May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, but each September, we get anotherchance to raise awareness about this serious genetic autoimmune disease. That day is September 13: Celiac Awareness Day.

Each year, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) makes more and more progress in raising awareness and advocating for your needs – and we couldn’t do it without you! We are honored to work with you to reach our mission of forging pathways to a cure and helping people with celiac disease live better, longer.

We’ve come a long way over the years, but we still need to raise even more awareness of celiac disease, not just the gluten-free diet.We’re working hard to make sure that celiac disease is recognized as the serious genetic autoimmune disease that it is. Even if you are short on time, we have ideas that will have a big impact if we all work together. Check out our 10 suggestions for raising awareness on the day that is just for us: Celiac Awareness Day, Sunday, September 13, 2015.

Share the Celiac Disease Symptoms Checklist

Did you know 83% of the estimated 3 million Americans living with celiac disease are still undiagnosed or misdiagnosed? You can help put these people on the path to diagnosis by sharing the Celiac Disease Symptoms Checklist. Share it on social media or print it out and hand it to a friend, coworker or family member.

Patron a Gluten-Free-Friendly Restaurant

There are lots of restaurants out there that are doing gluten-free the right way. Say “thank you” by visiting a local gluten-free-friendly restaurant. Better yet, check and see if there’s an NFCA-trained GREAT Kitchen in your neighborhood.

Try a new recipe

Cook something new for dinner this weekend. Not only will this help you find additional recipe options, but if you share it with a friend, you’ll be proving just how delicious gluten-free can be.

Wear green

Show your support by wearing green – green pants, shirt, shoes, nail polish, hair ribbon, socks, whatever! If you’re feeling extra adventurous, upload a picture of you and your friends wearing green to NFCA’s Facebook page or tweet it to us @CeliacAwareness.

Help get the facts out there

NFCA has a section for printable guides. Consider printing a few, like the “What is Celiac Disease?” information sheet, and leave them at your doctor’s office or favorite local store.

Use a hashtag

Wouldn’t it be cool if we got #CeliacAwarenessDay trending on Twitter? Look out for our #CeliacAwarenessDay tweets and retweet them to help spread the word. Feel free to give us a shout out at @CeliacAwareness, too!

Donate or make a purchase in honor of Celiac Awareness Day

At NFCA, we appreciate every donation we receive. Whether it’s $10 or $1,000, it truly makes a difference in our ability to provide free programs and services to people living with celiac disease. Make your secure online donation here.

Talk to your family about celiac disease screening

Since celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disease, meaning that it runs in families, it’s important for family members to get screened, whether they have symptoms or not. Raising awareness of their risk for celiac disease starts with you. Talkto them. Tellthem the fact. Urge them to test. We can show you how. Visit www.SeriouslyCeliac.org to learn more about how to have a one-on-one, in-person conversation with your relatives today.

Make sure you are up-to-date on the latest celiac disease news and research

Researchers are working hard to better understand various aspects of celiac disease and to even development a pharmaceutical treatment for it. Visit Beyond Celiac:™ NFCA’s Research Opt-In to sign up to periodically receive emails about new research and how you can get involved.

Share your ideas with NFCA

These are just some of the many ways we can all work together to raise awareness. Tell us how you’re celebrating! Tweet us at @CeliacAwareness or drop us a line on our Facebook page.