case of post holiday blues and decided to wear a fun raspberry and chocolate-colored curly wig, take a selfie, and post it on Facebook with the caption saying “Happy National Big Wig Day!” It was just a joke, but Sharkey received so many positive responses that she decide to launch National Big Wig Day as a charity initiative.

So what started as a joke has become a fundraiser for people who may need wigs due to undergoing treatment for cancer or other conditions that cause hair loss. The team behind National Big Wig Day partners with the American Cancer Society/Look Good Feel Better program to raise money for cancer patients, but you can get involved by donating to any cancer charity close to your heart.

It should be noted that National Big Wig Day is not just about literal wigs. The English language has the word “bigwig” that means a person who has an important or powerful position. Bigwigs can use their power, influence, and resources to change other people’s lives for the better, and National Big Wig Day is a great occasion to celebrate the influential people who give back to the community.

To recognize bigwigs who inspire others, National Big Wig Day has a tradition of nominating a Big Wig of the year. For example, for the inaugural National Big Wig Day Sharkey nominated Anthony Davis, a former NCAA college football player for the USC Trojans, who scored six touchdowns in a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 1972, earning the nickname “the Notre Dame killer”. Davis’s football career was sidetracked by a severe head injury, but he didn’t give up on life and found new dreams and goals.

The 2017 Big Wig was Jo Ann Thomas, the co-founder of FANtastick Horror Film Festival in San Diego, California. Sharkey, a producer and screenwriter, nominated Thomas for providing an outlet for independent horror films and giving indie filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work.

The official website and Facebook page of National Big Wig Day haven’t been updated in a while, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t celebrate this amazing charitable holiday. You can get involved by donating to a cancer charity of your choice, volunteering at a cancer ward or hospice, organizing a fundraiser for cancer patients in your community, giving a shout-out to someone you consider a Big Wig on social media, or donning a fun wig, taking a selfie and posting it with the hashtags #NationalBigWigDay and #BigWigDay to spread the word.

National Big Wig Day may seem silly, but we all need some silliness to lighten up our lives every now and then. And, however silly it may be, it helps support cancer patients by encouraging people across the nation to donate at least a dollar. It may not seem like much, but National Big Wig Day is not about giving big – it’s about many people giving.