National School Backpack Awareness Day

National School Backpack Awareness Day 2006

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School Backpack Awareness Day Community Toolkit
SAMPLE PERMISSION LETTER TO SCHOOLS AND FACILITIES

[Print letter on professional letterhead of event organizer]
[date]
[name, title, address]

Dear [name]:
On September 19, 2007, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), my professional organization, is sponsoring National School Backpack Awareness Day, an annual national educational event to call attention to health problems in children caused by backpacks that are too heavy or worn improperly. The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission estimates that each year, nearly 5,000 emergency room visits result from injuries related to backpacks and book bags. The growing awareness of potential health problems to children has resulted in increased medical research, more coverage in mainstream publications as well as medical journals, and proposed legislation in California and New Jersey to address the issue of backpack weight in relation to student health.

I [give credentials/affiliations] would like to hold an event at [name of school, teacher’s classroom, or facility]. [Name of mutual personal connection and the relationship, if one exists] mentioned that you might be interested in this event.

The School Backpack Awareness Day events educate students and parents about how to pack and wear school backpacks, and consist of “weigh-ins” of fourth- through sixth-graders in elementary and middle schools nationwide to illustrate how heavy backpacks are. The weigh-ins are for the purpose of emphasizing a public health issue, not for targeting specific schools for change, and no information will be collected. AOTA is sponsoring the event because more than 24,000 occupational therapists work in schools helping millions of children improve their ability to handle everyday activities. This school-based setting has placed our members on the frontline for promoting child health and wellness in our community.

[Briefly explain the event you envision. Give date, time of day, ages or grades of children involved, how it coincides with regular business of the facility. Stay with the positives and save details for the second conversation, after your contact is interested in working with you.]

I will organize the event, acquire local partnerships to add value to the event, get parent volunteers as event personnel, bring all necessary equipment and materials, and work within your recommendations to secure all necessary permissions. [Optional: In addition, we are promoting coverage of this event to the local media. We feel it would be an added bonus to have you or your representative as a media spokesperson at this educational school event.]

I know that the health and well-being of our nation's school children is critically important to you. I would like to help ensure that as many parents and children as possible learn about the proper use of backpacks. May I count on you to lend your support?

Enclosed are a sample parent/student permission letter that AOTA has prepared for this event, and a teacher information letter about School Backpack Awareness Day. Please let me know if these conform to your standard permissions or if you would like to recommend other forms.

Thank you for your consideration. You can contact me at [phone number]. Since the event date is fast approaching, if I do not hear from you I will call to follow up and see if we can work together for school backpack awareness.

Sincerely,

[name, degrees]
[title]

Enclosures

Copyright 2004 American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved.