Description

Eva Hausman, Silent  co-founder of theMothers’ Day Movement (MDM) joins to remind us that $35B are spent on Mother’s Day and what if for the cost of a bouquet of flowers we could change a life? 

Eva’s interest in starting this organization grew out of a column in The New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, where he made the case for moving the apostrophe in Mother’s Day so it honors not just one mother, but underserved mothers everywhere. It advocates shifting a portion of Mother’s Day gift giving to a carefully selected charity each year in honor of a woman or person they love. 

Joining Eva is Karen Olson, founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise, a national non-profit organization. Karen has dedicated her life to transforming the futures of homeless and low-income families. Family Promise is the 2025 Mothers’ Day Movement beneficiary.  

Since 2011, MDM has raised over $1 million, in maternal health, education, hunger, clean water, and human trafficking, and has been featured in The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and NPR.

Here are the topics we covered:

0:00 Introductions

2:47 MDM Mission

4:57 MDM Impact 

6:20 Family Promise Choice

7:33 Family Promise Mission

12:16 Misconceptions about Homelessness

13:29 Homelessness Trends

15:00 MDM Contribution to Beneficiary

16:50 Advice 20-Something Self

Memorable Quotes

“It's time to move the apostrophe so that it becomes not just Mother's Day honoring a single mother but Mothers' Day, an occasion to try and help mothers around the globe as well."  Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times 

“With cutback in programs, homelessness will increase. When we cut food programs and money for housing, people will end up in the streets.” Karen Olson

“Engage in what you believe in.” U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin

Here are the 3 Takeaways: 

• For the price of a bouquet of flowers, we can save a life by donating to MDM. Can you believe that $35 Billion was spent in the US on Mother’s Day last year?! 
• 100% of your donation to MDM goes towards helping Family Promise achieve their mission and the 2.5 million children in the United States who experience homelessness. 

• Founded in 1988, Family Promise is the nation’s leading organization addressing the crisis of homelessness for families with children. With nearly 200 sites across the country, Family Promise leverages local assets, implements real solutions, and advocates for families facing homelessness. 

As mentioned in the episode:

Donation Link Mothers’ Day Movement 2025 Family Promise campaign: https://www.mothersdaymovement.org/2025-family-promise

More about Eva:

Born in 1943 in Bridgeport, CT to Jewish refugee parents from Nazi Germany, Eva was privileged to be the only member of my family to be born in the United States a country her parents adored. Her volunteer activities are many and varied but are primarily related to diversity, civil rights and defending against discrimination. She served on the CT board of the Anti-Defamation League for the last 30 years and received multiple awards for her service. 

More about Karen:

Karen's journey began in the mid-1980s when she first committed herself to the noble cause of advocacy for the disenfranchised and homeless. 

Over the years, Karen's efforts have been recognized including President George H. Bush honoring her with the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award, and the New Jersey Governor's Pride Award recognizing Karen's remarkable social service contributions. 

Ways you can contact Mothers’ Day Movement and Family Promise:

eMail

info@mothersdaymovement.org

Websites 

www.mothersdaymovement.org

https://familypromise.org/

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/mothersdaymovementmdm/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mothersdaymovementMDM

Ways to reach Yo:

eMail: yo@yocanny.com 

Public FB group: Girl, Take the Lead!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share

Linktr.ee/yocanny

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/yocanny 

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/