[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 15, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 51263-51264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20038]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 176 / Wednesday, September 15, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 51263]]


                Proclamation 10255 of September 10, 2021

                
National Grandparents Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On National Grandparents Day, we celebrate the 
                important role grandparents play in providing love, 
                wisdom, and strength to their families, and fostering 
                greater understanding across generations. Grandmas and 
                grandpas, abuelas y abuelos, nanas and pop-pops--
                through their wisdom, their perseverance, and their 
                unconditional love--strengthen our family bonds. They 
                share with us who we are, where we come from, and the 
                experiences that have shaped their lives, and, in many 
                cases, shaped our Nation.

                For Jill and me, there is no greater joy than spending 
                time with our own grandchildren. They are the love of 
                our lives, and the life of our love.

                The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating 
                to seniors, and too many families have lost 
                grandparents to the virus. We mourn them as a Nation. 
                To honor the memory of those we have lost and protect 
                those most vulnerable, we mobilized an historic 
                vaccination effort. Already, we have fully vaccinated 
                over 82 percent of all seniors and over 64 percent of 
                all adults--allowing grandparents and their loved ones 
                to get back together safely.

                During the worst of COVID-19, we saw the bonds of love 
                that grandparents share with their families remain 
                strong. While the virus denied many grandparents the 
                opportunity to hug their grandchildren, we saw families 
                visiting grandparents outside a window, waving from a 
                safe distance, participating in car parades, or making 
                video calls to stay connected. Grandparents and 
                grandchildren were resilient and creative--sharing 
                recitals, sporting events, graduations, and other 
                important family milestones remotely. Physically apart, 
                we remained bonded by love, faith, and the uniquely 
                American spirit. As we continue our fight against the 
                virus, we are once again able to enjoy the in person 
                warmth and care of our grandparents, and they can enjoy 
                precious time with their children and grandchildren.

                For many families, grandparents are the caregivers who 
                provide trusted support to parents and children alike. 
                They care for grandchildren while their parents are at 
                work, pick up grandchildren from school and activities, 
                and provide advice and comfort when needed most. In 
                increasing numbers, grandparents have become primary 
                caregivers when parents cannot care for their children. 
                They sacrifice their own retirement plans, and often 
                strain their own health and financial stability, to 
                ensure their grandchildren continue to grow and learn 
                within the warm embrace of a loving family.

                In 2018, the Congress enacted the Supporting 
                Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, which 
                established an Advisory Council to Support Grandparents 
                Raising Grandchildren. By the end of this year, the 
                Council will release their first report to the 
                Congress, including recommendations intended to advance 
                change and improve support programs for grandparent and 
                kinship families of all ages.

                My Administration looks forward to the release of this 
                report so that we can use it as a guide to improve the 
                livelihoods of grandparents and other older relative 
                caregivers. As President, I am committed to identifying 
                unmet needs, highlighting systemic gaps, and providing 
                recommendations on how

[[Page 51264]]

                we can work together to improve the lives of 
                grandparents and the children they support.

                Thanks to our whole-of-government response, heroic 
                frontline workers, world-class scientists, and millions 
                of Americans getting vaccinated, many of us are able to 
                hug our grandparents, and gather around a table once 
                again. We still have more work to do, but we have 
                learned to never take time together for granted. If 
                everyone does their part in getting vaccinated--we will 
                continue to create new, joyful memories. We are 
                grateful for the blessing of that opportunity, and we 
                hope every family will cherish their grandparents today 
                and every day.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 12, 
                2021, as National Grandparents Day. I call upon all 
                Americans to celebrate the important role that 
                grandparents play in the lives of their families and 
                the children they love.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-20038
Filed 9-14-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P