Life feed
Things to do e-mail
Life mobile
FacebookGot kids? Sunday is National Kids Day
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Moms have Mother's Day. Dads have Father's Day. But what about the kids?
Bet you didn't know that kids have a designated day, too.
Sunday, Aug. 3, is National Kids Day, which was launched in 1994 by the private charity KidsPeace to encourage adults to spend quality time with their children.
Recognized by the U.S. Congress and endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Kids Day is picking up steam throughout the country and thousands of organized events are scheduled to take place that day.
KidsPeace was founded in 1882 in Bethlehem, Pa. The organization helps thousands of children at 64 nationwide centers and assists millions more through public education and outreach. Mark Stubis is vice president of KidsPeace.
"We decided in 1994 that the time was right for a national day for kids," Stubis said. "We went to Congress and they recognized it. What we wanted to do is not create a day that was just an empty celebration. We wanted to create something that had meaning.
"We've been working with kids for more than a century. So many kids have come to us in crisis for one reason or another but the common denominator is that lots of parents were not spending meaningful time with their kids. We thought it was time to bring this to national attention and what a better way than create a day that encourages parents to spend meaningful time with their children."
Stubis said his organization is taking steps to raise the profile of National Kids Day so that one day it might rival Mother's Day and Father's Day in popularity.
"It's not as well known, but it's snowballing," Stubis said. "We've contacted school systems around the country, civic groups, children's museums and many others. We're approaching millions of individuals on a grass roots level. We've got over 60 centers around the country and certainly all of our kids and their parents will be celebrating on Sunday."
