Every year, a mother who is deemed outstanding in her family and community is honored with the American Mother of the Year award by the nonprofit organization, American Mothers, Inc.

Candidates for the award are nominated by outside contacts such as church and community groups, PTA organizations or local businesses. Nominees are well-respected, devoted mothers who interact in a positive manner on a family, spiritual, community and civic basis, according to www.americanmothers.org.

The organization that sponsors the award, American Mothers, Inc., was founded by Anna Reeves Jarvis during the Civil War era. Jarvis organized a day of love and respect for mothers which transcended battle lines and became the national holiday known as Mother’s Day.

Since 1935, a remarkable mother has been honored with AMI’s Mother of the Year award annually. In 2005, the award belonged to Helen Bean from Oregon City, Ore., who had 11 children and took seven foster children into her home.

“The rise and fall of nations are determined by the teaching of mothers and fathers … Education and success are important, but even more important is integrity and honesty,” Bean said in a Christian Science Monitor article.

Bean has toured the United States and several foreign countries as a representative for the nonprofit, interfaith organization AMI which strives “to strengthen the moral and spiritual foundations of the family and home,” according to www.americanmothers.org.

“Moms need to be honored, they need to be recognized for all the good things they do,” said Raelene Hill, the organization’s first vice president, in a Christian Science Monitor article. “Helen is very low-key and unassuming; she sees herself as a mom who loves and supports her children. She’s not dynamic or a great public speaker, but a good, solid woman.”

The selection process begins when each state chooses a Mother of the Year. Those women attend the national convention, where one is awarded with the AMI National Mother of the Year award, said Sondra Anderson, national chairperson for AMI.

The 2005 Idaho Mother of the Year Award was presented to Carol Conover of Twin Falls.

Conover focused on improving the parenting skills of young, single mothers, worked with community agencies that provided parenting services and helped protect children and families from pornography, according to a College of Southern Idaho news release.

The National Mother of the Year award for 2006 will be announced in April, when once again, an outstanding woman will be honored for the contribution mothers make to the future success and happiness of their children and society.