[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1999)]
[Pages 1986-1988]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7238--National Children's Day, 1999

October 8, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The children of America are our most precious gift and our greatest 
responsibility. Their well-being is one of the greatest measures of our 
success as a society, and our ability to provide them with a loving, 
safe, and supportive environment will help determine the character of 
our Nation.
    We can be proud of the progress we have made in creating such 
environments. To

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strengthen families and homes, we have provided tax relief to working 
families, raised the minimum wage, and enacted the Family and Medical 
Leave Act so that parents can take time off to be with a sick child or 
new baby without putting their jobs at risk. To give more children a 
healthy start in life, we have extended health care coverage to millions 
of previously uninsured children. To help America's youth reach their 
full potential, my Administration has urged the Congress to pass 
legislation to provide our students with a first-rate education by 
ensuring that they are educated by well-prepared teachers, in smaller 
classes, in modern and safe buildings, and with the latest in 
information technology.
    On National Children's Day, however, we must also reflect soberly on 
how far we still have to go to make our communities safe and nurturing 
places for our children. One of our greatest challenges is to provide 
health coverage for the almost 11 million American children who are 
still uninsured. Many of these children are eligible for Medicaid or 
qualify for coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Programs that 
are now operating in every State across our Nation. Educators, 
policymakers, health care professionals, and business, community, and 
media leaders have a vital role to play in raising parents' awareness of 
their children's eligibility for this important coverage and making sure 
that these children are enrolled.
    America must also confront the recent senseless acts of violence 
that have taken the lives and the innocence of so many young people. 
Places where they once felt safe--schools and churches and day care 
facilities--have been shaken by violence. Addressing this assault on our 
society's values and our children's future is a top priority of my 
Administration. We must work together--parents, students, educators, 
public officials, and religious, community, and industry leaders--to 
instill in our youth a sense of compassion, tolerance, and self-respect, 
so that they may find their way in a troubled world. We must also help 
them develop the strength to express their own anger and alienation with 
words, not weapons.
    One of the most powerful tools we have in this endeavor is youth 
mentoring. A recent Department of Justice study showed that mentoring 
programs help young people resist violence and substance abuse, perform 
better academically, and interact more positively with their families 
and with other youth. Recognizing the value of mentoring programs, 
particularly to the well-being of millions of at-risk youth, my 
Administration announced earlier this year several public and private 
initiatives to encourage mentoring, and we set aside $14 million in 
grants for the Justice Department's Juvenile Mentoring Program.
    Children bring so much hope, joy, and love to our lives; in return, 
we owe them our time, our attention, the power of our example, and the 
comfort of our concern. It is a fair trade, and one that enriches the 
lives of us all.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton,  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 October 
10, 1999, as National Children's Day. I urge all Americans to express 
their love and appreciation for the children of our Nation on this day 
and on every day throughout the year. I invite Federal officials, local 
governments, communities, and all American families to join in observing 
this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also urge all 
Americans to reflect upon the importance of children to our families, 
the importance of strong families to our children, and the importance of 
both to America.
    In Witness Whereof,  I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 13, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
October 14.

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