Honoring Mom On Mother’s Day

​Celebrating CBOB Moms and Moms Across the World

By: Melissa Moreno

​Mother’s Day is a holiday that comes once a year, typically held on the second Sunday of May, and celebrates motherhood as well as mothers and other motherly figures. It is a day for people to recognize the sacrifices, hard work, and love their mothers have provided for them, and to show their appreciation. Generally, the widely accepted custom for this day is to give your mother a gift - whether it be a card, candy, flowers, clothes, etc. Although it is observed in different forms across the world, one thing remains constant: Mother’s Day is a day that involves expressing great recognition and gratitude towards the woman that played a large role in someone’s individual development and personal growth.

When we are young, our whole worlds revolve around our mothers; anytime we need something, we call her. It is as if she inherently has all the answers to any problem in the world. As time goes on, we grow to become more independent and may lose sight of how much we truly depend on our mothers. It is because of this that Mother’s Day can be so significant to a mother and make her feel like all the work she has done has not gone unnoticed. Whether it is a gift, a note, or even a phone call - any form of appreciation can make a mom feel treasured.

According to the History Channel, more phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with mom are said to cause phone traffic to spike up by almost 37%. In the United States alone, Americans are said to spend $800 million on Mother’s Day cards and $2.4 billion on flowers. Needless to say, many people like to lavish their mothers on this holiday.
​
Children Beyond Our Borders has had the opportunity to work with many children and families, and has met countless honorable moms along the way. We recognize that moms try to provide the best that they can for their children, even when the state of their country’s political, economic and social climate is out of their control. CBOB works with communities and families so that children can be empowered and motivated to live to their fullest potential - which is all a mother ever wants for her child.

Yocasta Becerra is the mother to Yosimar, the first IAMCBOB scholar for Children Beyond Our Borders. As a recipient of the scholarship, Yosimar received an all expenses paid college education, and in exchange acted as a service leader to empower other youth to solve problems in his community.
​

Yocasta Becerra (pictured on the far right) enjoying time with her son, Yosimar (middle), and a few CBOB volunteers.

Becerra is proud of her son for his achievements and is thankful to have been a part of CBOB and its activities with her community.

“I feel very happy to always be living an unforgettable experience whenever a group of volunteers comes. It is the best thing that has happened to us and to my family to know all those beautiful people,” Becerra said. “...I am very proud of my Yosi. Even though they were raised in a low-income neighborhood with many gangs and violence, Yosi and his brothers - thank God - knew how to overcome these obstacles, to avoid them, and to move forward with his motto that education is the foundation for a better future.”

---

Call and her son, Charlie

Shana Call is the current volunteer coordinator for the organization and is a CBOB mom as well. Beginning in Fall 2016, Call fell in love with the organization and its mission to empower children through education. She felt it was important to share her love with CBOB and the children served with her son Charlie.
​
“Our conversations weren’t always easy when questioned about the how and why some of our children are faced with adversity, but it opened up an opportunity for us to work together and encouraged him to become socially active and aware of other children in need,” Call said. “I am proud of my son and his effort to make a difference. I am most grateful to CBOB for the opportunity to not only make a difference in the lives of the children we serve, but to also make a difference in my own child’s life as well.”

When asked how she would spend Mother’s Day, Becerra said that all she wanted was to stay home with her family and eat ice cream and Kokorico (a popular chain restaurant in Colombia). Call said that she would like nothing more than to spend quality time together with her mom and her children. 

We are grateful and appreciative for Becerra and Call, and admire the love and dedication they have for educating and empowering their sons. We wish them and all the mothers out there a happy and exciting Mother’s Day!


​
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mothers-day-by-the-numbers-1.3568796

---