FULLERTON, Calif., March 9, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- They have been studied and questioned and word is spreading like red and purple wildfire. The Red Hat Society is changing the way we view getting older and women over the age of 50 want to be part of it.
This month, the RHS registered its 20,000th chapter -- Just Duckies of Willows, California.
The Red Hat Society is a social phenomenon that began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and elan. Red Hatters go to tea, sail the high seas, join parades and go on motorcycle rides. It's been six years since the first group of women met for tea in red hats and purple outfits.
The overwhelming response has led to a travel and entertainment services division and an official RHS product line that furthers their commitment to women of a certain age. Alliances with more than 15 licensees have produced a quality product of red hats, clothing, stationery, jewelry, needlepoint kits and more.
Physicians are prescribing the Red Hat Society to patients to improve their physical and mental health; university staff and graduate students are exploring the impact of the RHS on society; an award-winning Canadian documentary poignantly connects the aging process and the health benefits of RHS membership; and later this year, Penn State University will embark on a study that explores the positive health connection between the RHS and the aging process.
"The escalating number of Red Hatters continues to amaze and thrill me, but there is another aspect of all this that is even more gratifying," says Founder and Exalted Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper. "We get e-mails every day from women who say that adding Red Hat Society membership to their lives has been like finding an oasis in the desert of life. The quality of sisterhood that has developed is amazing."
With an estimated 20 members per chapter, there are more than 400,000 members of the Red Hat Society. In addition to all 50 U.S. states, chapters are popping up in Canada, Europe and Australia, strengthening the international contingency.
The month of February marked the highest rate of growth, with the record-breaking registration of 2,547 chapters.
The first Red Hat Society book (Warner Books), "The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship After 50" by Founder Sue Ellen Cooper, is due in bookstores April 2004.
To interview RHS Founder and Exalted Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper, or a chapter in your area, call Cathy Risling at (714) 738-0001. For more information, visit www.redhatsociety.com. Photographs, additional press materials also available.
The antics of Red Hat Society chapters are featured in the press every other day, on average.
Stories have appeared on local TV news shows throughout the U.S. and Canada and in national publications including the New York Times, The Washington Post and Boston Globe newspapers and Women's Day and Romantic Homes magazines. For more information, visit www.redhatsociety.com.
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