Join Us to Raise Awareness in 2025 – Request a Celiac Disease Awareness Month Proclamation!

What is a Proclamation?

A proclamation is an official document issued by a Governor or other state official to commemorate a specific time period. This designation brings recognition and awareness to an issue.

In past years, we’ve worked with our national network of advocates to have elected officials across the country make formal proclamations recognizing May 16 as Celiac Disease Awareness Day. This year, we are elevating our efforts to designate the entire month of May to raise critical awareness of this life-changing autoimmune disease, and we need your help to reach our goal of securing proclamations in all 50 states!

Elected officials make these important proclamations in response to requests from people like you! As the Celiac Disease Foundation receives notices of these proclamations, the corresponding states on our map will change colors with your name, personal story if you wish to share it, and photos and/or video of you receiving your proclamation.

As a thank-you for your advocacy, the first person in each of the 50 states to complete the proclamation process will receive a bundle of goodies – including a branded Celiac Disease Foundation notebook, pens, reusable sandwich bags, and coupons from Proud Sponsor Crunchmaster – which will be delivered to you in May, in honor of this important month for our community!

Why Request a Proclamation?

Proclamations help inform others about the seriousness of celiac disease and show that our elected officials care about their residents who are suffering with it. Receiving a proclamation can boost media attention and may even prompt elected officials to consider changes in policy or new legislation that benefits the celiac disease community. Your engagement in our efforts makes all the difference!

If you see that your state has already been requested, but not yet declared, please still submit a request.

Great! I’m In – What's Next?

  1. Check the Map and Request a Proclamation: First, check your state on our 2025 Celiac Disease Awareness Month Proclamation Map to determine the current status. If no proclamation has been declared, please request one, even if your state already shows as “request filed.” (That’s right – even if the status shows one has been requested, the more voices raised on behalf of our community will reinforce the importance of this initiative!) Next, you’ll need to send a letter to your state official. Your state may require a certain style of text to grant a proclamation. Share your experience with celiac disease using the pre-written message below, or by modifying it to make it personal. Copy and paste your finished message into the contact form for your state’s proclamation request page, or in an email to your Governor’s office, along with the template proclamation below.
  2. Find Your State Proclamation Contact Information: Click the link for your state below to contact your Governor or elected official and ask them to declare May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month!
  3. Let Us Know You’ve Made the Request: Once you’ve sent your letter, let us know you’ve submitted the request by emailing [email protected] so we can update our map with your name.
  4. Let Us Know You’ve Secured a Proclamation: When your state official’s office has confirmed the proclamation, let us know by emailing [email protected] with the office’s confirmation attached. But it doesn’t stop there! We’d love to feature your advocacy efforts on our website and social media, so be sure to follow up with the official’s office, both thanking them for their support and asking them if they would be willing to meet with you in person to take photos/videos and discuss the importance of Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Then, send your photos/videos over to us and we will share them with the celiac disease community. Check out an example here.

Don’t Miss Out on Your Proclamation Goodies

Your dedication deserves recognition! Be the first person in your state to complete the proclamation process and enjoy your branded Celiac Disease Foundation notebook, pens, reusable sandwich bags, and Crunchmaster coupons during this very important month as our way of saying thank you for raising awareness!

Get Language for a Proclamation

Your state may require a certain style of text to grant a proclamation. Share your experience with celiac disease using the pre-written message below, or by modifying it to make it personal. Copy and paste your finished message into the contact form for your state’s proclamation request page, or in an email to your Governor’s office, along with the template proclamation below.

Sample Message

On behalf of the 1 in 100 people suffering from celiac disease, I am writing to request that a proclamation be issued this year for CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH, for the month of May 2025.

Celiac Disease is a serious, genetic autoimmune disorder affecting 1-2% of people worldwide, and more than 3 million Americans, 70-80% of whom are undiagnosed. For people with celiac disease, eating gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley) causes the immune system to create antibodies that attack the small intestine. Villi, small finger-like projections that line the small intestine, atrophy and eventually flatten, causing them to lose the ability to absorb nutrients.

Celiac disease can lead to many other devastating health conditions, including a 6x increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a 3.1x increased risk of liver disease, and a 4x increased risk of small bowel cancer.

Celiac disease results in extraordinary economic and productivity costs to both the public and private sectors from employee and student absenteeism, with an average of 23 missed days of work/school annually due to celiac-related illness, as well as repeated, inconclusive visits to healthcare providers.

There is no medication or cure for celiac disease. The only current treatment is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet. Studies show that up to 50% of people on a gluten-free diet continue to experience symptoms and have intestinal damage, revealing the ineffectiveness of the gluten-free diet as a treatment.

With your support in declaring CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH, we can continue to increase public awareness of the serious nature of this life-changing autoimmune disease.
It is our objective to help advance government support to develop diagnostic tools, life-improving treatments, and a cure for celiac disease.

Please find below a draft of a proposed Proclamation for CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH for May 2025 to help build recognition and support for individuals and families managing celiac disease. You may send the proclamation to [email protected].

On behalf of all those affected by this life-altering disease, thank you for your consideration and support.

Proclamation Text

CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, celiac disease is one of the world’s most prevalent genetic autoimmune diseases, affecting an estimated three million Americans, 70-80% of whom are undiagnosed; and

WHEREAS, celiac disease causes the body to attack its own small intestine, which can lead to many other devastating health conditions, including cancer; and

WHEREAS, celiac disease results in extraordinary economic and productivity costs to both the public and private sectors from employee and student absenteeism, as well as repeated, inconclusive visits to healthcare providers; and

WHEREAS, on average, it takes 4 years to be correctly diagnosed with celiac disease; and

WHEREAS, there is no medication or cure for celiac disease—the only treatment is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet; and

WHEREAS, studies show that up to 50% of people on a gluten-free diet continue to experience symptoms and have intestinal damage, revealing the ineffectiveness of the gluten-free diet as a treatment; and

WHEREAS, the Celiac Disease Foundation is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and health of individuals with celiac disease by advancing government support for biomedical research to develop diagnostic tools, life-improving treatments, and a cure for celiac disease, and to raise public awareness of this serious disease;

I, ________, GOVERNOR for the _________________, do hereby proclaim May 2025: Celiac Disease Awareness Month in the _______________________ and encourage the residents of _______________________ to increase their understanding and awareness of celiac disease.

About the Celiac Disease Foundation

The Celiac Disease Foundation, established in 1990, is a leading global patient advocacy organization committed to accelerating diagnosis, treatments, and a cure for celiac disease. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the millions of individuals around the world affected by this genetic autoimmune disease through our strategic investments in research, advocacy, and education. Our iCureCeliac® patient registry and extensive patient recruitment services enable us to identify qualified patient candidates and speed their enrollment to advance critical disease research. Our unparalleled advocacy program has led the way to secure federal recognition and first-ever research funding from agencies including the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. We adhere to the highest scientific and ethical standards as we work each day to promote understanding of celiac disease, empower our patient and provider community, and collaborate with partners and stakeholders to carry our mission forward. 

Find Your State

Click the link for your state below to contact your Governor or elected official and ask them to declare May 16 as Celiac Disease Awareness Day!