First designated by the President and Congress in 1985, PSRW offers an opportunity to “honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county, and local government employees.”

Its goals are to:

• Connect and educate citizens nationwide about the work of their government.
• Improve the perception and morale of public employees.
• Inspire a new generation of public servants.

PSRW is the perfect time for managers and their staffs to help increase public awareness of and appreciation for their contributions to the quality of life in their communities. It is co-organized by the Partnership for Public Service and the Public Employees Roundtable.

How to Celebrate
There are numerous low-cost ways cities, towns, and counties can use PSRW to educate citizens about the value of local government and professional management.

The city of Houston is holding essay and poster contests and offering special discounts for city employees to a variety of family outings during PSRW and throughout the year, and the mayor is presenting awards to employees with 30 or more years of service.

Hamilton County, Ohio, is presenting Employee of the Year awards in seven categories: leadership, professional achievement, innovation, customer service excellence, administrative/clerical support, extra mile, and county hero.

Other ideas include:

• Have your mayor, board chairman, or other elected official develop a proclamation declaring May 1-7 as a time to recognize the good work performed by the employees in your organization.
• Speak to local schools and civic groups. PSRW is a great opportunity to send public employees to schools, colleges, and civic group meetings to speak about their work and inspire the next generation to public service.
• Hold a job shadowing day for local high school students to give them hands-on experience with public service careers.
• Write an op ed or a letter to the editor. The opinion page is one of the most-read sections of the newspaper.
• Develop a list of facts and figures on the surprising and unique contributions of your organization. You can use these as talking points in your media interviews, news articles, and agency newsletters.
• Organize a community event and be sure to invite your local media. Organize an information fair or exhibit event, which provides an opportunity for multiple government agencies to demonstrate their programs and services to the public.

2011 PSRW Celebration Toolkit
This toolkit offers many ideas, including more details on the list above, that your community can use to recognize this important week. You’ll find useful resources, including a “How to Celebrate PRSW” guide; teachers’ guide; sample radio public service announcement (PSA); PSRW logos of varying sizes to download; posters; and a sample proclamation and language for mayors and governors.

Show Us Your Best Profile

For the first time, the Partnership for Public Service is featuring profiles of outstanding state and local government leaders. If you'd like to suggest ICMA members to be profiled, or nominate yourself, write Amy Mayers at amayers@icma.org.