By Elizabeth Willoughby on
Mothers’ Day is a time for recognizing all moms, including some outstanding celebrities. Love Our Children USA has announced the fourth annual “Mothers Who Make A Difference” list, and Cookie magazine has announced their third annual “Smart Cookie” award winners.
In an effort to acknowledge women role models, Love Our Children USA is looking at women with busy careers who nevertheless manage to be good moms and get involved in charitable causes. CEO Ross Ellis says, “We are delighted to honor and celebrate these selfless and caring women who contribute so much to their children, families, society and to various causes.”
The key goal of the organisation is to prevent violence and neglect against children, and the recipient line up for the awards is impressive – Jessica Alba, Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, Tina Fey, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, and Julianne Moore are all on this year’s list.
Cookie magazine looks to honor, “the symbiotic relationship between motherhood and citizenship” by awarding women for whom, “bringing kids into the world sparked a palpable desire to bring change to it, too.” Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman are two such women.
“I think that in some ways, all women are mothers,” says Hayek. "It’s in our nature to protect, to nurture, and to feel empathy; this programming just kicks in more strongly when you have children…After having a baby, I found I became so much more vulnerable—to work on a lot of issues and not see a lot of change can become very depressing… I started working with UNICEF on raising money for and awareness of the tetanus-vaccination campaign. Tetanus doesn’t really exist in the United States, but it’s still a threat in remote parts of the world, especially to new mothers and infants. By getting the vaccines to these places that need them and by training the locals in how to administer them, we can eliminate tetanus in three to five years. It can be history."
Thurman got involved with Room to Grow 10 years ago when she was expecting her first child. “I lived in the same brownstone as founder Julie Burns, who was just starting it,” says Thurman. “I would see her come in with bags and bags of baby goods. My main function is in fund-raising for the organization, which provides clothing, gear, and developmental toys to children ages 0 to 3 who are living in poverty in New York City and Boston. Clients of Room to Grow meet with social workers on a regular basis for two hours at a time; it’s very dignified and private…Can you imagine a child arriving in kindergarten having never held a book? It’s great to be able to help another mother who has all the same aspirations for her children you do but lacks the resources.”
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars
