2011 Celebration of Motherhood at the State Capitol

RuthAnn Sullivan

May 14, 2011 "Celebration of Motherhood" at the State Capitol in Frankfort, KY.

Today is a day of honoring mothers; two in particular,  Mrs. Susan Hill, 2011 Kentucky Mother of the Year, and Mrs. RuthAnn Sullivan, 2011 Kentucky Young Mother.  It is also a day of recognizing the creative writing of three 5th grade students that wrote about their mothers.

The program went as follows:  I welcomed everyone out, Pearl Taylor, Mother of the Year from 2001 gave the invocation, and then I introduced RuthAnn Sullivan.  

She spoke for 10 minutes on the influence of evil and how we need to prepare our homes and families.  I presented her with a roses, her Young Mother necklace, an engraved silver tray,  a certificate from American Mothers, a letter from Senator Rand Paul and a Proclamation from Judge Executive of Oldham County, David Voegle.

Susan Hill

Next I introduced Susan Hill.  She spoke for 10 minutes sharing many joyous moments in raising her family.  

I presented her with a roses, her Mother of the Year pin (presented previously), an engraved silver tray,  a certificate from American Mothers, a letter from Senator Rand Paul and a Proclamation from Mayer Fisher of Louisville, KY.

I then introduced the 5th grade essay program and announced that we were here to honor our three state finalist.  

Cole Geredmann took 3rd place - he read his essay.  I had already presented him with a certificate and gift card to Barnes and Noble at his school, but today I presented him with a proclamation from Judge Executive David Voegle and a gift certificate from Osbourne Books.  

This repeated with the second place winner, Abby Harlan,

















and the first place winner, Morgan Jemtrud.  

It was my pleasure to also publicly announce that Morgan was named the 2nd place winner in the National Essay Contest.  I presented her with a letter, certificate and check for $75.  She was thrilled.

We concluded with a brief expression of thanks, and an explanation of what we do in American Mothers.  I shared some of the programs that we run in the state.  We then adjourned to the Rotunda for photos.

Cole Gerdemann and his mother Karri,
Abby Harlan and her mother, Dana,
Morgan Jemtrud and her mother Jamie.

Following the photo session we caravanned to the Candleberry Tea Room for a luncheon.  There were approximately 20 that attended the luncheon.  What a wonderful lunch.

What a great and successful day.  I felt very good about everything that had happened and look forward to seeing RuthAnn Sullivan and Susan Hill share the values of family and home throughout our wonderful state of Kentucky!

American Mothers
Betsy Lowe, Jamie Jemtrud, Dana Harlan, Karri Gerdemann, Carrol Hoagland, Susan Hill, RuthAnn Sullivan, Pearl Taylor, Teresa Pina, Norma Hodge, Vivian Foe and LaDonna Richardson.

Mothers of the Year:  Betsy Lowe 1996, Carrol Hoagland 2000, Norma Hodge 1980, Susan Hill 2011, RuthAnn Sullivan 2011, Pearl Taylor 2002, and Vivian Price 1994

Susan Hill, 2011 Kentucky Mother of the Year
Betsy Lowe, Kentucky State President
RuthAnn Sullivan, 2011 Kentucky Young Mother

Susan with her family, husband Robert Hill and one of their three children John,
Betsy Lowe,
RuthAnn with her husband Kenn Sullivan

National Convention in Salt Lake City

 

This year's convention was held at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The state of Kentucky's President, Mrs. Betsy Lowe along with the state Mother of the Year, Mrs. Susan Hill and the state Young Mother, Mrs. RuthAnn Sullivan were in attendance.

The first day was filled with National Board meetings and orientation meetings.  That evening we were treated to dinner and entertainment at Heritage Place.  First we had a delicious barbecue, followed by a touring train ride to the first settlement of Utah.  There were were entertained with line dancing, folk story telling and more.  It was a wonderful evening.

A side benefit of attending national convention is that you have the opportunity to see friends from all around the country that you would not normally see.  Above, Betsy with Vivian Dibbs of NC and Karla Cox of UT.  Below, Susan Hill with her husband, Robert before boarding the train.

Shauna Dunn and the violinist/fiddlers

The next morning started early with the Tapestry breakfast followed by the Young Mother's speeches.  

State Meeting, May 14

Celebration of Motherhood

Saturday, May 14

11:00 a.m. (EST)

State Capital, Frankfort, KY

Honoring:

2011 Mother of the Year

Mrs. Susan Hill

2011 Young Mother

Mrs. RuthAnn Sullivan

2011 Essay winners

Ms. Morgan Jemtrud

Ms. Abby Harden

Mr. Cole Gerdemann

Reports from National Convention will be given by State President, Betsy Lowe.

Luncheon after meeting at China Tea Room

RSVP:  Betsy Lowe @ 502-749-4339

National Day of Prayer, May 5

National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 5th! The National Day of Prayer has a long standing history in the United States with the call to pray first made by the Continental Congress in 1775.  Records indicate that there have been at least 914 state and federal calls for prayer since 1775.  To find an event in your community, please click here.

2011 Winners of the 5th grade essay contest

Over the coarse of two day, Betsy Lowe, State President traveled to Locust Grove Elementary School in Centerille, KY and then to Harmony Elementary School in Goshen, KY to make the award presentations to our 5th grade essay contest "What My Mother Means to Me" contest winners.

At Harmony Elementary, Mrs. Lowe presented Cole Gerdemann with 3rd place in the state.

 and Abby Harlan with 2nd place in the state.  Each of their presentations and essays were shared aloud over the TV school broadcast.

Cole Gerdemann and Abby Harlan, from Harmony Elementary School

Cole and Abby with their awards and certificates

Photos and info from Locust Grove coming soon!

RuthAnn Sullivan, 2011 Young Mother

RuthAnn Sullivan of Peewee Valley was selected as the 2011 Kentucky Young Mother.  

RuthAnn Sullivan with her husband Kenn Sullivan

RuthAnn Benson Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, UT, has lived in Naples, FL, and currently resides in Peewee Valley, KY.  She studied at Ricks College in Rexburg, ID where she met and married her best friend, Kenn Sullivan.  They have been married 16 years and have five beautiful children whom RuthAnn currently home schools for the second time around.  Originally, she home schooled due to an upcoming move.  Then, after returning to public school for two years, her children beggar, pleaded and bargained to home school again because as her oldest put it, "I get to learn so much more."  When she isn't home schooling, she spends her time writing a book, driving kids to activities, helping her husband with his business, and volunteering at church.  Her interests include reading, playing piano, studying the Constitution, traveling, video editing, and staying abreast of the news.

Susan Hill 2011 Kentucky Mother of the Year

Susan Hill of Louisville was selected as the 2011 Kentucky Mother of the Year.

Susan Hill with her husband Robert Hill

Susan Hill is former President and CEO of Diabetes Care & Education, a company she founded in 1996.  At 19-years-old Susan was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  She focused her time and energy in learning all she could about the disease and sharing her knowledge with others. She received a Bachelors Degree in Biology from Vanderbilt University in 1975 and a Masters Degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Brigham Young University in 1985. Between degrees, Susan served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boston, Massachusetts. She married her husband Robert in 1981. They have three wonderful children, Liz, John and Chris. Susan enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom while the children were young, volunteering at church and directing day camps for children with diabetes. Presently, she is Director of Public Affairs for her Church in Kentucky and on the Board of Eastern Area Community Ministries.

January 2011 State Meeting

Dear Honored Members,

I hope the new year has been good to you so far. We had a very busy year for Kentucky in American Mothers, Inc. last year, but we didn’t get together very much. I so missed seeing you this year. I hope our schedules will allow us a better opportunity to gather and meet.

I hope you have enjoyed the updates on the Kentucky AMI web site. www.KentuckyAMI.blogspot.com. It is there for you and others to enjoy. Because of our web site we were recognized and the recipient of a $2,500 grant from the Hilliard Lions Foundation.

We have much to go over as an organization. There have been some changes regarding the state organizations from the national level. We need to review these changes as a group and decide our direction.

We are hosting the first State Association meeting of the year at my house (6104 Laurel Lane, Prospect, KY) on January 29, 2011 starting at 11:00 am and then going to eat at Verbena Cafe’. Meals range in price from $6.25 to $11.49. This restaurant serves breakfast and lunch all day in a quaint comfortable atmosphere. You can go to their web site and review their menu before coming. Please RSVP to Betsy Manship at 270-842-0860 for meeting and lunch reservations.

Verbena Café
Owners: Mike and Laurie Cortino
10639 Meeting Street
Suite 103 and 104
Phone: (502) 425-0020
www.verbenacafe.com

Please bring any Mother of the Year or Young Mother applications with you to the meeting. The search committee need them to make their final selections (provided we have any).

Also, bring a few items to auction off to help our Mother of the Year and Young Mother attend National Convention in April. We hope to have both positions represented for the state of Kentucky.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely yours,

Betsy Lowe
Kentucky State President
American Mothers Inc.
502-749-4339

Recipient of Grant

To our great surprise, the Kentucky Association of American Mothers, Inc. was the gracious recipient of a $2500 grant from The Community Foundations of Louisville in conjunction with The Charitable Contributions Committee at J.J.B. Hillard, W.L. Lyons, LLC.

Betsy Lowe receiving the grant announcement from the Charitable Contribution Committee at Hilliard Lions

What a blessed day for American Mothers, Inc.

We can do so much good with this grant.

A sincere thank you to all those that thought of us and made this happen.

PRESS RELEASE: Young Mothers Search Begins

Qualifications for Nomination as State Young Mother:

1. Be a member in good standing of American Mothers by February 20 of the year for which she is nominated and be willing to participate in AMI activities and support its goals as defined by its mission statement.
2. Have been married to her husband, a man, in a legal ceremony.
3. Be a mother of at least one child (excluding foster or step children), all of whom are under the age of 18 by Mother's Day of the year she is nominated.
4. Be an example of one who is striving to improve her mothering skills.
5. Be willing to serve in American Mothers in her state.
6. Be an active member of a faith-based organization.
7. Be able to complete the required portfolio (available at www.americanmothers.org)

If you would like to recommend someone that can fulfill the above requirements please contact the Betsy Lowe, Kentucky Association State President of American Mothers, Inc. at BLoweAMI@aol.com or at 502-749-4339. Thank you!

All nominee's forms need to be submitted by January 15, 2011.

PRESS RELEASE: Mother of the Year Search has begun

Qualifications for Nomination as State Mother of the Year:

1. Have been married to her husband, a man, in a legal ceremony.
2. Be a mother of one or more children. Her oldest child must be older than 18 years old by Mother's Day of the year in which she will serve as Mother of the Year.
3. Have proven to be a successful mother as evidenced by her child(ren)'s accomplishments.
4. Be able to represent American Mothers, Inc. using her mothering experiences.
5. Be an active member of a faith-based organization.
6. Be an active participant in community, state, national, or international activities.
7. Be a member in good standing of American Mothers by February 20 of the year for which she is nominated and be willing to participate in AMI activities and support its goals as defined by its mission statement.
8. Be able to complete the required portfolio (available at www.americanmothers.org)

If you would like to recommend someone that can fulfill the above requirements please contact the Betsy Lowe, Kentucky Association State President of American Mothers, Inc. at BLoweAMI@aol.com or at 502-749-4339. Thank you!

All nominee's forms need to be submitted by January 15, 2011.

Power of Positive Parenting

The Power of Positive Parenting Classes are being offered on Tuesday nights starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in room 114 through the month of November.

Topics include:

Make time for positive interaction
Realistic Expectations - for you and them
Positive and Negative Consequences speak for you
Knowing when to be quiet

RSVP:  Betsy Lowe at betsy4kids@aol.com

2010 National Convention in New York City

April 28, 2010 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the 75th Annual National American Mothers Convention is underway.

Board meetings on the second floor, State President meetings just after… a very busy time for us while we are there. One of the most enjoyable elements of the convention is listening to the Mother of the Year and Young Mother speeches.

Before the speeches begin the mothers socialize or review their thoughts

Betsy and Kimberly Wright

Betsy, as National Literacy Chairperson presenting the West Virginia State President with the check for the 5th grade essay contest winner.

Betsy with Sunny Welch. Sunny is the National Chairperson for Mother's Against Abuse. This is one of Betsy's favorite programs to support. She distributes booklets entitled "In Control" (for boys), and "Be Strong) for girls.

Saturday afternoon lunch outside at a cafe' on the perimeter of a church. Lunch with Connell Branan, Past National Young Mother, Ansley Barnett, Past National Young Mother, and Andrea Ball, newly appointed Executive Director.

At the 2010 National Convention Gala!

Left to Right: Betsy Lowe, Kentucky State President & 1996 Ohio Young Mother, Kimberly Wright, 2009 National Young Mother, Kimberley Shelton, 2008 National Young Mother, Ansley Barnett, 2006 National Young Mother, and Connell Branan, 2007 National Young Mother. (and great friends)

Betsy with friends and associates from the national board: Marilyn Dougall (Oregon), Joan Pryor (Washington DC), Betsy, Valerie Earnshaw (Vermont), and Ansley Barnett (Georgia).

After the Gala, the Young Mothers and I went on a tour of Manhattan Island, compliments of the Young Mother from New York. We walked from the Waldorf Astoria to the Empire State Building. Upon viewing New York from the top of the Empire State Building we rented a limousine to take us around town.

The limo drove us all around Manhattan including a drive to Central Park.

Winners of 5th Grade Essay Contest in Courier Journal

Harmony students' essays win contest

Three students from Harmony Elementary School are winners in the seventh annual Kentucky Association of American Mothers Inc. 5th Grade Essay Contest. Maggie Nixon Duke won first place, Emily Faith Wheeler, second, and Sierra Robinson, third. Here are their essays:

What does my mom mean to me? My mom means a great personality and always willing to help me when my "plans" don't go as I intended them to. Also, a friend because she is always doing zany things to make me laugh like putting blue streaks in my hair.

When we're together it's like we have our own little world. It's always an adventure when I get to hang out with my mom. I love it when we camp out in the living room and watch our favorite TV shows.

I know she really loves me when she lets me help her with her photography business. It is always fun to be around my mom! Even when I get in trouble I know she will always love me and I will always love her too. I love my mom so much. She is my best friend!

--Maggie Nixon Duke

My mother means to me ... love. Almost all mothers are loving, but my mom makes me feel loved in every special way. My mom is someone I can always count on.

My mother is loving because she is always giving me hugs and kisses. She always is patient with people or situations even when I am not. I love when we do crafts together and when she teaches my friends and me how to cook. She makes what seems like such hard work, so much fun because she loves it. She has taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to, if I do it with love; and it's okay to fail as long as I try.

But most of all, she is an optimist. I hope this is something I will learn from her. My mom is the best mom I can ever have.

--Emily Faith Wheeler

There's an amazing lady I call mom. Every day she thinks about me. She says she always loves me even when I'm bad. All her actions and thoughts are centered around making me feel safe and loved.

She helps me with my homework, makes my lunches for school (sometimes includes an "I love you" note). Mom will attend all my school performances, and is my biggest cheerleader. She'll even schedule the play dates with my friends.

Mom schedules vacations, like the one time she planned a cruise, when she arranged a trip to Hilton Head. Some other fun things she does is watch girly movies with me. Other times she'll play a board game or come up with a fun craft.

Most of all I love my mom. I can tell her anything. She's the one I go to when I'm sick or hurt, and will always give big hugs.

--Sierra Robinson