Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 99 Part 2.djvu/883

 PROCLAMATION 5281—NOV. 15, 1984

99 STAT. 1993

National Adoption Week gives us an opportuntiy to reaffirm our commitment to give every child waiting to be adopted the chance to become part of a family. During this Thanksgiving season, let us work to encourage community acceptance and support for adoption and take time to recognize the efforts of the parent groups and agencies that assure adoptive placements for waiting children. Most importantly, let us pay tribute to those special couples who have opened their homes and hearts to adopted children, forming the bonds of love that we call the family. The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 238, has designated the week of 98 Stat. 314. November 19 through November 25, 1984, as "National Adoption Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of November 19 through November 25, 1984, as National Adoption Week, and I call on all Americans and governmental and private agencies to observe the week with appropriate activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth. RONALD REAGAN Proclamation 5281 of November 15, 1984

National Family Week, 1984 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Strong families are the foundation of society. Through them we pass on our traditions, rituals, and values. From them we receive the love, encouragement, and education needed to meet human challenges. Family life provides opportunities and time for the spiritual growth that fosters generosity of spirit and responsible citizenship. Family experiences shape our response to the larger communities in which we live. The best American traditions echo family values that call on us to nurture and guide the young, to help enrich the lives of the handicapped, to assist less fortunate neighbors, and to cherish the elderly. Let us summon our individual and community resources to promote healthy families capable of carrying on these traditions and providing strength to our society. National Family Week gives us a chance to honor families and to renew our commitment to the family strength that gives people the ability to withstand external influences and maintain their individual integrity. We should take this occasion to commend the loyalty family members show one another in facing the adversities as well as the joys of life together. And let us especially honor those Americans who, through adoption or foster care, have extended their families as centers of love and life to those in need of true family support. The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 211, has designated the week of November 18 through November 24, 1984, as "National Family Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

98 Stat. 229.

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