August recess (August 6th - September 7th) is the perfect time to let your Congress members know about the great community prevention work going on in their districts. Sharing prevention success stories - big or small - helps legislators understand how community prevention improves the health and well-being of residents. PI will compile success stories from your letters and share them with California U.S. Senators Feinstein and Boxer in September.

Examples of community prevention include: working with family farms and local businesses to distribute fresh produce at corner stores, establishing joint-use agreements with schools to give residents access to sports fields and gymnasiums after school hours, and creating smoke-free public parks.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you or others in your community have examples of community prevention successes, please insert your own paragraph explaining what you have accomplished after the first paragraph of the form letter! If you are not in California, you can still use our tool -- just make sure to edit the letter to reflect the work in your own state.

Here are some tips to consider as you draft your success story: 

• Paint a picture that shows why healthy communities matter and how barriers shape behaviors.
• Focus on solutions, not just problems. Also, be sure to emphasize local partnerships, especially with small businesses (if applicable).
• Describe the reach and impact of your efforts on the local community. Be as specific as you can.
• Make sure to connect improvements to the community environment with anticipated health outcomes

You can also view our full sample letter, here.

REMINDER: please personalize this letter by inserting your own success story after the first paragraph