National Family Week

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Families come in many forms. Some work very well, and others not so well. We carry our history with us in our hearts. Whatever our history may be, it’s good to stop and consider the strength we have gained from our families.

National Family Week is an annual celebration observed during the week of Thanksgiving. It is a component of the Alliance for Children and Families’ civic engagement program.

National Family Week is designed to encourage Americans to celebrate strong families and advocate for policies that foster community connections.

To observe National Family Week, Alliance members host local events involving families, residents, area leaders, and policymakers. Typical observances include community forums, resource fairs, volunteer projects, seminars, and awards programs. Many members also use National Family Week as an opportunity to highlight their year-round civic engagement efforts. Others use the occasion to mobilize residents and community leaders in enacting changes that bolster the chances of success for children, families, and communities.

National Family Week was founded in 1968 by Sam Wiley, a former teacher and administrator from Indianapolis. The Alliance continues this tradition with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Today, National Family Week is celebrated throughout the country, not only by Alliance members, but also by numerous community organizations, schools, and universities.

This week, even in the rush of Thanksgiving gatherings, stop for a moment and appreciate your family. Gather your children around you and tell them how much they mean to you. Take time to do fun activities together.

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted. ~Paul Pearshall