May is Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) Awareness Month—a time to amplify voices, celebrate resilience, and rally support for those affected by PWS. This year, we’re launching United We Brunch, a nationwide movement bringing people together to raise awareness and strengthen our community. Whether it’s a small gathering or a large event, every brunch hosted across the country will help spark conversations, foster connections, and create a lasting impact – one table, one state, and one family at a time.
How You Can Host a United We Brunch Event
Hosting a United We Brunch event is simple and flexible. You can make it as casual or elegant as you like – whether it’s a simple coffee and muffins gathering at home or an elaborate high tea with beautifully arranged flowers. The key is to bring people together in a way that feels right for you.
Choose Your Setting: Host at home, partner with a family member, or reserve a spot at your favorite brunch café.
Get Creative: Decorate, create a theme, or incorporate fun activities to make it your own.
Raise Awareness: Share information about PWS, display educational materials, or host a short discussion.
Fundraise with Ease: Encourage guests to make a small donation – whether it’s $15 in honor of the 15th chromosome or any amount they feel comfortable giving.
With your help, we can make United We Brunch an annual tradition, growing every May during PWS Awareness Month. Imagine the collective impact of gatherings happening nationwide, year after year, shining a light on PWS and fostering support for those who need it most.
A Personal Perspective: Why This Initiative Matters
For Kat Lucero, a PWSA | USA Board member and mom to Ronan, who is living with PWS, United We Brunch felt like the perfect way to engage with her community. “When I thought about doing an in-person fundraiser, I wanted it to revolve around something Ronan liked,” Kat shared. “But then I realized it didn’t necessarily have to be about him. It could be something for me too.”
Kat is launching her brunch event, Magnolias and Mimosas, in Colorado. “Magnolias symbolize dignity and perseverance, just like caregivers do every day,” she explained. “I want this to be an event to honor caregivers, especially women, and create a space where we can support one another.”
She’s already connecting with local businesses for donations, from a Pilates studio to an in-home bakery to a candle company. “I’ve learned that people are so generous – you just have to ask,” she said. “And you don’t have to spend a lot of money. There are amazing businesses willing to contribute to a good cause. I also suggest The Dollar Tree to put together easy decorations!”
Making it Your Own
One of the most exciting aspects of United We Brunch is its versatility. As Melanie Zalman, PWSA | USA’s Director of Development and mom to Josephine, explains, “It can be as simple as brewing a pot of coffee and baking muffins, or it can be a full-scale themed brunch. It’s completely up to you.”
Melanie highlights how United We Brunch can be an uplifting way to participate in PWS Awareness Month without feeling overwhelmed. “For families with young kids, Awareness Month can sometimes feel heavy – it reminds us of the challenges our children face. But this initiative is about gathering people who love and support us and giving them a way to get involved in a meaningful, joyful way.”
How to Get Started
If you’re inspired to host your own United We Brunch event, we’ve made it easy for you:
Visit our United We Brunch page to set up your event. As Melanie shares, “In five minutes or less, you can make a page, and you can schedule time with a fundraising coach on our development team to work with you as frequently or infrequently as you feel that you need in order to have the support and encouragement and expertise on hand to be successful with your event.”
Download the United We Brunch Toolkit for sample invitation language, menu ideas, and tips to make your event a success.
Spread the word – Invite friends, family, and local supporters to join in!
Our goal is to see United We Brunch events happening in every state, raising awareness and funds for PWS. If one event in each state raised just $500, that would amount to $25,000 in support of the PWS community – a powerful impact from simple acts of connection.
It Starts With You
Change happens when people come together. With United We Brunch, you have the opportunity to make a real difference while enjoying a warm, welcoming gathering with loved ones. Whether it’s five people around your kitchen table or fifty at a local café, every event contributes to the larger movement of awareness, compassion, and support.
It starts here. It starts now. It starts with you.
Are you ready to brunch for a cause? Join us in making United We Brunch a lasting tradition!
For any questions or if you need help getting started, reach out to our Development team at hopeunited@pwsausa.org.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.