Along with Basketball, the YMCA had a hand in bringing Fathers Day to the fore! Just like Mother's Day, Father's Day is celebrated in every part of the world. In the United States, Canada and most countries in Asia, Father's Day is the third Sunday in June.
Although Father's Day is not observed on the same day in some countries (like Spain and Belgium where Father's Day falls on March 19th, Sweden on the second Sunday of November, and New Zealand on the first Sunday of September), expressing gratitude and appreciation for dads with a special day seems to be universal. Today, Father's Day is not only a day to honor fathers, but one to show respect for all father figures. Families honor grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles and other adult male figures that are special to them.
Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, of Spokane, Washington, was 27 when she listened to a Sunday sermon about Mother's Day in 1909 and wondered why there was no corresponding day for fathers. (Mother's Day observances began in 1908 in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to Hallmark Cards in Kansas City.) She was just 16 when her own father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his five other children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.
Sonora Dodd began her campaign after that sermon. She believed that the nation did not show enough respect to fathers, citing such popular songs of the day as "Everybody Works But Father," she promoted Father's Day out of love for her father.
"One group of men conventioneers laughed and said they didn't want a Father's Day," according to an article in The Spokesman-Review. "A national fishing day would be better, they told her."
She persuaded the Spokane Ministerial Association and local YMCA to pass a resolution in support of Father's Day, and the first local Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910, at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington.
Mrs. Dodd wanted Father's Day to be celebrated on the first Sunday in June, her father's birthday. However, the Spokane council could not get the resolution through the first reading until the third Sunday in June.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations."
In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Sonora Smart Dodd was honored for her contribution at the World's Fair in Spokane in 1974. Mrs. Dodd died in 1978 at age 96.
NEWS
December 6, 2011
The YMCA Tauranga is pleased to announce the appointment of Ric Balfour as its next Chief Executive Officer. He will take over from Amy S. Thaler, who will be leaving in January to pursue new challenges in her home country of the USA.
November 30, 2011
The re-opening of Shakespear Open Sanctuary on December 1 heralds a new era for the hard working SOSSI volunteers, park staff and Hibiscus Coast residents. YMCA Shakespear Lodge also re-opens December 1 and has an Open Day on December 4, from 12 noon onwards. This also marks the belated 101st birthday of the Shakespear Homestead. There will be activities such as sailing, archery and kayaking to try. Info: ph 424 7111 or www.ymcaauckland.org.nz.
November 25, 2011
YMCA Auckland is gearing up for the opening of their new Early Learning Centre for the Papakura community on Monday. The centre is based in Mansell Senior School and has received an official license for providing childhood services from the Ministry of Education.
November 24, 2011
The sun is shining, children are looking forward to the end of school and Christmas Carols ring out in the stores, all the signs that the Summer Holidays are coming! But as great as that all sounds, most parents still have to work. That is where the YMCA comes in with their Summer Holiday Programme!
