Submitted by Mothers Out Front of Bedford

Mother’s Day dates back to 1850s West Virginia when Ann Reeves Jarvis organized Mothers’ Day work clubs to improve sanitary conditions for children. These women worked to lower infant mortality by fighting disease and curbing milk contamination. They also championed ideals of compassion, unity, and peace, tending to wounded Civil War soldiers, Confederate and Union, and holding “Friendship Day Picnics” to bring together former foes.