Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Proclamation Toolkit 101


Proclamation Toolkit 101

Every year I ask local elected officials to proclaim September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month because it’s important that men everywhere get educated about the disease. The relationships Ray and I make locally are invaluable and change doesn’t happen overnight!

Linda Hoetger, ZERO Advocate and PCAM Proclamations Team Coordinator

What is a Proclamation or Resolution?

A proclamation or resolution is an official designation within a city, state, or county to honor and raise awareness for a certain day or month. It brings awareness to prostate cancer by reminding communities of the burden of prostate cancer on men.

Who Can Issue Proclamations or Resolutions?

  • The Governor
  • The State Legislature
  • The State Legislature
  • County Commissioners
  • Town Manager / Village Manager
  • Trustees
  • City Council Members
Members of the Statehouse
State Senators and House of Representatives will support the cause in the form of a Letter of Commendation or Citation. Sharing your storyand the statics of prostate cancer is very helpful. They will sometimes add the information into the documents. Your story has an impact on the local level as a constituent well as on Capitol Hill.

When Should Proclamations Be Requested?

The public can request at any point during the year. Some states, mayors, and town managers will issue a proclamation well in advance of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and some will ask you to request it in September. It is best to start early as some proclamations can take weeks to months to complete.

How to Request a Proclamation?

  • Identify what body of government you want to designate September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
  • For governors or state legislatures, many websites will have a designated proclamation section with instructions.
  • For smaller municipalities with mayors or town managers, you might need to make a phone call or write an e-mail to the office for instructions.
  • Schedule a meeting with the mayor to discuss why you are requesting a proclamation from the municipality. Take the text with you to the meeting to leave with the Mayor that day. It helps move the process along.
  • When emailing the offices, it is important to include a snippet of your personal story and connection to prostate cancer. Often times you will be communicating directly with the elected official, and he/she will want to hear from constituents about why this is so important to them.
  • Include the text of the proclamation with your email. This will speed up the process. You can find that text below and remember to replace the information highlighted with needed information.
  • It is fine if they use their own text as some have their own. Some are Survivors or prostate cancer has made an impact in some way.
  • If you do not hear back from an office for a couple of weeks, be sure to follow up!
What happens if they request you to attend a Council meeting?
You may receive a phone call or email inviting you to a Council meeting for a proclamation reading. They will usually do this in August or September. The mayor or council member will read the proclamation, and then present it to you. You are asked if you would like to say a few words. A great opportunity to share a quick synopsis of your story! If you are not comfortable doing so let them know. Some times they will want to take pictures for the social media sites or newspaper. Also some of the council meeting are recorded or on their live municipality channel.

What Happens after a Proclamation Is Issued?

Once you receive confirmation of the proclamation, you will receive a PDF or a hard copy of the proclamation with a stamp of approval and signature. In some cases, the office will email you a version of the proclamation and then mail the hard copy in September. Be sure to email your completed proclamation to Matt Marks to your proclamation can be added to the map!

What Should You Do after You Receive Your Proclamation?


Notify ZERO that you were able to get a proclamation! Contact Matt Marks (Matt@zerocancer.org) and explain who issued the proclamation and where. You can also notify Linda Hoetger (pcamproclamations@gmail.com) to be added to the map of proclamation supporters for that year. ZERO will be tracking all of the proclamations!

















These are the statics for September 2018. Some elected officials are also doing perpetual proclamations. A perpetual proclamation is used yearly and no changes needed. Example: no dates or number statics.


September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month



Whereas, this year approximately 164,690  men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States alone every year – that’s one man every 3.2 minutes and roughly 29,430 die this year from the disease – which is one man every 18 minutes; and



Whereas, in Ohio an estimated 5,810 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and an estimated 1,110 deaths will occur in 2018; and



Whereas, Men with relatives – father, brother, son – with a history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease; and



Whereas, Prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed cancer in American Men and the third leading cause of cancer death behind lung and colon cancer; and



Whereas, 1 in 9 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. 1 in 6 African American men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. Overall, African American men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with—and 2.3 times more likely to die from—prostate cancer than white men; and



Whereas, Veterans who are exposed to herbicides like Agent Orange are at increased risk for developing prostate cancer, and are more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease; and



Whereas, Education regarding prostate cancer and early detection strategies is critical to saving lives, preserving, and protecting our families. The economic and social burden of prostate cancer is huge. Prostate cancer is estimated to cost over $8 billion in direct medical expenditures; and



Whereas, If caught early prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of nearly 100%. However for late stage prostate cancer the five-year survival rate is 29%; and



Whereas, all men are at risk for prostate cancer and we encourage the citizens of (City) to increase the importance of prostate screenings




Proclamation Toolkit 101

Every year I ask local elected officials to proclaim September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month because it’s important that men everywhere get educated about the disease. The relationships Ray and I make locally are invaluable and change doesn’t happen overnight!

Linda Hoetger, ZERO Advocate and PCAM Proclamations Team Coordinator

What is a Proclamation or Resolution?

A proclamation or resolution is an official designation within a city, state, or county to honor and raise awareness for a certain day or month. It brings awareness to prostate cancer by reminding communities of the burden of prostate cancer on men.

Who Can Issue Proclamations or Resolutions?

  • The Governor
  • The State Legislature
  • The State Legislature
  • County Commissioners
  • Town Manager / Village Manager
  • Trustees
  • City Council Members
Members of the Statehouse
State Senators and House of Representatives will support the cause in the form of a Letter of Commendation or Citation. Sharing your storyand the statics of prostate cancer is very helpful. They will sometimes add the information into the documents. Your story has an impact on the local level as a constituent well as on Capitol Hill.

When Should Proclamations Be Requested?

The public can request at any point during the year. Some states, mayors, and town managers will issue a proclamation well in advance of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and some will ask you to request it in September. It is best to start early as some proclamations can take weeks to months to complete.

How to Request a Proclamation?

  • Identify what body of government you want to designate September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
  • For governors or state legislatures, many websites will have a designated proclamation section with instructions.
  • For smaller municipalities with mayors or town managers, you might need to make a phone call or write an e-mail to the office for instructions.
  • Schedule a meeting with the mayor to discuss why you are requesting a proclamation from the municipality. Take the text with you to the meeting to leave with the Mayor that day. It helps move the process along.
  • When emailing the offices, it is important to include a snippet of your personal story and connection to prostate cancer. Often times you will be communicating directly with the elected official, and he/she will want to hear from constituents about why this is so important to them.
  • Include the text of the proclamation with your email. This will speed up the process. You can find that text below and remember to replace the information highlighted with needed information.
  • It is fine if they use their own text as some have their own. Some are Survivors or prostate cancer has made an impact in some way.
  • If you do not hear back from an office for a couple of weeks, be sure to follow up!
What happens if they request you to attend a Council meeting?
You may receive a phone call or email inviting you to a Council meeting for a proclamation reading. They will usually do this in August or September. The mayor or council member will read the proclamation, and then present it to you. You are asked if you would like to say a few words. A great opportunity to share a quick synopsis of your story! If you are not comfortable doing so let them know. Some times they will want to take pictures for the social media sites or newspaper. Also some of the council meeting are recorded or on their live municipality channel.

What Happens after a Proclamation Is Issued?

Once you receive confirmation of the proclamation, you will receive a PDF or a hard copy of the proclamation with a stamp of approval and signature. In some cases, the office will email you a version of the proclamation and then mail the hard copy in September. Be sure to email your completed proclamation to Matt Marks to your proclamation can be added to the map!

What Should You Do after You Receive Your Proclamation?


Notify ZERO that you were able to get a proclamation! Contact Matt Marks (Matt@zerocancer.org) and explain who issued the proclamation and where. You can also notify Linda Hoetger (pcamproclamations@gmail.com) to be added to the map of proclamation supporters for that year. ZERO will be tracking all of the proclamations!


These are the statics for September 2018. Some elected officials are also doing perpetual proclamations. A perpetual proclamation is used yearly and no changes needed. Example: no dates or number statics.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month


Whereas, this year approximately 164,690  men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States alone every year – that’s one man every 3.2 minutes and roughly 29,430 die this year from the disease – which is one man every 18 minutes; and


Whereas, in Ohio an estimated 5,810 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and an estimated 1,110 deaths will occur in 2018; and


Whereas, Men with relatives – father, brother, son – with a history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease; and


Whereas, Prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed cancer in American Men and the third leading cause of cancer death behind lung and colon cancer; and


Whereas, 1 in 9 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. 1 in 6 African American men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. Overall, African American men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with—and 2.3 times more likely to die from—prostate cancer than white men; and


Whereas, Veterans who are exposed to herbicides like Agent Orange are at increased risk for developing prostate cancer, and are more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease; and


Whereas, Education regarding prostate cancer and early detection strategies is critical to saving lives, preserving, and protecting our families. The economic and social burden of prostate cancer is huge. Prostate cancer is estimated to cost over $8 billion in direct medical expenditures; and


Whereas, If caught early prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of nearly 100%. However for late stage prostate cancer the five-year survival rate is 29%; and


Whereas, all men are at risk for prostate cancer and we encourage the citizens of (City) to increase the importance of prostate screenings

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