Aiea Mom Selected as 2014 National Young Mother of the Year by American Mothers, Inc.

Heidi Lin Kim Honored for Commitment to Family, Community

News Release from American Mothers, Inc.

Colorado Springs, Colorado (May 7, 2014) – American Mothers, Inc.®, a national non-profit dedicated to honoring and supporting mothers around the world, has selected Heidi Lin Kim of Aiea as its 2014 National Young Mother of the Year (given to those 40 and under).

Kim is the first mother from Hawaii to be named the Young Mother of the Year. Hawaii has had two past National Mothers of the Years – Mervlyn Kitashima (2003) and Carolyn Shumway (1996).

Kim received her award at the AMI National Convention at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs on April 26.

A marketing executive at engineering firm R.M. Towill Corporation, Kim is a working mother and prolific volunteer. Besides raising her three children, she’s also a founding board member of Move Oahu Forward, and deeply involved with March of Dimes, Girl Scouts, American Diabetes Association, and the Kamehameha Schools parent leadership team. Originally from Kauai, Kim graduated cum laude with a marketing degree from Santa Clara University. She and college sweetheart Edwin Sniffen married in 1997 and spent time in Oregon advancing their professional careers before returning to Hawaii to raise their children.

Gerre Schwert of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was selected as the 2014 National Mother of the Year.  Schwert has devoted her life to serving the poor and sick. She is a certified social worker who focuses on mind-body skills and journaling at the Center for Mindful Living in Chattanooga. She has also served cancer patients as an oncology specialist. Gerre has six children and ten grandchildren in her blended family. Her daughter, Ree Drummond, is a nationally renowned blogger, television host and chef, also known as the “Pioneer Woman.”

“Each of these ladies has shown extraordinary devotion to their families as well as their communities,” says American Mothers Inc. President Joan Braitsch. “Being a mother is a tough job on its own; taking on additional responsibilities to the community at large, as these mothers have, is something we think should be applauded.”

 Heidi Kim, the 2014 National Young Mother of the Year, and Gerre Schwert, the 2014 National Mother of the Year

Both honorees will serve as ambassadors for American Mothers, focusing particularly on the organization’s goal of raising awareness and funds for domestic abuse victims nationwide.

Honorees were selected from hundreds of nominees, including 2014 State Mothers of the Year and State Young Mothers of the Year across the country.

The Mother of the Year award has been handed out annually since 1935, when Sarah Delano Roosevelt presented Lucy Keen Johnson from Georgia as the first American Mother of the Year. The awards seek to honor women who show extraordinary passion and courage in their service to their children, families, and communities.

Extensive profiles of the honorees will be featured on the American Mothers blog, located at http://www.americanmothersblog.com. To lean more about American Mothers, and the Mothers of the Year from each of the 50 states, please visit http://www.AmericanMothers.org.

About American Mothers, Inc.®

American Mothers, Inc.® is a nonprofit organization for women and men who recognize the important role of motherhood. The organization supports mothers across the country through educational programs and community outreach. On an annual basis, American Mothers, Inc.® selects the National Mother of the Year®, Young Mother of the Year, and Mothers of Achievement from candidates across the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information about AMI, visit http://www.americanmothers.org or call 877-242-4264.