Mormon Radio, TV Ads Win Award

The Mormon Church’s “Homefront” radio and television advertisement campaign has won an award as part of the inaugural National Parents Day.

The National Parents Day Foundation honored The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, among several other organizations, at a Washington, D.C., ceremony highlighting the groups’ contributions to strengthening families.

The church’s Homefront series, launched in the early 1970s, has been sent to 1,400 television and 11,000 radio stations nationwide. The series has won three Emmys and 18 Clios, the top award of the advertising industry.

Church officials say that while the United States has been the primary audience for the ads, they have been shown in several other countries.

“Wherever I go, people say, ‘Oh, yes--you guys are the ones who do those fabulous commercials about families,’ ” said T. LaMar Sleight, public affairs director of the Mormon Church’s North America Northeast Area.

“We believe in strong families--they are the basic unit of the church--and we believe that our society will only be as strong as its families,” he said.

Singer Pat Boone, who served as honorary chairman of the first observance of National Parents Day, echoed the church’s affirmation of the family.

“I think [God’s] favorite people are parents, because He’s trusted into their hands other people who are created in His own image,” Boone said. “Parenting is a sacred challenge and perhaps the most important one in this or any society.”