Celebrating Traditional Family Values Proclamation on Tuesday, June 3

There is some great news in the culture war for families! The Coeur d'Alene City Council and Mayor Woody McEvers have agreed to proclaim Traditional Family Values Month! Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3rd at the Coeur d'Alene City Council meeting, the Traditional Family Values proclamation will be read out loud at the beginning of the meeting. We would like all who support Traditional Family Values to be there!

Date: Tuesday, June 3 @ 6pm

Location: CDA Library Community Room, downstairs/across from the Children's Library

Please come early to grab a spot!

Join us on Tuesday!

More about Traditional Family Values Month from TradFam.org:

TradFam is dedicated to celebrating the beauty and importance of the Traditional Family that is the foundation of a healthy, thriving society.

To do this we are proposing that we set aside a month to celebrate, support and educate on the importance of the family.

The celebration would start on Mother’s Day, the second Sunday of May, and ending on Father’s Day, the third Sunday of June. Each week during this period we will celebrate a different part of the family as follows:

Week One: Celebration of Motherhood

Week Two: Celebration of Sons, Brothers & Uncles

Week Three: Celebration of Grandparents

Week Four: Celebration of Daughters, Sisters & Aunts

Week Five: Celebration of Fatherhood & the Marriage Between a Man & a Woman

---

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, traditional families, consisting of a natural mother and father, children, and extended family, have been a cornerstone of society, fostering security, stability and values of citizenship, as noted by the International Federation for Family Development: "Children in healthy, married, two-parent families are more likely to lead happy, successful lives...Families are the most powerful, humane, and economical system for building competence and character"; and;

WHEREAS, the freedom to uphold these values, rooted in the laws of nature and protected by the U.S. Constitution, is vital to societal well-being; and

WHEREAS, traditional families have declined significantly, with only 17.8% of Americans living in nuclear families today, compared to 77.5% of children living with married parents in 1960, while single-person households rose from 13% in 1960 to 28% in 2018, divorce rates increased from 27% in 1950 to 45% today, and births to unmarried women rose from 5% in 1960 to 40% now; and

WHEREAS, children in single-parent households face higher risks, with 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of behavior disorders, and 85% of youths in prisons coming from fatherless homes, while children in stable, two-parent homes have an 80% chance of escaping poverty compared to 50% for those with single mothers, and

WHEREAS, stable families yield lower rates of mental illness, addiction, crime, and teenage pregnancy, providing the lowest-cost option for individuals and society; and

WHEREAS, courageous single parents benefit from the support of strong families, and communities thrive when traditional family values are celebrated to nurture the next generation; and

WHEREAS, the Idaho State Legislature passed, in 2025, HCR18 declaring a Traditional Family Values Month to bring awareness to Traditional Families and challenges they face.

NOW, THEREFORE, I WOODY MCEVERS, Mayor of the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, do hereby proclaim Mother's Day, May 11th to Father's Day, June 15th, 2025 as

"TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES MONTH"

In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, recognizing the value of families with a natural mother, father, children and extended relatives.

Celebrating: The first week, including Mother's Day, for motherhood; The second week for sons, brothers, and uncles; The third week for grandparents; The fourth week for daughters, sisters, an aunts; and The fifth period, including Father's Day, for fatherhood and marriage between a man and a woman.

Acknowledging the evidence-based physical, mental, and moral benefits children gain from traditional family structures, particularly with involved biological fathers;

Encouraging communities, schools, churches, and businesses to celebrate Traditional Family Values Month to promote cohesiveness, peace, and civility.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of Coeur d'Alene to be affixed this June 3rd, 2025.

Woody McEvers, Mayor of Coeur d'Alene