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ECHO 4 PWS Health Care Provider Series 4, Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA

How to Request a Proclamation or Resolution for PWS Awareness Month

Contributed by Dorothea Lantz

One great way to help raise awareness for PWS during the month of May is to request a proclamation or resolution from your local and/or state government. A proclamation is an official designation of an event. Proclamations are created to help educate the public about a certain topic, in this case PWS, and bring attention to a cause. It’s also an effective tool for gaining public recognition of your cause and/or event because it carries the full support of a key government official in your state or community. Below, you will find a 4-step guide to start your own process of requesting a proclamation!

STEP 1: Contact your state or local government office

Governors, county executives, mayors, state legislatures, municipalities, counties, cities or towns can issue proclamations. For city proclamations, a mayor, city manager or city marshal may be the person to sign. For counties, it will most likely be the county commissioners. You do not have to have both the city and county proclamations; you can decide which entity in your community would reach more people. Determine whether you would like to request a proclamation from your city, county or state and locate the website for this entity.

STEP 2: Draft your proclamation

For those of you looking to request a PWS specific proclamation, please click here to see the PWS Awareness month designation by congress in 2010 for reference.

STEP 3: Follow the guidelines for submitting a proclamation request 

Each city, county, and state will have their own guidelines and procedures for signing proclamations. The easiest way to research your city, county, or state’s guidelines is to look on its website and search for the term “proclamation.” Some of the larger cities and counties will have proclamation guidelines listed. Smaller cities and counties may provide contact information on the website to call or email for proclamation information.

Oftentimes, a cover letter requesting the proclamation is requested or required. Click here to download a sample cover letter written to a city, county, or state’s government office in request of a proclamation.

Helpful tips to expedite the process:

  • Include a draft text of the proclamation in the preferred format
  • Share the purpose of the proclamation (PWS Awareness Month)
  • Provide the date when the proclamation is needed
  • Include a brief history of your personal story as it relates to PWS
  • Add your name and best contact information

STEP 4: Make an event out of it!

Notify your local paper or media outlets and PWSA | USA about the proclamation. Distribute printed copies of the proclamation to local reporters and newspapers. Have the proclamation photo-enlarged for display at a news conference and/or in a prominent public place. As with any media piece, demonstrate its importance to the media’s audience by including local statistics.

Click the buttons below to read first-hand accounts from other PWS community members who have successfully navigated the proclamation process. If you have any questions, contact us at advocacy@pwsausa.org.

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