Kwock named Mother of the Year
For The Madera Tribune
From left are Tilly, Christina Kwock, Annette Kwock, Andrea Sandoval, Laura Chavira, Mary Chavira, Yolanda Chavira, Patricia Chavira, and Deanna Rios.
The annual Latinas Unidas Mother of the Year award went to someone very familiar to, not only the Latinas Unidas organization, but to the City of Madera.
Annette Kwock deserves to be awarded Mother of the Year for her unwavering dedication to her family. Annette truly symbolizes the sacrifices that mothers make, not only for their families, but for the greater good. It is mothers like Annette who hold up the world, read a statement by Kwock’s daughters, Andrea Sandoval, Danielle Phillips and Christina Kwock.
Below are excerpts from an essay Kwock’s daughters submitted to Latinas Unidas.
“Annette was born in Madera, California to Mary and Nestor Chavira. She is the eldest daughter of four siblings. Growing up with two working parents, she was tasked with taking care of her siblings while her parents made a living. From the age of 9 she cooked, cleaned, and watched over her two brothers and sister. She went on to graduate from Chowchilla High School and marry Gary Kwock. They went on to have three daughters: Andrea, Danielle and Christina.
“Throughout our childhoods, our mom not only worked full time, she did all of the domestic chores and played an active role in the many extracurriculars we participated in. From band to cheer to swimming to Camp Fire, she participated in countless fundraisers, meetings, and committees. She and our dad went to every marching band competition, every swim meet, every parade. There was never a time we’d look out in the crowd not to see our mom cheering us on.
“We now know this dedication must have come at a cost. We think about how tired she must have been after working all day, to quickly cook us dinner and drive us to whatever event we had that night. We understand how she might have stressed about the costs when we asked for yet another lesson, another instrument, another prom dress. But our mother’s smiling face never betrayed these concerns. She would joyfully do whatever it took to give us limitless opportunities.
“Our mom’s steadfast love and dedication are why all three of us have gone on to achieve professional and personal success. Andrea is now a mother of three and an administrative professional at Madera Irrigation District. Danielle is a mother of two and an attorney. Christina is a surgeon. Without our mother’s constant love, attention, and sacrifice, we know, without a doubt, that we would not have reached these heights.
“Now that we are grown, our mom has turned to helping her own parents as they struggle with advancing age and Parkinson’s. On any given day she is driving our grandparents to doctor’s appointments or church, cooking meals and sorting through paperwork. One would imagine that after decades of serving her own children, she might resent this, yet that is far from the truth. Our mom remains as cheerful and selfless as always, happy to sacrifice for her family.
“Not only has she turned to helping her own parents, our mom is as active as ever in the community. A member of Latinas Unidas, the Madera Chamber of Commerce, Neighborhood Watch, and the Young Ladies institute, she was recently awarded ‘Woman of the Year’ by Councilwoman CeCe Gallegos, an award given to a Maderan who exemplifies service and professionalism.
“Award or not, our mother is, and always will be, Our Mother of the Year.”
