BONNYVILLE – During the Aug. 27 council meeting, the MD of Bonnville addressed a proclamation request from Lakeland Centre for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to declare Sept. 9 as FASD awareness day and September as FASD awareness month in the M.D of Bonnyville.
The motion was carried unanimously, and Reeve Barry Kalinski delivered the proclamation.
“I encourage everyone to act with compassion and understanding towards individuals who have experienced parental alcohol exposure and take both personal and professional responsibility to become better informed about FASD and prevention strategies,” stated Kalinski.
According to the Canada FASD Research Network, CanFASD, Canada has recognized FASD awareness month since 2020.
This year's theme for FASD awareness month is “Everyone plays a part.”
“Every single person in the community can make a change to support a society that is both supportive of people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and supportive of healthy pregnancies,” according to CanFASD. “These changes can range from having a conversation with a neighbour, to taking a profession-specific online course, to advocating for FASD rights in parliament. These steps, big or small, come together to shape a more equitable future for everyone.”
A grassroots movement to show support for FASD awareness that has been growing is wearing red shoes.
“Red Shoes Rock is an incredible grassroots movement that has gained international recognition. The idea behind Red Shoes Rock is simple: wear red shoes at FASD events to bring attention to this disability,” explained CanFASD.
“Red shoes became a symbol for FASD awareness after Canadian educator and advocate, RJ Formanek, wore red shoes on an international stage to talk about FASD. For him, wearing red shoes are a symbol of power and strength,” continued CanFASD.
