Proclamations: what are they, and what they can do for your community and Club.
A Proclamation is an act of announcing something to the public, or something said for the public to hear. A public announcement like this can be an essential tool to promote Sertoma and Hearing Charities of America® and share our hearing health missions with our local governments by requesting that they present a bill proclaiming this vital topic.
One great example of a proclamation used by Sertoma Clubs is May's Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM). BHSM provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders. By requesting a proclamation during BHSM, you are telling your government that hearing and speech awareness is important to your community.
Is your Club interested in getting this proclamation started in your local government?
Places to start are:
Research: Find contacts in your local government. Examples of that are Government Officials like the County and City Council, Chairman, Mayor, Secretary of State, and State Representatives.
Timeline: Early bird gets the worm — Start communications with officials as early as January (after the holiday chaos). Doing so allows for enough time for the proclamation to be completed and accepted by May.
Talking Points: You may be asked to speak on the matter in some instances. You will find a few talking points below.
Publicity tools:
If your proclamation is accepted, consider inviting a reporter or self-report with pictures to share with Sertoma. Submitting your story is one click away! SUBMIT HERE Sharing the story is another route for clubs to get the message out!
"We have a great message that people need to hear”- Donald Bartelmay