National Family Week, 2002

Proclamation 7360 of November 22, 2002

National Family Week, 2002

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Families provide a loving environment where children
can flourish; and they help ensure that cultural
traditions and timeless values are passed on to future
generations. During National Family Week, we reaffirm
the importance of families as a vital source of
strength, confidence, and compassion for all of our
citizens.

Strong families play a critical role in developing the
character of our Nation. They teach children important
standards of conduct such as accepting responsibility,
respecting others, and distinguishing the difference
between right and wrong. By helping America's youth to
grow into mature, thoughtful, and caring citizens,
families help make our communities and our Nation safer
and more civilized.

Raising a child requires sacrifice, commitment, and
time; and we must expand our efforts to strengthen and
empower families so that they can prepare children more
effectively for the challenges of adulthood. We know
that by helping couples to build and sustain strong,
two-parent families, we will contribute to the well-
being of our children and the strength of our society.
Many single parents, grandparents, and others also
raise their children in difficult circumstances, and
these dedicated individuals deserve our respect and
support.

My Administration is firmly committed to helping our
Nation's youth reach their full potential; and one of
the most important ways to do this is by strengthening
America's families. Earlier this year, I signed
bipartisan legislation to expand the Promoting Safe and
Stable Families Program, which provides States with
vital resources to help families stay together and to
promote adoption. The Program seeks to prevent child
abuse and neglect, avoid removing children from their
homes, support family reunification services, and help
those children who are unable to return home by
providing crucial adoption and post-adoptive services.
These important resources benefit families across our
Nation and hold the promise of a bright future for
countless young people.

My welfare reform agenda also will strengthen families.
We plan on continuing to provide historically high
levels of support for childcare and child support
enforcement. And we will continue to encourage strong
marriages and two-parent married families as a worthy
policy goal.

No marriage or family is perfect. But through education
and counseling programs that our faith-based,
charitable, and government communities can provide, we
will support couples as they work to build and sustain
healthy marriages and strive to provide a better
quality of life for their children. By promoting
responsible child-rearing and strong families, my
Administration will work towards the goal that every
child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and
loving home.

As families come together to celebrate this
Thanksgiving, I encourage every member of a family in
America to recognize the important role every other
family member plays in making their lives whole and
more complete. And as we give thanks for the love,
commitment, and encouragement our families

provide, we must recommit ourselves to strengthen our
Nation by strengthening our families in ways that
government never can.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim November 24 through November
30, 2002, as National Family Week. I invite the States,
communities, and people of the United States to join
together in observing this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities to honor our Nation's
families.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-second day of November, in the year of our Lord
two thousand two, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

(Presidential Sig.)B