Dear Community Leader:

As you are well aware, one of the best ways to officially introduce the Turkish American community is through proclamations. October 29 Republic Day (Cumhuriyet Bayramı) is an important day for all Turks, Turkish Americans and Americans from Turkish descent. Therefore it is very important for this day to be recognized across the United States.

We strongly encourage you to get proclamations issued by both the Governor of the State as well as the Mayors of the cities that you and your community lives in. The issuance of a proclamation is a fairly easy process and usually only involves a phone call and an official letter to the Governor’s or Mayor’s office. Almost all of these offices have a specific department that deal with such ceremonial matters. We suggest that you either mail or fax the letter directly to your Governor’s or Mayor’s offices and please make sure to do the necessary follow-up calls so that they do not get lost in the system.

Furthermore, it usually takes around three weeks for proclamations to work their way through the system and thus the sooner you begin the process the better.

We hope that this year the Turkish American community will receive a record number of proclamations.

 

HOW TO REQUEST A PROCLAMATION

Objective

Constituents can request a letter or proclamation to commemorate special events from their local or state government offices. Requests usually will go through an internal review and approval process. As a result, it is necessary to submit your request at least two or three weeks prior to the date the letter or proclamation is needed.

Proclamations can be issued for civic celebrations, non-profit organizations, and significant events with historical and/or unique importance to the citizens in your local area, or individuals who have made a significant contribution to society.

How To Do It

In order to expedite the proclamation in a timely manner, the following information is usually required:

Requester must provide a draft text of the proclamation in the preferred format.
The purpose of the Proclamation: October 29, Turkish Republic Day.
The date when the proclamation is needed.
Brief history of the organization or biography of the person. If funds are to be raised, list who will benefit from this event and what will take place during this time of event.
Requests should include the name and daytime telephone number/e-mail address of the contact person.

Step 1
(Four weeks before event)

Contact the state or local government office from which you wish to request a proclamation.
Confirm the format for submitting the proclamation request, including their preferred length in words.
Determine the cost, if any.
Determine when you can expect to receive the official proclamation.

Step 2
(Three weeks before event-or earlier, if the government office requires more lead time)

Write a cover letter requesting a proclamation.
Write your proclamation draft.
Proofread your letter and proclamation draft.
Submit your request to the government office in their preferred format.