Grandparents Day 2013 falls on Sept. 8, 2013 and serves as a way to honor the influence and legacy of grandparents. National Grandparents Day became an official United States holiday in 1978, signed by President Jimmy carter. Grandparents Day occurs on the first Sunday after Labor and for 2013 the holiday occurs on Sept. 8. For 2014, National Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Sept. 7.

According to the National Grandparents Day Council, The holiday started as a campaign by Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, a West Virginia woman who believed there should be a holiday celebrating grandparents. The campaign led to the creation of a Grandparents Day in West Virginia in 1973, signed by Governor Arch Moore. Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) would introduce a National Grandparents Day resolution in the Senate. Five years later, Congress passed the resolution which was signed by President Jimmy Carter.

President Barack Obama released a presidential proclamation for Grandparents Day 2013. In the address, President Obama described the importance of grandparents in America, asking citizens to recognize and honor these individuals. The full statement can be read below.

In every corner of our country and across all walks of life, grandparents are a tremendous source of wisdom, strength, and joy. They are caregivers, teachers, and friends -- windows to the past and guideposts for the future. On National Grandparents Day, America pauses to honor the bedrocks of our families and thank every grandmother and grandfather for their immeasurable contributions to our country.

Our grandparents' generations made America what it is today. They led our Nation through times of war, heralded new ages of innovation, and tested the limits of human imagination. They challenged longstanding prejudices and shattered barriers, both cultural and scientific. In our homes and our communities, grandparents pass down the values that have led generations of Americans to live well and give back. As individuals, as families, and as a society, we have an unshakable obligation to provide the care and support our grandparents have earned. Together, let us guarantee the right of every American to live out their golden years in dignity and security.

Today, we reflect on the ways our grandparents have enriched our lives, and we celebrate their contributions to the life of our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 8, 2013, as National Grandparents Day. I call upon all Americans to take the time to honor their own grandparents and those in their community.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

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