How to request a proclamation or a letter from a public official to recognize Active Aging Week
When a public official recognizes Active Aging Week, it’s a good way to create awareness about the events you are hosting. In addition, it is rewarding to hang a letter or proclamation on the wall, to read the text during your events, and commend your participants.
Active Aging Week benefits the older adults who attend and the community at large. The week’s activities promote healthy, active lifestyles among older adults, all the events are free, and often many community organizations and groups participate. It is an advantage to a public official to recognize a worthy cause.
The following information is a general guide to the types of recognition a public official could provide.
Who to contact
Contact officials in your local area who have jurisdiction over the area where you will be holding Active Aging Week events. These officials are most likely to be interested in the activities of their constituents. For example:
Mayor
Councilperson
County supervisor
Congressperson
Member of parliament
State senator or assembly person
Telephone or e-mail the official’s office and ask about the steps for requesting a proclamation or letter. You may immediately be speaking with the proper person or be referred to an office of protocols or public affairs.
Once you are at the proper office, the person can provide you with specific guidelines of what to include in your request, the turnaround time and the presentation options.
What can be requested
The following items may differ depending on which official you are contacting (for example, a local mayor versus a state senator or member of parliament).
Letter of greeting. This letter might welcome people to Active Aging Week events, congratulate the host sites for providing quality-of-life events for older adults or express support for the philosophy and events of the week.
Letter of commendation. These letters are prepared to recognize good deeds. This type of letter might be appropriate for older adults who significantly contributed to the week, for example, as a volunteer. Please note that the accomplishment must be significant to merit a commendation letter.
Letter of greeting. This letter might welcome people to Active Aging Week events, congratulate the host sites for providing quality-of-life events for older adults or express support for the philosophy and events of the week.
How these documents are presented may vary. For example, a letter may arrive in the mail or be picked up. A proclamation may be presented by the mayor or a councilperson to a representative group. This presentation may take place in the council chambers during a regular meeting, or it may be presented on site by an official who is willing to travel to the Active Aging Week event.
Letter of greeting. This letter might welcome people to Active Aging Week events, congratulate the host sites for providing quality-of-life events for older adults or express support for the philosophy and events of the week.
A public official will only provide so many documents to any organization in a given year. Check the guidelines to be aware of limitations.
On the following pages are lists of what needs to be included in a request for each type of document, along with an example.
When to request a document.
Generally 3-6 weeks notice is required by a public official. Officials with a large population of constituents may need more time because they are likely to receive many requests. Requests for proclamations are likely to take a longer period of time because they will receive more scrutiny.
Submitting your request
Public recognition is an honor for your participants and reinforces the value of their actions. This is a complement to your planning efforts as well as a stepping stone for more publicity about the events you plan during Active Aging Week.
Spend the time to decide on which public official to contact, then be sure to telephone in advance to find out what documents are available from that official, and what information and format the office requires.
For a one-page fact sheet on Active Aging Week, along with other materials to publicize and plan the week’s events, click here.
Active Aging Week 2015
Theme: Live your Adventure
Goal:Active Aging Week promotes the benefits of a healthy lifestyle on a national scale by giving older adults the opportunity to experience activities and exercise in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere.
When:Sunday, September 27 through Saturday, October 3, 2015
Highlights:
Free to the older adult.
Emphasize fun and education.
A chance to build a sense of community and camaraderie, which are keys to motivating older
adults to start and stay active.
Active aging:Individuals who live life as fully as possible within the six dimensions of wellness (physical, spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive/intellectual and professional/ vocational) embrace the active-aging lifestyle.
Example of a letter of greeting
What’s needed:
Name of event being recognized
Why the event is significant to the community
Event date(s)
Due date
Contact information, including mailing address, telephone and email
Two paragraphs that state what the participants are doing that is valuable.
For example:
Active Aging Week is an annual health promotion event for older adults in the last week of September. Older adults, their families and friends have the opportunity to experience a variety of free activities, such as classes, educational seminars, health fairs and community walks, in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere.
Older adults who participate are learning how to stay mentally and physically healthy. They are finding out how they can stay productive and engaged in life through all their years, which enables them to be leaders in their communities and in their families. By participating in Active Aging Week, older adults are taking the steps to stay healthy, be independent and able to live in their homes.
I [public official] congratulate all of your for attending this week’s events, and for being leaders in our community.
Example of a letter of commendation
What’s needed:
Name of event
Event date(s)
Due date
Contact information, including mailing address, telephone and email
Five to eight short paragraphs on why Active Aging Week is significant and should be proclaimed as a special event.
Write a letter of request for a proclamation to accompany your draft of the proclamation. An example of a draft proclamation is on the following page. In your request letter, make the case by outlining:
How Active Aging Week (now in its sixth year) is the annual health promotion spearheaded by International Council on Active Aging that contributes to the community by introducing older adults (and their families) to the options for increasing their independence and quality of life.
Facts, such as the number of older adults in the service area, and projections of that number increasing. The area agency on aging or library reference desk will know how to find the number of older adults in the area, as well as projections for future growth. Some cities or counties post this information on their websites.
How the week’s activities support the (city, district or county) mission to keep older citizens healthy and independent. Encouraging older adults to be healthy, independent and live at home (thus reducing healthcare costs and usage) is a goal of federal, state and provincial governments, local health departments and area agencies on aging. Some states are emphasizing preventive care.
Visit the website of the local government’s senior services or area agency on aging to find their statement of purpose.
The positive effects of being active, such as reducing the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, and premature death. The evidence on how physical, social and intellectual activity prevent and control chronic disease is found on the websites for:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/aging/) Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/main_site/default.aspx) have compiled.
Active Aging Week’s availability for all older adults, regardless of income level, age or background. The activities are free to older adults and allow seniors to participate as much or as little as they wish. The week is fun and educational.
Why your organization is hosting Active Aging Week events (because of X years of serving older adults and belief in the philosophy of the week). For example:
[This organization has served 55+ adults for over 20 years, providing housing, recreation and wellness services to maintain our client’s health and quality of life. We support Active Aging Week and are hosting [name the activities] because we believe in providing opportunities for older adults to stay engaged in life as fully as possible. We agree with the week’s philosophy of providing activities that are educational, free of cost to older adults and set in a fun and friendly atmosphere.].
Include the website of Active Aging Week website (www.activeagingweek.com) and of your organization in the letter so the person receiving the request can immediately find more information if required.See if your local supermarket will agree to sponsor a nutritional tour program for people with health issues.
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