Eva Hausman, Silent co-founder of the Mothers’ Day Movement (MDM) joins to remind us that $35B are spent on Mother’s Day and what if for the cost of a bouquet of flowers we could change a life?

Eva’s interest in starting this organization grew out of a column in The New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, where he made the case for moving the apostrophe in Mother’s Day so it honors not just one mother, but underserved mothers everywhere. It advocates shifting a portion of Mother’s Day gift giving to a carefully selected charity each year in honor of a woman or person they love.

Joining Eva is Karen Olson, founder and CEO emeritus of Family Promise, a national non-profit organization. Karen has dedicated her life to transforming the futures of homeless and low-income families. Family Promise is the 2025 Mothers’ Day Movement beneficiary.

Since 2011, MDM has raised over $1 million, in maternal health, education, hunger, clean water, and human trafficking, and has been featured in The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and NPR.

Here are the topics we covered:

0:00 Introductions

2:47 MDM Mission

4:57 MDM Impact

6:20 Family Promise Choice

7:33 Family Promise Mission

12:16 Misconceptions about Homelessness

13:29 Homelessness Trends

15:00 MDM Contribution to Beneficiary

16:50 Advice 20-Something Self

Memorable Quotes

“It's time to move the apostrophe so that it becomes not just Mother's Day honoring a single mother but Mothers' Day, an occasion to try and help mothers around the globe as well." Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

“With cutback in programs, homelessness will increase. When we cut food programs and money for housing, people will end up in the streets.” Karen Olson

“Engage in what you believe in.” U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin

Here are the 3 Takeaways:

• For the price of a bouquet of flowers, we can save a life by donating to MDM. Can you believe that $35 Billion was spent in the US on Mother’s Day last year?!
• 100% of your donation to MDM goes towards helping Family Promise achieve their mission and the 2.5 million children in the United States who experience homelessness.

• Founded in 1988, Family Promise is the nation’s leading organization addressing the crisis of homelessness for families with children. With nearly 200 sites across the country, Family Promise leverages local assets, implements real solutions, and advocates for families facing homelessness.

As mentioned in the episode:

Donation Link Mothers’ Day Movement 2025 Family Promise campaign: https://www.mothersdaymovement.org/2025-family-promise

More about Eva:

Born in 1943 in Bridgeport, CT to Jewish refugee parents from Nazi Germany, Eva was privileged to be the only member of my family to be born in the United States a country her parents adored. Her volunteer activities are many and varied but are primarily related to diversity, civil rights and defending against discrimination. She served on the CT board of the Anti-Defamation League for the last 30 years and received multiple awards for her service.

More about Karen:

Karen's journey began in the mid-1980s when she first committed herself to the noble cause of advocacy for the disenfranchised and homeless.

Over the years, Karen's efforts have been recognized including President George H. Bush honoring her with the prestigious Annual Points of Light Award, and the New Jersey Governor's Pride Award recognizing Karen's remarkable social service contributions.

Ways you can contact Mothers’ Day Movement and Family Promise:

eMail

info@mothersdaymovement.org

Websites

www.mothersdaymovement.org

https://familypromise.org/

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/mothersdaymovementmdm/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mothersdaymovementMDM

Ways to reach Yo:

eMail: yo@yocanny.com

Public FB group: Girl, Take the Lead!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share

Linktr.ee/yocanny

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/yocanny

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/

Madison Kosh, Millennial, is the Senior Director of Program and Training at Girl Scouts, Heart of Central California. A dedicated mom of two, she is passionate about championing girls’ ambition and creating meaningful group experiences.

With over a decade of outdoor leadership experience and seven years of leadership within Girl Scouts, Madison is committed to equipping girls with the skills and confidence to navigate the world, find their voice, and create lasting change in their communities. Her deep love of the outdoors has shaped her journey—from Girl Scout to wilderness guide, outdoor retail expert, camp director, and now Senior Director of Program and Training—fueling her mission to empower the next generation of leaders.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

0:00 Introduction

1:05 Madison’s Leadership Start

5:43 Girl Scout Journey

9:00 Why for Girl Scouts

11:51 Parent’s Leadership Thoughts

14:53 Biggest Challenges

16:37 GenZ Impact

20:31 Gen Alpha Impact

24:26 Programs

29:08 How to Support Girl Scouts

31:16 20-Something Self Advice

Quotable Moments:

“Nothing challenges you more as a leader than taking a group of people out into the wilderness where you’re in survival mode.”

“We need to teach young girls how to be confident and have the skills needed to live in this world.”

“Who do you think runs this whole camp?”

“All the things that parents are looking for their child to have are within Girl Scouts.”

“GenZ is craving that connection but they are so busy!”

"There’s a trend in Gen Alpha research that shows that persistent sadness and hopelessness in teenage girls increased from 36% in 2011 to 57% in 2021. (CDC)"

“In prior years the #1 response was mom as a child’s key role model.”

“We are trying to create a space for every girl or everyone who associates as a girl or associates with the Girl Scout experience.”

“We’re really creating a space where girls can come and be themselves as nurture that and give them the skills to be resilient, be confident when they walk into any room, and she knows that she belongs and can succeed. Having personal growth and a strong sense of self that can keep her emotionally anchored through both good and tough times.”

“Also girls get a bigger understanding of the world – a global element.”

“Buy Girl Scout cookies!”

“Happy Birthday, Madison!”

Three Episode Takeaways:

1. It’s important for girls to have interaction with women in strong leadership positions.

2. Parenting is challenging. The encroachment of technology and the belief that the world is unsafe and increasingly divided can lead to parental fear and isolation. The focus is on family and want their kids to develop skills, and new styles of leadership. Most important is having the child be their authentic self. Mental wellness is a primary concern.

3. Research indicates that people know what Girl Scouts is but they don’t know what Girl Scouts do outside cookies. We have a lot to learn from GenZ. The data indicates: strong entrepreneurship, high anxiety, skepticism, and high agency (“I can do this”). They crave downtime and the ability to do nothing and want to build relationships/friendships.
Gen Alpha is all in on technology as a way to learn. They aspire to be influencers, do not see mom as a role model and are looking.

Episode Resource:

Ep. 7, Girl Scouts: More than just cookies?”

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/zY0gryNR9Sb

How to reach Madison & Support Girl Scouts:

madison.kosh@girlscoutshcc.org

https://www.girlscoutshcc.org/

https://girlscouts.org

(find your local Council)

FB & Insta https://www.facebook.com/GSHCC1/

LinkedIn: company/girlscoutshcc

How to reach Yo:

Our website:

www.girltaketheleadpod.com

You can send a message or voicemail there. We’d love to hear from you!

email:

yo@yocanny.com

FB group: Girl, Take the Lead

https://www.facebook.com/groups/272025931481748/?ref=share

IG:

yocanny

YouTube

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yocanny/