“I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk five hundred more.” The Proclaimers
Want to help spread awareness about gynecological cancer, but don’t know where to start? I won’t ask you to walk five hundred miles, but if you let your fingers do the walking on your keyboard you can take a few easy steps into advocacy!
A proclamation is an official designation of an event and is a great way to educate the public about a specific issue or bring attention to a cause. Governors, county executives, mayors, state legislatures, municipalities, counties, cities or towns can issue proclamatioins. AND IT’S FREE!
Begin by contacting your local mayor or governor’s office to determine how proclamations are issued. Contact information can be found on your town’s or state’s website. When I searched for my city I found that it was actually my County Board of Comissioners that issues proclamations. Note that proclamations are not everlasting; they must be requested every year!
It is helpful to have a request letter and a copy of your proposed proclamation. The request letter is an opportunity to introduce yourself and explain why this proclamation is important to you. Here is an example:
name
address
city, state
www.tealdiva.org
Dear ________,
My name is __________, and I am located in _________. Personalize here with elements of your story if you wish or skip to next paragraph (below is an example of what I wrote).
“In May 2022 I was diagnosed with Stage 4b Cervical Cancer. I went from the caretaker of my family to a patient in a matter of weeks, and the mental and physical changes that my diagnosis and disease wrought changed our family dynamics tremendously. The stress of navigating my cancer, going through chemo and radiation, and discussing the very real possibility of death with family and friends led me to reevaluate my legacy. I don’t want others to have to endure what I did – especially since we now have so much in place to prevent it.”
I am contacting you on behalf of Teal Diva, a nonprofit that focuses on the mental and emotional well-being of survivors and their loved ones, spreading awareness and educating with knowledge about signs and symptoms of gynecological cancers.”
Most requests can be filed digitally via online forms or emails. BUT be prepared to wait once you have submitted your request; for example I submitted my request to the State of North Carolina on 10/06/2023, it was completed 01/11/2024. (I did email my contact every 3-4 weeks to request a status update.) Here’s the digital copy that was emailed to me –
WHEREAS, ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, and the American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States in 2024 about 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and there will be about 13,000 deaths from the disease; and
WHEREAS, ovarian cancer touches women of all backgrounds and ages; because of a lack of early symptoms and effective screening tests, ovarian cancer is often not detected in time for successful interventions; it is essential that women recognize the symptoms and consult with a Gynecologist if symptoms are not only present but persistent; and
WHEREAS, increased public awareness of the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer will enhance chances of early detection and increase survival rates; and
WHEREAS, these women are more than a statistic: they are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, aunts, grandmothers, friends, neighbors and co-workers; this month we commit to advocacy of ovarian cancer, we lend our support to those living with the disease and we remember the brave women who have lost their lives to ovarian cancer:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, (ENTER NAME), Mayor of (ENTER TOWN/CITY), do hereby proclaim September 2024 as
“OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH”
in (ENTER TOWN/CITY) and commend its observance to all citizens.
WITNESS MY HAND and the official Seal of the ENTER THE WORD [CITY OR TOWN] ENTER TOWN/CITY.
ENTER NAME
Mayor
_________________________
My county was a little faster at issuing their proclamation and I was invited to speak at the meeting when it was presented.
Your story matters! Let’s work together to make every September, everywhere, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month! If you have questions about the proclamation process you can reach out to me, Christy at thelotusandtheelephant@gmail.com
