Happy Father's Day - June 15, 2008

You might be surprised to learn that Father's Day does not have its origin
in the planning rooms of the large American greeting card companies. It
was born from a daughter's sincere and hearfelt desire to honor the father

she loved - the father who raised her and five other siblings after the heartbreaking death of their mother in childbirth. It was while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909 that Sonora Smart Dodd first conceived the idea of a Father's Day. Understanding the sacrifices that her selfless, single father had made in order to give his children a loving and stable home, Sonora spearheaded the first official Father's Day in Spokane, Washington in 1910. Although other communities soon followed Dodd's lead, it would be nearly half a century before the United States established a permanent day of observance for Father's Day, which always falls on the third Sunday in June. Don't forget Dad on June 15, 2008!