Mother of Achievement

A Mt. Pleasant woman has been recognized as an American Mother of Achievement.

Rita Davis was named the recipient of the 2021 American Mother of Achievement for Iowa award.

“I think that all moms that care about their family, will do something wonderful with their family,” Davis said regarding her recognition. “They all raise them the best that they can. That is all that I did. I don’t believe that I achieved anything noteworthy above most mothers.”

Davis, who has a master’s degree in nursing and mental health, worked with children with reactive attachment disorder.

She is the mother to 10 children — three of whom came from South Korea and three children as legal guardian situations.

According to Davis, it took a lot of love and resolve to provide the best outcome for each child along the way.

“Giving up on them, no matter the difficulty, was not an option, either, even though we did not know what we were getting into” Davis said.

Davis said that being a mother is rewarding.

“I love my children, it was definitely rewarding to watch them grow up into decent human beings. We had a lot of fun with them when they were young, “ she said. “Being a mom now, and being a mom then is so different. Nowadays it’s a different phase of life; but, the grand kids are wonderful.”

The award was presented by the American Mothers Committee, a group formed in 1931 when Eleanor Roosevelt formed a nationwide program for the better observance of Mother’s Day that would help dependent mothers and needy children.

Each year nationally, the organization nominates A Mother of the Year and American Mother of Achievement.

With the addition of Davis, the Iowa chapter of the program now has three recipients of the Iowa American Mother of Achievement award living in the Mt. Pleasant area.

Peggy Knudsen, current Vice President of the Iowa American Mothers chapter and the 2020 recipient of the American Mother of Achievement for Iowa, is a mother to six adopted children and more than 100 foster children.

“I consider being a mother a great honor, even though it can be a bit overwhelming,” said Knudsen. “Not only because of birth children, but we all been a part of the foster care system. My whole purpose in being a mother was to raise that next generation of very strong, Godly humans in the best way possible.”

Knudsen, who received her award during COVID-19, said that it was an unusual year.

“The awardees usually have a gathering, but we did our gathering via ZOOM,” Knudsen said. “And Iowa Mothers are represented at the state fair, local parades and none of that happened.”

When asked about the American Mothers organization, Knudsen said that she believes in the society and what it stands for. She believes that it is instrumental in giving communication to mothers.

“They believe in mentoring mothers and being there for one another and honoring them,” said Knudsen.

Knudsen was a foster parent for more than 25 years, and she also had young mothers-to-be staying in her home while being mentored.

Knudsen and her husband adopted four of the foster children that came into their home.

“I also founded and started a pregnancy crisis and resource center called Cradle of Hope,” Knudsen said. “I wanted to help these young women be the mothers that they could be.”

Another mother, Ann Kraybill, a lifelong friend of Rita Davis, received her Mother of Achievement award in 2018. She was also president of the Iowa chapter a year later.

“It was really quite an interesting experience,” Kraybill said. “It’s really a huge honor. I think that it is a huge privilege to be a mother.

“When you are pregnant, you are going to be somebody’s mom, and impact a child’s life. It’s a huge influence, I think that it is probably the most important thing that a woman can do. Somebody realized that we were trying to make a positive impact on children.”

That positive impact was noted by The America Mothers Committee.

“It is an honor to have been recognized,” said Kraybill.

When asked what motivated Kraybill the most, her answer was simple.

“To give children memories, something that they could hold on to throughout their lives,” she said. “We live in the country and there was all of that environment for them to enjoy.”

For more than 30 years Kraybill had multiple children under her care, some within and some out of the foster care system.

A commitment made more ambitious with four biological children of her own and five additional adopted children.

“We adopted children from South Korea, which was a huge, wonderful experience on its own,” she said.

Being a Mother of Achievement means different things to each recipient, but the background of caring and nurturing remains true for each mother.

“God wanted to invest in these kids, and change their lives,” said Knudsen. “We were just trying to make a difference.”