Did you know you can arrange to have your baby’s birth acknowledged by the President? I didn’t. I learned this from my friend (thank you, Angie!) who did just that. Here is a picture of the letter she got from the White House following the birth of her adorable son, Carl.
Apparently, the White House Greeting Office is swamped because I read they are saying instead of the normal six-week turnaround time, it can take up to several months to get your greeting. But I think its probably worth the wait to have a keepsake like this if you are so inclined. Please note you have to request it within 12 months of your baby’s birth.
In researching the birth announcement acknowledgement, I learned something else I didn’t know. You can get a Presidential greeting for other occasions, too!
Here’s a list of all the occasions for which you can get a Presidential greeting.
- Wedding (send your request after the event)
- Baby’s birth or adoption of a child
- Retirement after at least 30 years on the same job
- Eagle Scout Award
- Girl Scout Gold Award
- Bar/Bat Mitzvah or equivalent religious occasion
Here’s how to do it.
Requests can be submitted through the office of one of the U.S. Senators or U.S. Representatives from your state. Requests can also be mailed, at least six weeks in advance of the event to: White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20500. For faster service, requests can also be faxed to 202-456-2461.
The following information should be included in your reqeust:
- name and home address of honoree(s)
- form of address (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., Miss, etc.)
- exact date of occasion (month, day, year)
- age (birthdays) or number of years of marriage
- your (the requestor’s) name and daytime phone number
- any specific mailing instructions if other than to honoree’s address
- Wedding (Include couple’s married names and current or new address)
And my friend, Angie, who told me about the birth announcement saw it on a blog, so a BIG shout out to KidFreindlyDC (and the author’s friend, Margaret who told her about it). Cheers, ladies! If there are any other TheMommyhood.com readers in the Washington, DC area KidFriendlyDC looks like a fantastic resrouce for finding fun things to do with your kids in DC. It would also be good for someone who is visiting DC with kids.
Was anyone else aware of the Presidential greeting? It was a new one for me (and I used to live in DC!).
Thanks so much for the KidFriendly DC shout-out. I’ll let my friend Margaret know, too.
Your welcome, Linda. I shot an email to a couple of my friends in DC with your link. If I still lived there I am sure I would be following along. Happy New Year!
This is so great! Thanks for posting. Ima totally have to do this when the baby comes!!!
Do you know of any way to replace one? I had one for my daughter (who was born in 2004) but it was ruined by rain in a move.
Oh, that really stinks. No, I don’t. I doubt it’s possible since it’s a different administration.
Do you know if this information is still current? I want to get one for my son and things have changed as far as the process is concerned since bush left office.