Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Proclamations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pharr commissioners proclaim June as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day
Summary
The Pharr City Commission read two proclamations at its June meeting recognizing Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Day; community groups described local resources and upcoming events.
Pharr City Commission members read proclamations at their June meeting declaring June 2025 as Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and June 6, 2025, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The commission read the gun-violence proclamation as Rebecca Obregon of the Rio Grande Valley chapter of Moms Demand Action described Wear Orange events and a local remembrance and awareness gathering scheduled for June 6 at Common Space in McAllen. Obregon said Wear Orange honors victims and survivors and “invites the community to our event locally in McAllen at Common Space … from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.”
The Alzheimer’s proclamation was presented by Laura Karam, chair of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for the Upper Valley, and Maxine Viera. Karam summarized national and state figures cited by the Alzheimer’s Association — including an estimated 7,000,000 Americans age 65 or older living with Alzheimer’s and projections that number could nearly double by 2050 — and described new diagnostic and care resources, including recently approved blood tests and local dementia care services.
Why it matters: The proclamations highlight community awareness campaigns and point residents to local services and events. Speakers urged early diagnosis, privacy protections for medical information and outreach to affected families and caregivers. Karam said new treatments and diagnostics make earlier diagnosis more consequential and encouraged residents to register for the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Oct. 4.
Details from the meeting: For the gun-violence proclamation, Obregon read national statistics and urged secure firearm storage and community partnerships; commissioners asked clarifying questions about the 42-city statistic cited in the proclamation and whether Pharr appears on that list. Obregon confirmed the referenced list includes cities such as Chicago and said the observance was inspired by Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager whose death helped launch the Wear Orange movement. For the Alzheimer’s proclamation, Karam and Maxine Viera described recent developments: the availability of an FDA-approved blood test intended for people 55 and older, new approved therapies mentioned by speakers (named in the meeting as lecanemab and donanemab), a local dementia-care service powered by Ripple Care Management working with the Alzheimer’s Association, and an app to help families track care.
No formal votes were required for either proclamation. Commissioners and presenters took photographs and accepted plaques and informational materials to share with the public.
