Anchorage Council on FASDs and Arctic FASD RTC affiliate faculty members Cheri Scott and Marilyn Pierce-Bulger will be interviewed by Thad Woodard on KSKA's Line One: Your Health Connection on Monday, August 31, at 2 p.m. Be sure to tune in!

Alaska Governor, Sean Parnell, will issue a proclamation on FASDs on September 9. Check back for more details.

Anchorage Mayor, Dan Sullivan, will also issue a proclamation on FASDs on September 9, at 9:09 a.m.

Can you help? The Anchorage Council on FASDs needs assistance with setting up a display representing individuals with FASD in Alaska. This display will be outside the Loussac Library on September 9; set up will begin at 6 a.m. Volunteers are also need to take down the display at 6:30 p.m. If you can help, please email us.

There will be infomation booths at various locations on the UAA campus. If you would like to volunteer for these booths, please email us.

What's going on in your community? Let us know! Help us spread the word about September 9, 2009: International FASD Awareness Day by getting involved or starting events in your community!

International FASD Day Awareness Day Letter Writing Campaign

Did you know that President Obama reads 10 letters each night written by everyday Americans?

Imagine if every letter the President read was written by someone whose life is impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. 

If everyone affected by FASD writes to the President prior to 9/9/09 then the probability of him opening even one letter regarding FASD is incredible.  The more letters, the higher the probability that all ten letters he reads will be written by those affected by FASD.

Are you a parent of a child with FASD, are you an adult with FASD, does your sibling have FASD, do you teach a child or an adult with FASD, are you a grandparent of a child with FASD.  For everyone person born affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, everyone who loves that individual lives are also affected. 

Join us in educating President Obama regarding the most prevalent of all birth defects: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.  Ask President Obama to ring a bell at 9:09am on September 9, 2009 to recognize the importance of Nine Months of an Alcohol Free Pregnancy. 

Send a letter to President Obama telling him your story of how Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders have affected yourself and those you love.

Send President Obama a letter at:

The Facts:

• Fetal alcohol exposure is an international and national crisis
• Prenatal exposure to alcohol causes permanent brain damage Prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading cause of mental retardation
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% and easily preventable – simply no alcohol consumption during pregnancy
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are a life long disability – from cradle to grave
• More babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders than Autism Spectrum Disorders or Downs Syndrome
• There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy
• It is estimated that more than half of the prison population is affected by FASD
• Prenatal exposure to alcohol costs the United States millions of dollars a year to provide services to individuals affected by a FASD
• Early identification and intervention has huge impacts on the reduction of mental health concerns and behaviors resulting in legal intervention
• Even with early identification and intervention, individuals with a FASD will need to lifelong supports

The Daily Realities of Living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

As a parent:

• Struggles with you have raising your child with FASD
• Struggles you have explaining the invisible brain damage to others who deal with your child
• Struggle finding appropriate services for your child
• The lesson you have learned in your journey of raising a child affected by FASD
• Your dreams for your child

As an adult affected by FASD:

• Struggles you had to overcome in your lifetime
• Strengths and talents you have
• Accommodations that enable you to be successful

As a professional working with individuals affected by FASD:

• What systematically is working for your clients
• What systematically is not working for your clients Struggles your clients face on a daily basis
• Struggles you face on a daily basis in obtaining resources for your clients
• What resources are necessary for your clients to be successful

What needs to happen:

• Proclamation by the President of the United States recognizing September 9th as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day.
• Importance of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy.
• Ask him to ring a bell at 9:09am on September 9, 2009 in recognition of the individuals affected by FASD.
• Diagnostic teams in all 50 states to facilitate and identify early diagnosis and intervention.
• More resources toward prevention and early intervention