Volunteer Group Hoping To Make Mother's Day Happier For Moms in Hospitals
By David Madden
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Some women in South Jersey are getting an early start on their Mothers Day holiday with the help of a local nonprofit organization.
Representatives of "Mothers Matter" delivered 100 specially designed gift bags to Cooper Hospital, in Camden. They're going to patients and mothers whose loved ones are being treated there.
More than 2,000 gift bags have been distributed this week by the group. It's been a 15-year labor of love for Susan Rose (far right in photo), whose daughter Lauren, a mother of three, was killed in a car accident.
Susan Rose put a foundation together to honor Lauren's memory.
"We decided we really wanted to help mothers," she recalls, "and we started with mothers who had financial needs. And it just grew from that."
Now the gift bags are distributed year round, with donations of cash, supplies, and services, all to brighten up a mother's mood at a time when she could use a little help.
Carmine Valentin, of Vineland, NJ, whose son is recovering from jaw surgery, was delighted to receive her gift bag.
"It does take you out of that moment where you see your child suffering from surgery," she said today, "and here comes this nice little gift that puts some peace and tranquility into your life."