The procedure to obtain a proclamation from the Governor's or Mayor's office may vary slightly from state to state, but it is usually a fairly simple procedure. It is harder to obtain a public signing of this declaration. Certainly, we encourage that you request the Governor/Mayor to grant a public signing, but the most important thing is to get the proclamation. You can create your own media event to publicize the proclamation if the Governor/Mayor does not grant a public signing.

Call your Governor's/Mayor's office (listed in the blue pages of your phone book) and ask to speak with the staff person in charge of requesting a proclamation. Most Governor's/Mayor's offices will ask that you submit a proposed proclamation with your request. Be sure to get the address to mail this request and the time frame for submitting the request for an October 5-11, 2008 proclamation. In the cover letter, request the Governor/Mayor to proclaim October 5-11, 2008 as Midwifery Week for your state/city. If you can arrange to have some nurse-midwives, physicians, consumers and media present, you should also request that the Governor/Mayor grant a public signing for this proclamation.

If other midwives or organizations have been obtaining this proclamation previously, we encourage that you check with them before initiating this request. If they are already planning to work on a proclamation for this year, volunteer to work with them. Utilize this as an opportunity to network and build coalitions with colleagues. The more people who are working on this, the more activities and visibility nurse-midwives can generate this October!

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Sample Mayoral/Gubernatorial Proclamation

Proclamation signings can be great photo opportunities that grab the local media's attention. Arrange for your mayor to perform a signing ceremony officially proclaiming Midwifery Week in your community, and let the media know about it in advance. Call each local news station's and newspaper's assignment desk the day of the signing (as early as 4:00 a.m.), encouraging them to include the event in their "daybook."

Therefore, I (Mayor/Governor's Name), Mayor/Governor of (City/Town/State), do hereby proclaim the week of October 5-11, 2008, as Nurse-Midwifery Week.

I call upon the people of (City/Town/State) to participate in women's health education at home, work, and school, and to take the steps needed to make informed decisions regarding their health.

In witness hereof, I hereunto set my hand this (Date) day of (Month), (Year).