In Honor of National Parents’ Day
July 17, 2025
If you were to ask a parent, “What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?” I imagine most wouldn’t hesitate to say it’s the humans they were able to bring into this world. Parenting isn’t easy; in fact, it may bring some of the biggest challenges an adult can face, but just as many, if not more, moments of true joy, gratitude, and boundless love follow close behind. It takes bravery, patience, empathy, dedication, and so much love to guide another soul through life.
Those qualities shine brightly in every parent and guardian we’ve had the privilege to serve alongside here at Homeward Bound. Today, on National Parents’ Day, we pause to honor and celebrate you; the mothers, fathers, grandparents, guardians, and chosen family who pour your hearts into creating safe, loving homes and futures full of possibility.
National Parents’ Day was established in 1994 as a day to recognize, support, and uplift the vital role parents play in raising children around the world. But Homeward Bound’s story of honoring parents’ courage began long before this official day of recognition.
Travel back to 1973 with us, a time when the oil crisis loomed, the echoes of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy filled the airwaves, hip-hop was on the rise, and Billie Jean King was winning the Battle of the Sexes. It was also the year something extraordinary took root right here in our community.
On August 14th, 1973, a group of devoted parents with children who faced a variety of physical and developmental challenges came together with one shared vision: that their loved ones deserved better. They founded Homeward Bound with a dream of supporting children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities by providing 24-hour specialized nursing care and individualized housing options in neighborhood-based group living environments.
This was a radical shift from the status quo. At the time, families were often forced to choose between institutionalization or caring for loved ones at home without adequate resources, in an era when deinstitutionalization had barely begun. These families refused to accept that their children’s futures should be defined by limitations, isolation, or empty hallways. Instead, they knew deep in their hearts that every person deserves a place to call home, the freedom to be themselves, and the safety and security of a family’s unwavering love.
They knew their loved ones deserved champions in their corner — not stereotypes or assumptions about what was possible. They dreamed of spaces where people could thrive, belong, and grow into the best version of themselves.
It took courage, community, and an unshakable belief in each other. These parents paved a path that didn’t exist yet, leaning on one another and their neighbors, building trust and support systems so their loved ones could live with dignity, choice, and joy.
Their legacy is woven into every heartbeat of Homeward Bound today. It lives on in every smile shared at our homes, every milestone celebrated together, and every person who feels seen, safe, and loved just as they are.
So, on this National Parents’ Day, we stand in awe of you — the ones who show up, who love without conditions, who remind us that every child, no matter their needs or abilities, deserves a world that welcomes them home. May we continue to carry this truth forward, building spaces and communities where every individual is free to be themselves and secure in the knowledge that they are loved beyond measure.
To all the parents and guardians who inspire us daily: thank you for your courage, your tenderness, and your unwavering hope. We celebrate you — today and always.
Further Reading:
- At Homeward Bound We Are Family – Homeward Bound, Inc.
- Our History: 50 Years of Care and Innovation
- How We Support Families Today
- For mothers and for fathers
~Terrina White, Development Coordinator
