April 21st, 2006 was a special day because it was my daughter's 11th birthday, but by 2 o'clock that day I got the best present a San Diego mother could ever ask for. A Time Warner Cable representative called me to let me know I had been selected as one of San Diego's 50 Best Moms! I was so surprised to hear this that at first I was incredulous, and had to ask the person on the phone to tell me exactly what this was about.
The yearly contest is based on essays submitted by San Diego county students in each grade level from third to twelve. Out of 3,800 essays submitted, only fifty are chosen based on the reasons the children write about why their mother deserves this honor. A panel of over 23 judges which included George Chamberlain from NBC 7/39, Councilmember Donna Frye, A.J. Machado from Channel 933 Radio, KUSI TV's Charlotte Starck and KFMB-TV's Nichelle Medina among others, read the essays to determine the winners.
The winning moms were honored at a lunchoen at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla where they were awarded trophies and goodie bags. Among the accollades presented to the 50 moms that day was a personal letter to each one from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with this special messagage: “The well-being and development of families is our most vital responsibility, one which can only be fulfilled through the exemplary efforts of mothers like you. Your legacy of parental dedication is a force of good in our state.”
There just can't be a more fulfulling thing than knowing your child thinks so highly of you, and that she could write about all the things I do for our community which go beyond my cooking, cleaning and driving chores; the bake sale we had for Katrina victims; the fundraiser I organized to help pay medical bills for a friend who suffered a stroke, or the Haunted House we organized to raise funds for the Tsunami victims. All these things did not go over her head, but made a strong enough impression on her to write about them at this young age – and hopefully inspire her to be a better person too. Thank you Bianca!
I was very honored and humbled to be in the presence of the other 49 mothers who also went above and beyond the call of mother-duty to give back to their communities, and more importantly, to instill this sense of compassion in their kids.
Thanks to Time Warner Cable, and all the sponsors for recognizing these special mothers in our city.
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