MOTHERS & MORE FOUNDER RECIPIENT OF MOTHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Joanne Brundage honored by FTD, Inc.

Elmhurst, IL – Joanne Brundage, founder and Executive Director of Mothers & More, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers, is the recipient of the 2004 Mother of the Year Award given by FTD, a leading provider of florist services and products.

FTD’s Mother of the Year Award is given to the mother who not only demonstrates the nurturing qualities of motherhood, but prioritizes her work/family balance – cultivating a professional direction while maintaining a strong emphasis on the importance of her role as mother and her relationship with her children. The Award highlights the mother who focuses professional and personal efforts on making a difference for women and mothers in her community and consistently demonstrates leadership qualities for the improvement of her community.

Joanne Brundage founded Mothers & More in 1987 when she realized a need for support after leaving full-time paid employment to stay home after the birth of her second child. She remained active on the Board of the organization until her youngest started pre-school, when she started a home-based desktop publishing business. Drawing from her ties established through local volunteer work, Brundage co-created and landed a job share position as co-executive director for Elmhurst City Centre, a downtown marketing and management not-for-profit for her community. She came full circle in 1998, returning to Mothers & More as its first Executive Director, serving its 7500 members coast to coast.

“I am honored by FTD’s recognition and I am heartened by what the award means,” says Brundage. “It’s very encouraging to see a large corporation like FTD recognize the many facets of mothers’ lives and the value all of society derives from their caregiving work as well as the contributions they make in the paid workplace and in their communities. I hope this is just the beginning of greater corporate acknowledgement of the many important roles mothers play and I look forward to the future possibilities this award heralds.”

Mothers & More is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, education and advocacy. With over 180 chapters across the country, the organization addresses mothers’ needs as individuals and members of society and promotes the value of all the work mothers do. To learn more about Mothers & More, log onto the website at www.mothersandmore.org

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