American Mothers, Inc.\u00ae names Jennifer O\u2019Brien of Binghamton, the 2018 New York Mother of the Year. Nominees qualify for this honor by having one or more children and being inspirational in their role as a mom. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien is a proud advocate for families with special needs. Through her work as Executive Director of Life Is Washable, Inc. (createABLE\/The Magic Paintbrush Project) she has served over 50,000 participants in creative family engagement programming. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien has developed other innovative programs such as \u201cFriendly Access Safety Kits\u201d and \u201cFair Play\u201d adaptive sports, which encourages families to be a part of community events. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien continually advocates for the special needs community, and she served as the project coordinator for the \u201cOurSpace at Rec Park\u201d project. This now completed four-acre park project welcomes families of all needs to the largest fully accessible playground in the State of New York. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien also serves as the Executive Director of the American Special Hockey Association, supporting nearly 70 special hockey teams nationwide with 3,400 registered members. She was also a volunteer coordinator for hospice. <\/p>\n
Having her family involved in her work has been especially wonderful. Her daughters, Paige and Maggie, are her inspiration and her husband, Paul, is her greatest cheerleader. She is most proud of her family, and their extended \u201ckids\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. O’Brien is the founding Executive Director of Life is Washable, Inc., also known as the Magic Paintbrush Project (MPP),\u201d stated Senator Fred Akshar.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cMPP is the first program of its kind in the nation, providing innovative workshops and programs designed to improve mobility, communication, socialization, and community involvement for individuals and families with special needs. Jennifer has dedicated her life to serving others in our community, all while taking great care and pride in her loving husband and two daughters.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cJen has a true passion for making our community better for all families and individuals,\u201d said Binghamton Mayor Richard David, adding, \u201cOurSpace and her other endeavors, such as the Magic Paintbrush Project, are evidence of her unconditional love, inner strength, and courage, In setting out to make life better for her children, Jen has made our community better and more inclusive for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican mothers are true American heroes,\u201d said Connell Branan, president of American Mothers, Inc. <\/p>\n
Branan added, \u201cFor over eight decades our organization has honored mothers who work tirelessly and serve greatly. It is inspiring to see so many women who embody the selfless, caring spirit of motherhood and who are using that maternal energy to make the world a better place.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
American Mothers, Inc.\u00ae names Jennifer O\u2019Brien of Binghamton, the 2018 New York Mother of the Year. Nominees qualify for this honor by having one or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":65140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n