In many societies, grandmothers are honored members of the family.Here is your opportunity to tell us why your grandmother is the best! Is it because she bakes the best cookies? Is it because she tells the best bedtimes stories? Tell us why. Nominations are now being accepted for one winner and three runners-up to be chosen from the applicants and honored as the 2008 Grandmother of the Year. The event will be held on March 2 at the Lakeside Manor in Hazlet, New Jersey from noon to 4 pm. The application is free and open to anyone wishing to nominate his or her grandmother. In addition, all submissions will be posted on the Sylvia’s Children website, sylviaschildren.org, where the public is invited to help select a People’s Choice Grandmother by voting for the best story.
In Africa, grandmothers are revered and respected members of society. This distinction is bestowed upon them because they represent the legacy of the family, the community and the history of the generations that will come after them. In 2003, the esteemed title of grandmother was bestowed upon New Jersey businesswoman Sylvia Allen during a humanitarian trip to Uganda, Africa by the children at the Mbiriizi Primary School in Masaka, Uganda. Of these 805 children, 25% are orphans. This ‘adoption’ by the children prompted Allen to form Sylvia’s Children, a 501(c)3 organization created to help support the children of this region who were orphaned due to the ravages of the AIDS pandemic.
Deadline for Grandmother of the Year applications is February 1, 2008. For more information on the award or Sylvia’s Children, visit the website or call 732-946-2711.
