FASD Center for Excellence

FASD Awareness Day

Every year on September 9, communities throughout the United States and the world observe FASD Awareness Day. Events are held at 9:09, the 9th minute of the 9th hour of the 9th day of the 9th month of the year. This date and time is used to remind women not to drink during the nine months of pregnancy.

The first FAS Awareness Day was held on 9/9/99. Since then, the Federal government and many State and local governments have officially recognized FASD Awareness Day. Individuals, organizations, and communities have been active every year in putting together events and special ceremonies to promote awareness and increase compassion for individuals with an FASD.

If you would like to help promote awareness about FASD, we encourage you to visit our FASD Awareness Day 2008 page to see what’s being done in the US and around the world to spotlight this important health issue. You can also access sample resources that you could use in your own community, including:

Press Releases
Fact Sheets
Proclamations
Public Service Announcements
Posters
Banners

You could get a proclamation signed by your mayor or Governor, you could organize a Town Hall meeting, you could ask a local church to ring its bells; there are a lot of great ways to spread the word. More information is available from the following Web sites:

FASDay.com
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FAS Community Resource Center
FASWorld

Remember, FASD is 100 percent preventable. FASD Awareness Day is an important day with an important message, but we can spread that message all year long!