CELEBRATING DAD AT THE Y

Did you know that Father’s Day got its start at the YMCA?

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon honoring mothers. She wondered why there was no similar tribute for fathers. Dodd’s father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War veteran who raised his six children on his own after his wife’s death.

Smart Dodd launched the first Father's Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. In 1972, President Nixon signed Father’s Day into law. The day dedicated to Dads has become an opportunity to lavish gifts and loving gestures on one’s father.

Today, fathers play an enormous role in the lives of their children. We see them daily, acting as coaches, teachers, role models and confidants. Our Y, as a leading community service organization, is totally committed in supporting and reassuring them.

On June 17, the YMCA of the Triangle joins the nation in celebrating Father’s Day and recognizing the impact fathers and adult male role models make in children’s lives.

Thanks, Sonora. And, thank you, Dad.