U.S. Conference of Mayors Endorses National KidsDay

Boys & Girls Club of America
Monday, 25 June 2001

Annual celebration will focus on sharing meaningful time with kids

Detroit (June 25, 2001) - The National KidsDay Alliance today announced that the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) passed a resolution endorsing National KidsDay, a day designated for adults to celebrate and honor children. The purpose of the day is to encourage adults to spend meaningful time with children.

National KidsDay's inaugural celebration will fall on Sunday, August 5, 2001. National KidsDay celebrations are planned in communities across the U.S. Special events to commemorate the day are planned for thirteen cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa and Washington.

"We think that it's important to recognize the role that kids play in our families and communities," said H. Brent Coles, Mayor of Boise, Idaho, and USCM President. "National KidsDay embodies the importance of strong families, which in turn make strong communities. We, as mayors and community members, are proud to support National KidsDay and look forward to celebrating the day on August 5th."

The resolution reads, in part, "Whereas, there are millions of children who need attention from and interaction with caring adults…Whereas, thousands of events will take place in communities nationwide on National KidsDay to celebrate children…Therefore be it resolved that the United States Conference of Mayors endorses and supports National KidsDay and encourages all Americans to participate in National KidsDay events."

"As family dynamics change, it is more important than ever that adults rededicate themselves to America's children," said Roxanne Spillett, president, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We applaud the U.S. Conference of Mayors for passing this resolution and recognizing the importance of spending meaningful time with kids. National KidsDay celebrations will be taking place in cities across America, and we are excited that these community events will have strong mayoral support."

Research shows that meaningful time is currently lacking. In the study "Ask the Children," author Ellen Galinsky, president/founder of the Families and Work Institute, found that 44.5 percent of kids say that time with mom is rushed, and 37 percent say likewise with dad. Children in the study gave higher marks to their parents when the time spent together was not rushed but focused and rich in shared activities.

National KidsDay is the result of a cooperative effort of the National KidsDay Alliance, composed of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 4-H, KidsPeace and YMCA. Together, the National KidsDay Alliance serves more than 20 million youth across the country in 8,000 locations. The Alliance has recruited an impressive team of concerned corporate sponsors, including Blockbuster, Hasbro, Johnson & Johnson, M&M/Mars, Mattel and Toys "R" Us to help generate awareness and resources for Alliance programs and outreach to serve more kids. Additional support is provided by PBS, Radio Disney, USA Today and Yahoo.

To find out what's happening in your community on National KidsDay, contact your local Boys & Girls Club, 4-H, KidsPeace or YMCA. Or, to plan your own celebration, get a copy of the National KidsDay activity guide, available at www.kidsday.net and participating Blockbuster, Toys "R" Us stores and select pediatric offices.

For more information about National KidsDay visit www.kidsday.net.

For more information, or to contact Boys & Girls Club of America, see their website at: www.bgca.org