International Tom Hanks Day – Yes, It Exists!

Celebrities often play huge roles in our lives. We might not be aware of what they mean to us, but once we do realize, we may be surprised. Celebrities typically have a cult following, at least some of them do. Some have a following which is mostly active on the internet, while others have fans who have get-togethers in person.

Some stars even have their own international day. Yes, they do! Tom Hanks is one such star, who has a holiday named after him, the International Tom Hanks Day.

Since this is a real thing, let us explain it a bit better.

It All Starts as a Joke

The International Tom Hanks Day started as a joke on April 1st, 2004. Most people see these sorts of things as jokes, however, some jokes are meant to last longer. Even back in 2004, when a group of Hanks fans met under the leadership of Kevin Turk, nobody expected the world to actually start celebrating Tom Hanks day.

It wasn’t long until the star himself joined the party, saying that Turk and company have either lost their jobs or minds, or both, in traditional Hanks joking manner. What started as a joke continues to take place every April 1st, with Hanks also helping since 2007.

What is Tom Hanks Day?

Well to put it simply, it is a day where fans meet and hold an event to celebrate the life and work of Tom Hanks. The actor was thrilled and surprised to hear this, but the fans are not just simple fans, as we love to see.

Led by Kevin Turk, Tom Hanks Day is also a perfect excuse to gather all profits and donate them to charity. This has been going on for a while now, with Hanks participating either by donating money or sending memorabilia and signed stuff, which is of course sold. The profits also go to charities. It gets a lot of exposure on April 1st, but is otherwise not as known as it should be.

More Than a Gimmick

The project behind Tom Hanks Day is called Lifeline Energy, and is a charity foundation with Tom Hanks as the primary donator. His donations go towards solar and wind power which is used to bring power to remote and underdeveloped places in the world. 

As such, Tom Hanks Day is just a simple way to make sure that the rest of the world knows about more pressing problems, while also celebrating Tom Hanks, a great actor and philanthropist. 

Tom Hanks Day Events

While there is a single Tom Hanks Day that would be April 1st, there are also a plethora of other events that are organized by Lifeline Energy that use the same name, but are held in different locations all over the world and are used to help fund various relief projects.

Tom Hanks is a great actor and an even better philanthropist. His work with Lifeline Energy and helping spread love and relief all over the world is more than deserving of having not one, but multiple Tom Hanks Days.