Celebrate Mom on Her Special Day This Sunday!
This Sunday, May 12th, is Mother’s Day in the United States of America.
The modern holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia.
St Andrew’s is now known for housing the International Mother’s Day Shrine.
Jarvis’ campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started, and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”
In 1908, the United States Congress rejected a proposal to make Mother’s Day an official holiday, joking that they would also have to proclaim a “Mother-in-law’s Day.” However, owing to the efforts of Anna Jarvis, by 1911 all 50 states observed the holiday, with some of them officially recognizing Mother’s Day as a local holiday; the first being West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state, in 1910. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.
In 1912 Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrase “Second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, Founder”, and created the Mother’s Day International Association.
So, is it “Mothers’ Day” or “Mother’s Day?
Jarvis specifically noted that “Mother’s” should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.”
The Green Bay News Network Salutes all Mothers – and hopes that each of you have a wonderful and happy Mother’s Day Weekend!
Need Flowers for Mom? $6.00 Off All Hanging Baskets through May 12th: Get Them at Schroeder’s Flowers!
You and Your Family can celebrate Mother’s Day at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park: In honor of her special day, each mom will receive free admission to the NEW Zoo and to the Neil Anderson Canopy Tour. While supplies last, mom can also choose a free plant, courtesy of Wery’s Sweet Summer Bloomers, and receive a bag of sweets on arrival. Learn More HERE!
