Ill STAT. 2814 PROCLAMATION 6954—NOV. 11, 1996 By the year 2030, one in five Americans will be at least 65 years old, compared to one in eight today. In addition, the number of older Americans will double, from the present 34 million to about 69 million. At the same time that our population is aging, more older persons are suffering from chronic illnesses and face potentially disabling conditions. Moreover, individuals with lifelong disabilities are living longer and may require assistance in caring for themselves as they age. The overwhelming majority of older Americans would prefer to remain in their homes while growing older—even when no coordinated system of home- and community-based care is available. As a result, more Americans are becoming involved in caring for family members who want to age with dignity and respect. This week, as we celebrate the contributions of caregivers to their families and communities, let us recognize the challenges these generous individuals must confront on a daily basis—challenges that include fulfilling multiple and often conflicting roles of caregiving for their aging relatives, caring for young children, and working outside their homes. Let us promote community programs and encourage workplace policies that help to lighten or share the burden of their caregiving responsibilities. And let us, as a Nation, recognize and commend the vital role they play in ensuring that older Americans age with grace, dignity, and a precious measure of independence. 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 November 24 through November 30, 1996, as National Family Caregivers Week. I call upon Government officials, businesses, communities, volunteers, educators, and all the people of the United States to acknowledge the contributions made by caregivers this week and throughout the year. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6954 of November 11, 1996 Thanksgiving Day, 1996 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation America's oldest tradition. Thanksgiving is also a reaffirmation of our most deeply held values; a public recognition that, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "God who gave us life gave us liberty." In gratitude for God's gift of freedom and "for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us," George Washington made Thanksgiving his first proclamation for the new Nation, and it is one we are privileged to renew each year. Much has changed for America in the two centuries since that first Thanksgiving proclamation. Generations of hardworking men and women have cultivated our soil and worked the land, and today Amer-
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