Parents’ Day
Click here for the 2012 Parent’s Day Nomination Form
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PARENTS’ DAY
Parents’ Day is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Sunday of every July, as a day to honor parents and recognize their crucial role in society. It was made a recurring, perennial day of commemoration on October 14, 1994, when President Clinton signed into law the joint resolution establishing Parents’ Day, after this resolution had been unanimously passed by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate of the 103rd Congress.
The product of a bipartisan, multiracial, and interfaith coalition of civic, religious, and elected leaders, the law establishing Parents’ Day encourages all private citizens, organizations, and governmental and legislative bodies at all levels (local, state, and federal) to “recognize Parents Day through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts in furtherance of recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.”
Although you cannot yet find a Hallmark Card for this special day, nor a TV special, the role of parents is indeed cherished. As noted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” It is the family – not the individual, not the state, not the church, not the political or economic bodies – that stands as the natural and fundamental group unit of society. As noted in the Code of Ethics of the Family, just as healthy cells are needed for a healthy organism, healthy families are vital to a healthy society. It is in the family where we learn to care for others beyond ourselves, to sacrifice ourselves for others, to love others. And it is the parents that play the critical roles as authors of that institution.
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PARENT’S DAY CELEBRATIONS
In 2011, the PFC is planning, in addition to these decentralized events, a major gathering at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg on Saturday, July 23 at 2:00 pm to celebrate the Pennsylvania Parents of the year. On Sunday, July 24 at 1:30 pm PFC is hosting the NEPA Parents of the Year at a banquet held at the Radisson Hotel at Lackawanna Station in Scranton fearturing Comedian Gordon Douglas! The Harrisburg event is free to the public and the Sranton event is $25 per person (in include dinner, dessert, beverage and gratuities. Free parking. Join us!
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PARENTS’ DAY
The Pennsylvania Family Coalition recognizes exemplary parents as “Parents of the Year.” One outstanding couple or single parent is honored statewide as “Pennsylvania Parents of the Year” and others are recognized as parents of the year in their local communities. Through such awards, the PFC not only honors parental role models, but also encourages families everywhere to invest in our most precious resource – our children.
The 2010 Parents of the Year were Wanda and James Horn of Philadelphia, while community honors went to Parents of the Year in such places as Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA Parents of the Year), Reading, and Mt. Pleasant Mills. Many of these were recognized at events on Parents’ Day, while others were recognized at such venues as mayor’s offices, school board meetings, and so forth, and many were featured in local media.
If you have recommendations for the 2011 awards, please send your nominations to [email protected]. Be sure to include biographical information.
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The Pennsylvania Family Coalition is the major coordinator of Parents’ Day celebrations in Pennsylvania. In 2010, on the fourth Sunday of July (Parents’ Day, July 25), the PFC coordinated over 100 events state-wide, including in such locations a Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Erie, Lancaster, Reading, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and York. Throughout the year, the PFC also garnered proclamations from mayors and other community leaders recognizing Parents’ Day in their communities.
The commemoration of Parents’ Day offers a unique opportunity to recognize parents and to advance parenting as a vital vocation. It offers the opportunity to lift up and honor this critical role of parents and their great investment and commitment to the nurturing and development of children. The Pennsylvania Family Coalition works to raise awareness of this important day and the vital role of parents. Two of the major activities are holding Parents’ Day Celebrations and the recognizing of exemplary parents as “Parents of the Year.”
