FASDAY 2004 Proclamation Guidelines

 

1. Get statistics for your state (number of births per year and total population).  Source: 2000 US Census Bureau Population Tables http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/ or 2001 stats for all states http://www.areaconnect.com/ (click on state, then click on “Population Details” to find number of births and population)
2. Plug your numbers into Dr. Larry Burd’s Prevalence and Cost Calculator http://www.online-clinic.com/Content/Materials/calculator.asp  Choose your state from pull down menu, check to see if your population figures are correct, as default figures here are not necessarily accurate.  Click “Calculate Prevalence” to come up with estimates for your state.  Print out the web page for future reference.  From the Prevalence and Cost Calculator for your state, find the Total Annual Costs for FAS and ARND.
3. Find the current name and mailing address for the governor of your state http://www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,,00.html
4. Plug your state specific information into the sample Proclamation and request letter below.  Just cut and paste into your word processing document and make the appropriate changes for your state.
5. Write a press release and send out to all local media (newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/usatable.htm and television stations http://newsdirectory.com/tv/ )

 

 

 

Office of the Governor

PROCLAMANTION

 

*FASD AWARENESS DAY*

 

WHEREAS, healthy children are the most important resource in the great State of __________; and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders pose a serious threat to the potential health of our future generations; and

 

WHEREAS, more than thirty years have passed since Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was identified and named as a birth disorder by United States researchers; and

 

WHEREAS, prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause birth defects, mental retardation, learning disabilities, attention deficits, and behavior disorders; and

 

WHEREAS, 23% of women reported drinking alcohol in their first trimester of pregnancy in a 1999-2000 survey; and

 

WHEREAS, individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders often have secondary disabilities, such as trouble with the law, substance abuse issues, disrupted school experiences, employment problems, and homelessness; and

 

WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are entirely preventable; and

 

WHEREAS, people around the world began observing International FAS Awareness Day on September 9 each year beginning in 1999, in order that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol; and

 

WHEREAS, the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution to ask the President to designate September 9, 2004 as National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, _____________________, Governor of the State of ______________, do hereby proclaim September 9, 2004 as

 

*Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day*

 

in __________, to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, to increase compassion for those individuals so affected, to minimize further effects, to ensure healthier communities across __________ in the future.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of __________.

 

______________________________

[governor’s name]

GOVERNOR

 

Done at the Capitol in _______ on this _____ Day of _________________ in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Four.

 

 ATTTEST:

 ______________________________

Secretary of State