The 2026 Angel Drive (November 1 to December 31) is PWSA | USA’s largest annual fundraising campaign, dedicated to bringing hope and essential support to families and individuals impacted by Prader-Willi syndrome.
Everyone connected to Prader-Willi syndrome can remember a moment when support, information, encouragement, or simply knowing someone understood made all the difference.
Maybe it was a phone call after diagnosis. A conversation with another parent. An advocate who spoke up. A resource shared at just the right moment. A reminder that someone else had walked this road before.
Those moments matter because they remind us who we are.
A Community That Shows Up
We are a community that shows up for one another. We celebrate milestones together. We advocate together. We learn from one another. We support one another through uncertainty, challenges, and victories. And when a family hears the words “Prader-Willi syndrome” for the very first time, together we ensure they don’t have to navigate what comes next alone.
That is what Hope in Action looks like.
This year, our PWS community continued to put hope into action in meaningful ways. Together, we connected newly diagnosed families with Parent Mentors, strengthened support and educational resources, brought our largest-ever delegation of advocates to Washington, D.C., continued advancing newborn screening efforts, expanded opportunities for individuals with PWS to develop leadership and self-advocacy skills, brought new moms and experienced moms together to help strengthen connections and support, and worked to increase education and awareness among healthcare professionals and communities across the country.
Every parent, grandparent, caregiver, sibling, self-advocate, volunteer, donor, healthcare professional, and supporter who chooses to be part of this community helps make that possible.
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead, more families will receive a diagnosis. More individuals with PWS will seek opportunities to learn, lead, and advocate. More caregivers will need guidance. More professionals will need education. And more people will discover the life-changing power of finding a community that understands.
Together, we can continue making sure they find that support when they need it most. Your Angel Drive gift helps ensure that support, advocacy, education, and connection remain available for everyone whose life is touched by PWS.
What Your Gift Will Do in 2027
In 2027, your gift of hope will help PWSA | USA:
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Bring our community together. Gather nearly 1,000 PWS families, individuals, professionals, advocates, and supporters for our most anticipated biennial event, the 2027 United in Hope National PWS Convention, a chance to connect, learn, celebrate milestones, and strengthen the bonds that make our community so powerful.
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Educate new elected officials. With new faces in office following this year’s elections, introduce lawmakers to the PWS community and our needs through crucial advocacy work at both the national and state levels.
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Empower more advocates. Sustain our Advocacy Ambassadors Program, which empowers family members nationwide to speak up for the entire PWS community, and launch a NEW advocacy training program that gives individuals with PWS the skills and confidence to raise their own voices.
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Support families at every stage. Grow the programs, initiatives, and resources that are lifesaving for families and loved ones affected by PWS, from the first days after diagnosis through every stage of life.
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Advance research. Support PWS medical and educational research that deepens understanding and leads to better care and brighter futures for individuals living with PWS. Champion equity. Help underrepresented families receive an earlier diagnosis, connect to a wider network of support and resources, and see themselves reflected in our community.
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Amplify the PWS United Podcast. Grow the reach of this global resource, which covers a wide range of topics critical to understanding and supporting the PWS community.
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Look forward to something NEW. In 2027, we’ll launch a major initiative to strengthen the network of specialists who care for individuals with PWS. Details coming soon!
Ways to Give
Give online. Make a gift by clicking the button below.
Mail a check. Send your donation to:
1032 E Brandon Blvd #4744
Brandon, FL 33511
Please write “Angel Drive” in the check’s memo line.
There are more ways than ever to make a meaningful, tax-wise contribution:
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Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): Are you 70½ or older? You can give directly from your IRA tax-free.
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Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Recommend a grant and amplify your impact.
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Stock gifts: Avoid capital gains and support a cause that grows in value.
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Beneficiary designations: Name PWSA | USA as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance, or investment account.
Hear from Our Community
In our 2026 Angel Drive kick-off video, family members, professionals, and individuals with PWS share the ways PWSA | USA has touched their lives, from the support they found after a diagnosis to the connections that have lasted for years.
As parent Tammie Penta shares, we continue to hit new milestones as a community, but there is still more work to be done. That is what the Angel Drive is all about: pushing the needle forward for the best care, support, services, connection, and resources for every family and individual affected by PWS.
Click below to watch, share, and join us in putting hope into action.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.