WHY FAMILY DAY?

Since 1996, CASA research has consistently shown that the more often a child eats dinner with his family, the less likely that child is to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs.

• CASA's 1998 Teen Survey found that teens that eat dinner with their parents twice a week or less were four times more likely to smoke cigarettes, three times more likely to smoke marijuana and nearly twice as likely to drink as those who ate dinner with their parents six or seven times a week.

• CASA's 1999 Teen Survey found that teens from families that almost never eat dinner together were 72 percent likelier than the average teen to use illegal drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, while those from families that almost always eat dinner together were 31 percent less likely than the average teen to engage in these activities.

Research by other organizations has shown that teens who eat frequent family dinners are less likely than other teens to have sex at young ages, get into fights or be suspended from school, and are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide. Frequent family dining is also correlated with doing well in school and developing healthy eating habits. This pattern holds true regardless of a teen's sex, family structure, and family socioeconomic level.

For more information, go to CASA's latest teen survey.

FAMILY DAY 2003

CASA is again working with the White House, governors, mayors and other organizations to promote Family Day on September 22, 2003.  So far, in 2003, the governors of the following 12 states have issued proclamations declaring December 22, 2003, "Family Day;"   Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.  The mayors of the following cities have already issued proclamation for 2003: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Chesapeake, Virginia; Fremont, California; Henderson, Nevada; Hialeah, Florida; Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky; Pomona, California; Stockton, California; Salinas, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and  Shreveport, Louisiana.

For the second year, The Coca-Cola Company is a national sponsor with the help of Viacom Outdoor. Bus and subway posters will advertise Family Day in nine metropolitan areas and we are working on promotions throughout the country.   National Amusements will place a Family Day slide on more than 1,000 movie screens in 12 states running for a period of four weeks.

We expect all the organizations that endorsed Family Day last year to endorse Family Day 2003.  If the governor of your state hasn't declared Family Day yet, send him or her a letter. For a sample letter and proclamation, click here (for letter) and here (for proclamation). You can also write to your mayor, city council, or any other local officials and ask for a Family Day proclamation.

FAMILY DAY 2002

In 2002, President Bush and the governors of the following 35 states and Washington, D.C. have issued proclamations declaring September 23rd, 2002, "Family Day:" Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

New organizations that have joined us in 2002 include the AFL-CIO, the National Parent Teacher Association, Publix Super Markets Inc., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration. This year we also are working with school superintendents and commissioners, as well as members of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors to promote Family Day in all fifty states.

FAMILY DAY 2001

In 2001, President Bush and the governors of 35 states proclaimed the fourth Monday in September "Family Day." (To see President Bush's Family Day proclamation, click here).

Numerous national organizations endorsed and promoted Family Day: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Central Conference of American Rabbis,  Florida Office of Drug Control, Join Together, KidsPeace, National Association of Counties, National Council of Churches, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Council on Family Relations, National Families in Action, National Family Partnership, National Fatherhood Initiative, National Restaurant Association, National Tabletop and Giftware Association, Points of Light Foundation, Union of American Hebrew Congregations,  U.S. Conference of Mayors, Washington D.C. Department of Health.  We received a tremendous amount of grassroots support from state and local groups across the country.