International Mothers Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Top Mom's On First Annual Mother's Day Honors List

AUSTIN, TX, April 25, 2012 (Press-News.org) 2012 may well go down as the official "Year of the Mom," with motherhood taking center stage in the bright - and sometimes glaring - spotlight of the media. But at the International Mothers Hall of Fame (IMHOF) the message is clear: Every day should be Mother's Day! For 45-years the IMHOF, a non-profit organization founded by Texas businessman Doug Stroud, has worked to promote the positive messages of motherhood. Since its inception, more than 250,000 women have been inducted into its Hall of Fame by people who love them.

This year the International Mothers Hall Of Fame begins a new tradition, an annual list of women chosen to be honored as "International Mothers of the Year." Selected by the IMHOF Board of Directors, the yearly list will comprise a mix of women from different backgrounds who have all made motherhood headlines in a positive way. Some will be famous, some known best only to those that love them most, but ALL the women will be part of the great sisterhood of mothers and that makes them heroes because every mother is one! This year's honorees are:

Victoria Beckham, singer and fashion designer
Lisa Belkin, Huffington Post journalist
Stephanie Decker, Indiana housewife and tornado survivor
Betty DeGeneres, author & activist
Michelle Obama, First Lady
Meredith Olafson, North Dakota nurse and surrogate mother
Holly Robinson Peete, actress and television host
Ann Romney, philanthropist and wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney
Summer Sanders, Olympic medalist
Reese Witherspoon, Academy award-winning actress

As Barack Obama stated last week - and every woman already knew - there is NO tougher job than being a mother! IMHOF Executive Director, Mitchell Mortimer, says that mothers need respect and recognition more than ever before. "Too often mothers are pitted against each other" says Mortimer. "They need to celebrate the bond that motherhood creates among women and not get caught up in the labels and stereotypes. There is no such thing as a 'super mom' rather all moms are super!"

This year's honorees will each be presented with a special commemorative gift, and their names will join those of women from around the world in the IMHOF Hall of Fame. And plans are currently underway to create a lasting tribute to mothers in IMHOF's headquarters home state of Texas. An 8-acre International Mothers Hall of Fame Gardens will be built (ground has been broken) in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and will include a granite wall monument engraved with the names of all the Hall of Fame inductees (current & future).

To learn more about the International Mothers Hall of Fame, read profiles of this year's International Mothers of the Year honorees, or induct the special mother figures in your life into the Hall of Fame, visit our new website at http://www.mothershof.org .

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