Happy June. Half the year has gone by. Time does not stand still.
Later this month, we will celebrate Father’s Day. As a dad, I can tell you that my children are my greatest joy. I have loved seeing them blossom into the adults that they are and the impact that they have on their loved ones and communities. Each year they ask me what they should get me for Father’s Day and I hmm and haw. I don’t really need anything. The gift is seeing them in action!
Father’s Day has deep connections to the YMCA. Did you know that the YMCA was the first place to recognize Father’s Day? Here’s a brief history lesson for you. In 1909, Sonora Louise Smart sat in her church in Spokane, Washington on Mother’s Day and wondered why there wasn’t a day to celebrate fathers. She was the daughter of a Civil War veteran whose wife had passed away, leaving him to raise Sonora and her five siblings by himself. Smart presented the idea of celebrating fathers on a specific day through special meals and small gifts to the Spokane YMCA and Spokane Ministerial Alliance. They loved the idea. Smart asked that the day be June 5, her father’s birthday, but the two organizations agreed to the third Sunday of June in order to have time to prepare. The nation’s first Father’s Day celebration took place on June 19, 1910 at the Spokane YMCA. In 1972, President Nixon officially signed Father’s Day into law, making it a national holiday.
The impact of a father in the life of a child is so important. We know through studies that children who have a father in their lives tend to do better in school, develop stronger social-emotional bonds, and handle stress better than those who do not. A strong male role model has lasting impact.
But why does this matter? At the Y, we are about the strength of the community. Not all children have those positive male role models in their lives. Sometimes, we as adults still need that in our lives. I know I still reach out to my dad for advice all these years later. When you are at the Y, you might be able to help mentor a youth or a teen to provide them some of the impacts that are listed above. You might be able to address a need for them or you might be able to guide them down a great life path. That is what we are all about.
We might be known for that song. You know, “Young Man…” You can sing the rest. Love that we are, but I would be much happier if we were known for Father’s Day. I think it is a much bigger deal.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and strong male role models out there!
See you at the Y!
Steve Smith, President