Florida Foster Parent Honored
SOS Children's Villages today announced that Ms. Brenda Wenning, a foster parent from Lakeland, Florida, has been named the SOS Children's Villages 2011 Other Mother of the Year. SOS hosted the Other Mothers Contest to honor those who love and care for children when biological parents cannot.
"As a dedicated foster parent, Brenda has been mothering two groups of siblings – a total of 10 children," stated Dr. Heather Paul, CEO of SOS Children's Villages-USA. "Her dedication to giving children a family links her to our over 5,000 SOS foster mothers worldwide. She is wise, loving and certain that keeping brothers and sisters together – even when it means a houseful – is the greatest gift of all to children who have temporarily or permanently lost their parents. We are proud to honor Brenda Wenning along with our other nominees and all 'Other Mothers' around the world."
SOS received written and video nominations from all over the country for the online contest. A panel of celebrity judges including Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan selected ten finalists. Public online voting, which ended just before Father's Day, determined the SOS Children's Villages 2011 Other Mother of the Year.
Brenda Wenning was nominated by Danette Travis who explained that the day after Brenda became licensed in foster care by Heartland for Children, she took in eight siblings ranging from 21 months to 11 years of age. She later welcomed into her home two brothers from another family. As Ms. Travis stated in her nomination, Ms. Wenning's foster children are now doing well emotionally and academically. "She encourages them to be their best and showers them with unconditional love…Ms. Wenning is a true hero; she has given 10 children the gift of an Other Mother."
Besides being honored as the 2011 Other Mother of the Year, Ms. Wenning will receive prizes from contest sponsors that include Amway, Barnes & Noble, Marriott and Schwinn.
The first runner-up in the written nomination category, Irene Brown, was nominated for acting as "mother to a community" at a Boys & Girls Club in Garfield, New Jersey. Ms. Brown "provides the care and attention so many kids are searching for."
The first runner-up in the video nomination category, Maria Shelby, "mothered" Holly Miller when her biological mother was disabled.
Honor and support the commitment of foster parents or your parents with a Father's Day gift or donation in honor of someone special through the SOS Children's Villages Gift Catalog.
About SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages is the world's largest organization dedicated to raising children without parental care, operating over 500 villages in 130 countries. SOS Children's Villages in the U.S. and around the world provide a loving family environment for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. SOS Children's Villages keeps siblings together, or in the case of separation, reunites them once again. SOS staff also reach beyond their Villages to provide day care, family support services, counseling and vocational training to neighboring communities. For more information about SOS Children's Villages, visit http://www.SOS-USA.org.
Connect with SOS Children's Villages on Facebook (www.sos-usa.org/facebook) and Twitter (www.sos-usa.org/twitter).
Contacts:
SOS Children's Villages – USA
Lisa Conners Vogt, 202-347-7924
lvogt@sos-usa.org
