Written by Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

There are lots of ways to celebrate Independence Day. There are even few web pages that share fun 4th of July statistics. Here are a few of those stats from statisticbrain.com:

• 63% of people attend a fireworks display.
• 66% of people display an American flag.
• 32% of people attend a parade.
• 80% of people attend a barbecue, picnic, or cookout—of which 150 million hot dogs, 700 million pounds of chicken, and 190 million pounds of red meat and pork are consumed.

There seems to be one statistic missing—how many people actually know what Independence Day is? According to abcnews.com, only 14% of U.S. teens understand that the 4th of July marks the historic day where we declared independence from France. That’s a whopping (more than) “5 million U.S. teenagers who don’t understand the true meaning of Independence Day.”

During your celebration of our independence, take a moment and share the reason for the celebration with the future leaders of America. You can make it fun! International Business Times shares “15 Fun Things to Know About Independence Day.”

You can also comment below to let us know what activities you have planned. As a way to help you get to know your NSPN family, we asked the following:

“How do you celebrate your independence, or what do you do on Independence Day?”

• Laurie Jackson, President/Chief Executive Officer: “Relax, honor our military, and spend time with family, and of course, fireworks.”
• Tammy Hopper, Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer: “My father passed away on the 4th of July. I now think of him on that day and how his passing was his way of gaining independence from the disease that controlled his body for so long.”
• Shauna Brooks, Principal Investigator: “My favorite way to celebrate the 4th of July is grilling out burgers and dogs, enjoyed along with a fine craft beer, and watching fireworks after the sun sets.”
• April Carthorn, General Specialist: “I celebrate my independence with daily demonstrations of good citizenship, positive character (being trustworthy, responsible, caring, fair, generous, and consistent). I make my own decisions. I also celebrate with family and friends at cookouts or public events—and I love watching exploding fireworks.”
• Sherry Casey, Operations and Administration Manager: “Cookout and family time with fireworks.”
• Lindsey Collier, Human Trafficking Specialist: “Gather with family and friends and grill out.”
• Zach Elmore, Operations Specialist: “Family and fireworks. My dad puts on a show that draws most of the neighborhood children, with homemade ice cream afterwards.”
• Kim Frierson, Training Specialist: “On Independence day, I enjoy having a family dinner.”
• Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations: “I don’t do anything special—just relax and do whatever comes up.”
• Rachel Hurst, Development Associate: “It’s my brother-in-law’s birthday, so usually I go home to visit my family and we have a cookout, some fireworks, and a campfire with s’mores.”
• Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator: “On Independence Day, I like to be with my family, grill out, and watch fireworks.”
• Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events: “I celebrate my independence by being thankful for it. Being able to show appreciation for freedom is a privilege—one many individuals don’t have the opportunity to experience.”

Learn more about your NSPN family at https://nspn.memberclicks.net/our-team.