Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation Announce FAMILY PLUS INSPIRATIONAL MOM AWARD Winners

Five Outstanding Mothers Recognized for their Commitment to Community; Receive Special Recognition from Lucille O'Neal

ATLANTA, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five mothers across the country today received the Family PLUS Inspirational Mom Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. As an award winner, each mother will receive a Family PLUS gift basket and a $250 gift card to the supermarket of her choice.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050921/CLW030LOGO)

The five award winners are: Kimberly Parsons, Boys & Girls Clubs of Pleasants County; Tammy Schmittle, Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania; Rhonda Schafer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County; Melissa Graves, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Monroe Area; and Jennifer Flory, Boys & Girls Clubs of Green County.

Lucille O'Neal, who is the mom of one of the NBA's icons Shaquille O'Neal, visited BGCA's national headquarters in Atlanta today to help announce the award winners and speak to the staff about how the Club helped support her then-young son's development, and why she continues to support the organization even today.

"I am thrilled to visit and share my story with staff members of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, an organization that has been a part of my family's life for quite some time," says O'Neal.  "I am a huge supporter of the tremendous work that the countless staff members and volunteers do to create opportunities for youth all across our country."

The awards are being presented across the country by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation to celebrate the unique contributions that mothers, grandmothers and female caregivers make to their Club's family strengthening efforts. Each Club submitted a 500-word essay that described how their mother has inspired other members' parents and the community at-large to exceed the Club leadership's expectations.

Both Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation understand that mothers play an integral role in shaping the lives of youth, at home and in the Club. They are pleased to recognize these five mothers for the enhancements they made in the lives of Club kids and parents, and encourage them to continue inspiring, leading and uniting others to do the same.  

Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) is a Boys & Girls Clubs of America initiative that helps Clubs integrate family strengthening activities into their programming. The initiative is supported through a five-year, $7 million contribution by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. "Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation realize that mothers are the foundations on which children build healthy relationships," says Jose Cruz, director, Family Strengthening, BGCA. "We created the Family PLUS Inspirational Mom Award to recognize those mothers that help children live productive lives."

To learn more about Family PLUS and to read these inspirational stories, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.

About Family PLUS

A comprehensive family support strategy by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org), Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) allows Boys & Girls Clubs to partner with families like yours, ensuring that parents and caregivers have the opportunities and assistance they need to better their children's lives. This initiative is generously supported by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (www.kimberly-clark.com).  To learn more about Family PLUS, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America