National Child's Day Celebration
June 4 and 5, 2011
For more information
E-mail:
Judy Strawn
INTRODUCTION TO NATIONAL CHILD’S DAY
For some years, Florida's Senator Robert Graham (Ret.) worked on passage of a Bill in the U.S. Senate to add National Child's Day to the National Calendar. It would be the first new holiday to be added to the Calendar since Martin Luther King Day was proclaimed.
From 1994 to Senator Graham’s retirement, Senatorial sponsors annually passed a National Child’s Day Resolution (at first known as National Children’s Day, but changed to Child’s Day to underscore the importance of each individual child).
By 1999, the Child’s Day Resolution had enough “legs” in the Senate to be forwarded to the Senate Judiciary Committee in Bill form for consideration as an addition to the National Calendar.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended revisions to the Bill’s language. And, it was revised and resubmitted each year until Graham’s retirement.
Meanwhile, a the same time, a National Child’s Day Senate Resolution was annually being submitted to the White House and the Day was being proclaimed by the President.
By Senator Graham’s retirement, National Child’s Day was considered in the White House to be a “tradition.”
Therefore, late in May each year the President automatically (without being requested to by the Senate) issues a National Child’s Day Proclamation for national observance of the day on the first Sunday in June.
Someone in the Senate would need to take up Senator Graham’s mantle and begin re-submitting the Bill to the Judiciary Committee, in order for the Day to be added to the National Calendar.
The latest National Child’s Day Presidential Proclamation may be located on the White House website under “Proclamations.”
Older Proclamations may be located on the web by googling National Child’s Day and National Children’s Day.
Late in 1998, Racers Who Care became aware of the National Child’s Day Resolution and attempts to have a Bill passed. Senator Graham’s staff asked RWC to assist in getting the word out to the public about the proposed Bill.
As RWC is unable, according to our Articles of Incorporation, to “influence legislation,” we decided the best way for us to get the word out to the public was via a large National Child’s Day celebration.
RWC has planned and developed its SoCal National Child’s Day Celebration, and its educational Timescope theme, over several years and is ready to go forward with the Celebration at our proposed location in Santa Monica when funding allows.
People who would like to volunteer on this project, or sponsor it, are very cordially invited to contact RWC.