Father’s Day is right around the corner! The very first Father’s Day celebration took place at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington, in 2010 when Sonora Smart Dodd, whose mother died when she was 16 years old, wanted a day to celebrate her special dad. Mother’s Day was already a day dedicated to moms, but Dodd felt that her father should be recognized for raising six children on his own.
In honor of all of the fathers in our lives, and to inspire thought behind the holiday first celebrated at the YMCA, the Plymouth Family YMCA asked local kids to submit an essay answering the question “Why is my dad so special that I’d like to run a 5K with him?” Winners of the contest will receive complimentary entries into the Plymouth Father’s Day Run with their dads on June 21. Additionally, RunDTP, who is co-sponsoring the contest with the YMCA, will provide each winner with gift certificates for lunch with their special dads.
All of the essays were amazing, making it difficult to select three winners… Congratulations to Casey, Maggie and Megan!
Read the essays below.
- Why My Dad Is Special
By Megan
My dad is special because he is always helping and supporting me. I know he will always be there and I can count on him even when he is angry at me. I know he wants only the best for me and will do all he can to make sure I am happy. Some of the things he does are little, others are big, but they mean the world to me. He leaves work early to make sure I get to my dance classes on time. He gives me tips on projects and lends a hand if I need it. When I am upset, he comforts me and tries to make me laugh or smile. Dad even lets me help him fix the cars and build go-carts.
When we are in the car, he sings with me. He doesn’t care if he looks silly – we just have fun. Sometimes, he even does goofy little dances that make me shake my head in embarrassment. My dad takes me to Monster Jam at least once a year. It is our special thing together. We even get to go to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner before as a treat. And he takes me camping so I can drive the golf cart and go on hikes with him.
When I was in Girls on the Run, he would come and cheer me on as often as he could. He helped me train for my 5K and kept me motivated so I didn’t give up. He even went out and helped me choose a good pair of running shoes.
All of these reasons are why I think my dad is special and deserves the chance to join in the Father’s Day Run with me.
- Why is Your Dad so Special That You Would Like to Run a 5K with Him?
By Maggie
When I saw this question, so many answers flowed through my head. You might be thinking my answers were: ‘He’s nice.’ or ‘He’s kind’ But my Dad is so much more than that. Here are just two of the many answers.
My Dad is special because he’s always there for me. Whether it is losing a soccer game to getting a bad grade on a test, my Dad is always there to make me feel better. He always let’s me know that if I work hard enough, I can win the next soccer game or ace the next test. After that he will tell me ways that I can achieve those goals and helps me along the way. My Dad always helps me get back onto my feet. One of the only ways to let him know that I am truly grateful for his support isn’t something that you can purchase at Target, it is running a 5K with him. My Dad loves to make memories and this is a special way I can make memories with him.
My final reason that my Dad is special is because he is always trying to make my family laugh. Whether it’s his old man voice or The Sleeping Monster’ game that my brothers and I used to play with him, he’s always trying to be funny. He’s always got that special sense of humor everywhere he goes from Universal Studios to just driving me to school. By running this 5K with him, I will be able to make him laugh on the run. In the past I have made jokes about how I was going to beat him and how red his face was.
For those reasons, I would like to run a 5K with my special Dad.
- Why is my dad so special that I’d like to run a 5K with him
By Casey
My dad is so special that I’d like to run a 5k with him because he is my biggest supporter when it comes to health and athletics. I have Autism and I much prefer to be on the computer, but my dad has helped me make a habit of working out every other day at our rec center. I feel good when I work out, and he’s taught me that being active is important. He also goes with me to special needs soccer every Sunday afternoon and helps me out a bit on the field, although I’ve gotten pretty good on my own now, thanks to his coaching. He takes care of me and is always there for me, and my mom calls us two peas in a pod. I want try to run a 5k, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather do it with than my dad, Bill Davis.