CHENNAI: It was a special Mother’s Day indeed for those who attended Sri Arunodayam’s Special Mom Award 2019 on Sunday. It was a day of love and inspiration as each of the 15 mothers who were awarded, traced their unique journeys and spoke of what it means to be the mother of a special child — the trials, tribulations and triumphs. “I am humbled by the kind of service being rendered by Sri Arunodayam for abandoned special children,” said chief guest, S Krishnan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu.
“The most important quality of a civilised society is compassion and we need to work towards integrating special children with the mainstream rather than constantly keeping them in separate schools and colleges. Sri Arunodayam is showing us how we can strive towards being a more inclusive society.” The mothers were the stars of the evening. Each awardee’s inspiring story was captured on film and broadcast for the audience to see at the event.
It was not only a source of pride and joy for the families but was also an attempt to motivate everyone in the audience. Many of them got emotional as they received the awards because they felt that it was the first time they were being recognised. The awardees were presented with a certificate of excellence in parenting, a special trophy, a cash reward of Rs 15,000 each, a special gift hamper and an exclusive lifetime pass entitling them to a host of free support services from Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust. Sri Arunodayam is a home for abandoned children with intellectual disability and has been committed to raising a unique platform for advocacy on issues related to intellectual disabilities.
“In launching its Special Mom Award in 2017, Sri Arunodayam has been committed to support and honour the values and progressive abilities of mothers who make a significant impact on the lives of their special children, families, and communities,” said Iyyappan Subramaniyan, founder and managing trustee of the organisation. “Through these awards, Sri Arunodayam aims to share inspiring family experiences that could provide hope to thousands of families of special children across our country, encouraging them in their journey towards a more inclusive society.” The winners were vetted through a stringent selection process by eminent panellists, from over 100 applications received from across south India this year.
LIST OF AWARDEES
1. Asiyabenazir S from Virudunagar, TN
2. Baby R from Cuddalore, TN
3. Chidambaragomathi from Tirunelveli, TN
4. Jayanthi M from Chennai, TN
5. Kalavathy from Thiruvallur, TN
6. Lakshmi P from Tirunelveli, TN
7. Lakshmi Suneetha from East Godavari, AP
8. Nalini R from Krishnagiri, TN
9. Ponrajam M from Chennai, TN
10. Radha Nandakumar from Chennai, TN
11. Rajakili K from Kanyakumari, TN
12. Savithri M from Coimbatore, TN
13. Shanthi Pappa from Marthandam, TN
14. Usha Subramanian from Chennai, TN
15. Vasumathi R from Chennai, TN