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May 11, 2008 8:29 am US/Pacific
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Better Call Your Mom! Mother's Day Turns 100
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day...gee, and we would have said mom didn't look a day over 50.
Mother's Day will be celebrated around the Southland in high style.
Several events will celebrate mom's who have made it to that rarified air: living to 100. Another event will honor women who have been affected by violence.
Six woman, all centernarians -- and the oldest at 105 -- will be honored at The Los Angeles Jewish Home in Reseda. A special cake with 100 candles will be presented.
The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center will hold its fourth annual Mother's Day Lunch in Baldwin Hills, honoring mothers of murdered children or women who themselves have been victims of violence.
"I hope that one day we won't have to do these types of events, but for now it is our vision to provide hope and a tangible way to give love to those who feel a loss during this time," said Sandra Evers-Manly, the event's host and founder.
Meanwhile, the Volunteers of America Greater Los Angeles chapter will host its 23rd annual "I Remember Mama" luncheon at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown, honoring what an organizer described as "more than 300 lonely, elderly mothers," for many of whom "this is the only time of the year they can dress up and have a day dedicated to them."
More than 200 underprivileged children who are taking music classes at Los Angeles City College will perform in a concert titled "For Mom, With Love" at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills' Hall of Liberty.
Mother's Day was initially proposed in 1870 by activist-poet Julia Ward Howe as a call for peace and disarmament. It was celebrated in 18 cities in 1873, continued for about another 10 years in Boston under Howe's backing, then died out.
On May 9, 1907, the second anniversary of her mother Ann Jarvis' death, Anna Jarvis invited several friends to her home in Philadelphia to honor of her mother's life, which included providing nursing care and promoting better sanitation during the Civil War.
The younger Jarvis announced to her friends her idea of a day of nationwide celebration in honor of mothers.
The first Mother's Day was celebrated on May 10, 1908.
West Virginia Gov. William E. Glasscock issued the first Mother's Day proclamation in 1910 and by 1911, it was celebrated in nearly every state.
President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional joint resolution in 1914 designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
Mother's Day has evolved into the most popular day of the year to dine out -- with 38 percent of consumers doing so, according to a survey conducted for the National Restaurant Association.
It is also the day, historically, when most telephone calls are made. Although AT&T reported in 2007, more calls were made on Father's Day for the first time (no doubt people hitting up dad for more money to pay for this year's Mother's Day.)
This year's Mother's Day-related consumer spending is expected to reach $15.8 billion, with consumers spending an average of $138.63, compared to $139.14 last year, according to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Mother's Day consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.
To Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, the best way to celebrate Mother's Day is simply for children to spend time with their mom.
"It doesn't have to be going out to brunch or dinner," said Burke, who in 1973 became the first member of Congress to give birth while in office.
"We never go to restaurants (on Mother's Day) because it's so crowded and gets to be more difficult to communicate. Whatever way you do it -- at church or at home -- just set aside a few minutes where mother and daughter or son can get together and really re-institute their relationship."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)