Fathers Day important says YMCA CEO

Media Release September 2010
Immediate Release

Fathers Day important says YMCA CEO

One of New Zealand’s leading charities, the YMCA, is urging families to celebrate the important contribution made by fathers on Fathers Day.  YMCA National Chief Executive Ric Odom said “Like mums, dads are the most important influencers of our children and being a father is both a great privilege and a huge responsibility.  We have some great dads out there, working hard to contribute equally to their childrens’ upbringing.”

“Often the commerciality of the day becomes a stress for families on fixed incomes. However the celebration can be done without needing to buy anything. Just spending time together should be enough to say “I love you”.

While some families may be estranged from their biological father, the day allows for recognition of male role models including grandfathers and mentors.

Although YMCA is almost synonymous 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, mostly in June.

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. 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.

Sonora Dodd began her campaign after that sermon. She believed that the nation did not show enough respect to fathers. She persuaded the Spokane Ministerial Association and the 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.

Ends