Much has been written and read about my father, Whitney M. Young, Jr. However, my mother, Margaret Buckner Young, was a force in her own right. A professor at Spelman College, a community volunteer, author, and later after being widowed, a member of corporate and nonprofit boards as well as the United Nations U.S. Delegation. However, the superpower I will most cherish is when I took off at 20 for Colorado on a road less travelled. She was clear that while she had very real concerns about my decision, she would, “always love me and I could always come home.” Instead, she retired in Colorado.

Her superpower was LOVE.

My mom’s super power is acceptance. As a single woman who – from very early on – never felt the calling to be a mother, I feel so appreciative that my mom never wanted me to be anything but myself or to conform to societal expectations. She also taught 3^rd grade full-time while earning her master’s degree and raising three kids. I don’t know how she did it, or how so many women do! She lives in the moment and encourages me to do the same. Thanks, mom!

My Mom was the most understanding, patient and compassionate woman I’ve ever known. She had the amazing ability to convey how much she cared for everyone around her, make others feel welcome and important, doing most everything with a smile on her face. Mom dedicated her life to serving others, from her education in nursing school and throughout her career as a nurse, working as a volunteer at church and in hospitals and in supporting her three sons with their schoolwork and scouting activities, as acolytes at church, in sports and in their lives as husbands and fathers.

Even in the last years of her life, robbed of her ability to hear, to speak and to walk, Mom expressed her love for my Dad, my brothers and me, her daughters-in-law, her grandchildren, friends and caretakers, for that matter nearly everyone she came in contact with, through her eyes and her smile. Mom smiled and waved to people who passed her in the hall or the dining room. Many times when Marie and I came to visit, Mom would be waiting in the hallway so she could see us as soon as we entered the building and, although many of her other faculties had failed her, she was able to see us from a distance and broke into her welcoming smile. When most of us, myself included, might have been surly or dejected at their lot in life, Mom chose to focus on expressing, however she was able, her appreciation for the staff who cared for her, the friends and family who came to visit, and most of all her husband, our Dad, who never left her side.

On this, the second Mother’s Day since you passed away, Mom, I realize even more how much your love, caring and kindness means to me. I love you and miss you more than ever.

Renee Ferrufino, Vice President of Development

“I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me.” My mom has so many superpowers, but the two that stand out for me are her intuition and strength. She can see right through my façade and into my heart. She always knows when I’m are hurting, hiding, scared or unsure. I am able to persevere on my journey because of the strength she instilled in me. During times when I don’t feel strong enough, it is then that I turn to her knowing, I can lean on her until I can stand on my own.

I’m a believer that my momma possesses ALL the superpowers…but, if I had to narrow it down, I’d say that my mom’s most powerful superpowers are strength and the FEROCITY she exhibits in the love for her girls. I’ve said it before a million times and I’ll say it again: my momma is the strongest person I’ve ever known. It’s a strength that I have struggled to harness over the years, so I have often found myself leaning on my mother and her incredible strength and it has yet to fail in uplifting, guiding, and protecting me. My mom is a lioness, and she has always utilized her superhuman strength to protect my sister and I from the harsher realities of the world, even when she was a single mom making it all on her own. Her strength is one for the record books for sure, however, what I love most about my mom is the way she loves my sister and I. Her love is fierce and there is never a moment that we forget it or don’t feel it. While she may be hundreds of miles away from me these days, I always know that there is at least one person in this world that loves me unconditionally and will always be there for me no matter what. I love my supermomma! 

Colleen LaFontaine, Director of Development

If my mom was not my mom she would still be my best friend. She’s taught me to be a good listener, a good friend, and a good person. She is always there for me – to listen, to give (the best) advice, to give me the patron saint to pray to for every situation, and to always make me laugh. There’s no one better! #blessed

My mom was a superhero to me because she provided an organized, clean environment where I was allowed to be a child while being encouraged to grow into living as a responsible adult. At the same time I always knew I was loved and valued. She worked so hard to care for her family. She’s been gone 17 years and I wish I could tell her how much she’d influenced my life this Mother’s Day. Thank you mom – love you 😊

Louise Myrland, Vice President of Programs

My mom’s superpowers are caring and courage. Martha Nordstrom demonstrates how much she cares for her four children and soon to be seven grandchildren, as well as her whole community, through her thoughtful words, helpful actions, and compassionate service. For all her years as a dental hygienist, her patients also appreciated her gentle approach to thorough cleaning! Kind, gentle, and generous, my mom is also courageous. I am so proud of how she has bravely built a new life for herself since she was widowed in 2019. It took incredible bravery, strength, and self-reliance to move to another state to establish a new home and community for herself. I am so happy she is thriving in this new phase of her life and can’t wait to visit her in her new home in our beloved OH-IO!

My mom’s superpower is her wisdom. She is almost always the first person I call when I have questions about life. The phrases that she shared as I was growing up, “a job worth doing is worth doing right”, “make wise choices”, and others still ring in my head. I am grateful to have a mom who helps me with the small and big things!

Here is my thought as far as my mama’s superpowers: The ability to make you feel like everything will be ok, even during your darkest moments. Also the ability to be so full of love and a fierce fighter all wrapped in one 😊.