Symbolising the 9 months of a pregnancy, the 9th day of the 9th month is a day to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the importance of alcohol-free pregnancies. FASD Awareness Day began in 1999, initiated by Bonnie Buxton, Brain Philcox and Teresa Kellerman, and NOFASD Australia is proud to have been involved since the beginning!
Five years ago RJ Formanek, an adult with FASD, decided to wear red shoes to stand out, be noticed and have some fun starting FASD conversations with strangers. At NOFASD we are raising awareness of FASD by talking about our red shoes and putting red shoes on our pets too!
International FASD Awareness Day can be acknowledged in many ways. We encourage you to get involved! You might like to host an event, post on social media, display information, or have conversations with people in your community. Please see NOFASD’s Information Pack for more information and ideas. You may wish to download FASD Fact Sheets to distribute at an event, play a webinar or give your own presentation using our FASD 101 PowerPoint slides. NOFASD also provides printable posters for display.
We would love to hear how you are recognising International FASD Awareness Day! Please share your events on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages or email admin@nofasd.org.au with photos and a story about your event.
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