Father's Day, 2016

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9464 of June 17, 2016

Father's Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Blessed with the extraordinary privilege and remarkable
responsibility of fatherhood, dads play vital roles in
our lives--inspiring us to reach for our highest
potential, lifting us up when we need it most, and
helping us become the people we were meant to be. Doing
right by our families is the most important job any of
us will ever have. On Father's Day, we thank the
wonderful fathers--and stepfathers, grandfathers,
uncles, brothers, and mentors--in our lives, and we
recognize the sacrifices they make to be there for us,
through good times and bad.

Fathers provide the discipline, guidance, and love it
takes to flourish. With persistence and patience,
generosity and integrity, they build our cores and help
us understand right from wrong. They are some of our
earliest and strongest sources of support and
encouragement, and they serve as role models and
sounding boards in our youth and as we grow. From
single fathers who struggle to make ends meet to
surrogates who step up to be there for America's
daughters and sons, these men help shoulder the
greatest obligation that exists--raising the next
generation. Regardless of sexual orientation, gender
identity, or marital status; whether biological,
foster, or adoptive; fathers teach their children the
values that matter most and steer their moral
compasses.

My Administration is dedicated to enacting policies
that make it easier for working fathers to support
their families, including paid family leave. We must
promote responsible fatherhood by lifting up the
fathers who do their part to be the parents and
providers their children need and by rejecting any
excuse for failing to meet this obligation. Too many
Americans grow up without a father figure in their
lives, and it is imperative that America's responsible
men step up to be mentors for our young people in need
of guidance. To learn more, visit www.Fatherhood.gov or
www.Mentor.gov.

Being a father is about more than just having
children--it is about summoning the courage to love and
support them over anything else. We must always strive
to be the best parents and role models we can be and
commit to being present in the lives of our kids.
Nothing is more precious than the moments we get to
spend with our families--in conversations at the dinner
table, coaching tips shouted from the sidelines, or
profound experiences of learning and growing and
teaching. Today, let us express our gratitude for the
men who have enriched our lives and shaped our
characters, and let us never stop working to show them
how much they are valued and loved.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, in accordance with a joint
resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972, as
amended (36 U.S.C. 109), do hereby proclaim June 19,
2016, as Father's Day. I direct the appropriate
officials of the Government to display the flag of the
United States on all Government buildings on this day,
and I call upon all citizens to observe this day with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.