4 C □ M M U N I C AT I N G 
Q q u “p ^ ^ ^ g ^ 
T his chapter describes how Syracuse educated residents about the problem of lead dust 
in homes and the benefits of their participation in the project. Information in this 
chapter is designed primarily for managers who are implementing lead dust monitor¬ 
ing and outreach programs and for outreach workers who are responsible for communicating 
about lead in the home. 
• Section 4.1 describes the outreach methods and materials used by Syracuse to inform and 
involve affected households and community members. 
• Section 4.2 discusses the types of skills needed by Syracuse s outreach workers, dealing with 
language and cultural barriers, interviewing potential program participants, and promoting 
and advertising the lead dust program. 
• Section 4.3 provides examples of some of the most effective outreach and educational mate¬ 
rials used by Syracuse. 
4.1 Syracuse’s Outreach Methods and Materials 
Syracuse s strategy for reaching parents and care givers of at-risk children was to utilize the 
CBOs. Through them, the lead dust project tapped into community events. Communities with 
mature lead awareness and abatement programs will probably just need to add specific lead dust 
information to existing lead outreach materials and activities. A municipality without a HUD 
or other lead program in place will need to develop a more comprehensive lead dust outreach 
plan. The following are some of the creative lead dust education and outreach tools developed 
by the city of Syracuse. Several examples are provided at the end of this chapter: 
• Milk cartons. Syracuse s outreach coordinator contacted a local dairy and requested that the 
lead program s message be printed on the back of its milk cartons. The dairy worked the 
Got Lead? message into its rotation of milk carton panels. More than 100,000 households 
in central New York learned about lead dust through this outreach method. 
• Ce-LEAD-brity. Syracuse wrote personal letters to more than 100 local and national celebri¬ 
ties asking them to help fight childhood lead poisoning by sending an 8 by 10 autographed 
photo with a personal message, such as Be a lead fighter, or Keep your neighborhood lead 
safe. The city collected more than 40 autographed photos from TV and radio personalities 
and celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Carrey, Big Bird, Mr. Rogers, the Sesame 
Street gang, Fats Domino, John Travolta, and numerous athletes. Syracuse s display has been 
exhibited widely in the community, as well as at two national lead safety shows. 
• Slide show. The City of Syracuse has created several slide shows for various conferences and 
exhibitions. Soup to Nuts , in particular, is a step-by-step sequence of the city s lead dust 
program. The slide show a useful tool for communicating to homeowners, landlords, and 
other prospective clients gives prospective applicants an idea of the various steps required 
to go through the program. 
• Free soap. Because the project emphasizes that children keep their hands clean, Syracuse 
puts bars of soap in goodie bags handed out to children. The program contacted local 
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Chapter 4 
