History of Grandparents Day
campaign was started in West Virginia in 1973 to have a special day for grand parents. Governor Arch Moore set the first ever Grandparents Day through the efforts of those who were interested to preserve their heritage; the campaign was headed by a mother of 15 children Marian Mc Quade. Especially instrumental in the project was Senator Jennings Randolph. The senator introduced a resolution in the senate and in 1973 and 1978, after its inception five years later, the congress passed legislation stating that Grandparents Day would be marked on the very first Sunday right after celebrating Labor Day. The month of September was chosen as it signifies the “autumn years” of life and this day started by a few is observed thought the 50 states.
The main purposes of Grandparents Day were to honor and pay tribute to grandparents, to create awareness of their wisdom and knowledge to children and to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children. Due to the busy schedules modern parents have, grandparents have a high chance of impacting both knowledge and wisdom to their grandchildren. Mrs. Mc Quade wanted it to be a day where families could take part in social events, family reunion, and small gatherings. Grandparents Day is a day to affirm the vital role of affirming and identifying the significance of grandparents, it also serves as a day of sharing, hopes, values and dreams setting examples for the coming generation.
Mrs. McQuade always humbly termed herself as just a simple housewife. However, her never-ending work to set up and make public the holiday shows her for the true community leader that she was. She advocated for the elderly for a better part of her adult life. In the year 1971, she was chosen the Vice-Chair of a Committee on Aging in West Virginia and also chosen as a representative to the White House Conference on Aging. The following year, her efforts prompted the then President Richard Nixon to declare a national Shut-in Day.
Whether surrogate or not, grandparents are children’s ties to the near past and to the beliefs and events and experiences that strongly affect their lives. Grandchildren know of grandparents values that transcend passing fads and pressure as well as the wisdom of distilled jay and pain. They are usually free to befriend and love the young ones with the daily responsibility for them. They reach past fear and pride of failure and close the gap between generations. Canada officially adopted grandparents day in 1995 and was set on the second Sunday in September. Grandparents day does not have an apostrophe as is the case in mother’s day this might have been an oversight but has been adopted as that ever since.
The interest and concern for seniors by Mrs. Mc Quade might have been sparked by her grandmother. She would work the whole day and then walk long distances to visit the elderly in her community and most people believe it is from that that her love for the seniors developed.
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