Geist 2016 Mom of the Year Candidates

After much deliberation, the Geist judges decided to randomly select the five finalists. Hey, aren’t “all” moms worthy of an award? So here are the candidates, in no particular order, for our 2016 crown. Remember, you can vote once per day until midnight on April 15, 2016. Good luck!

Vicki Roessler

Nominated by Mic Roessler

My wife deserves the Mom of the Year award based on the amount of work she’s performed the last 20 years of her life. Here’s a sample of a normal Friday which begins at 5:30 a.m. She coaches the YMCA triathletes in swimming. After, she teaches a full schedule at Cathedral High School teaching I.B. and Honors Chemistry. After school, Trevor (our youngest child) and Vicki arrive home where she runs between 7-10 miles and/or bikes 10-15 miles on her stationary bike. After starting dinner, she begins working with Trevor on his homework. I usually arrive home from teaching and coaching at this point to enjoy our family dinner time together. Vicki then spends the remainder of the evening grading papers and preparing for the next day. Our two oldest children (Mickey, 22, and Courtney, 24) are terrific people who benefited greatly from Vicki’s efforts. Numerous formal students have written to her and explained how much she prepared them for college. I know I’ve run out of space to continue describing her attributes, but trust me I’ve just begun. She is a rare woman who deserves this award.

Michelle Miller

Nominated by Amanda Yamour

Not only has Michelle beaten cancer, but she has done it while keeping her family fully supported and cared for. She goes to amazing lengths for others and selflessly contributes to her community. Michelle, time and time again, exudes what every mother hopes to be for their children, family and community with her positivity, helpfulness and most importantly her friendship. I cannot think of a more deserving candidate!

Amanda Quick

Nominated by Greg Quick

She was diagnosed with Stage 3 oral cancer last year. Through treatment and very tough times, she was always there for our daughter who is 4. She always puts her first over herself. She always looks for educational activities and fun activities to do with our daughter and is always spending every moment she can focusing on her. All this while juggling her law career. She should be “Mom of the Year” not because she was diagnosed with cancer, but for perseverance and keeping our daughter first among all. Without her, our family simply wouldn’t work.

Mandy Meggenhofen

Nominated by Tim Meggenhofen

There are so many reasons why Mandy is “Mom of the Year,” but here are a few to start with. Mandy is an amazing mom of three kids and has a full-time job assisting parolees getting acclimated back into society so that they can be productive. Once Mandy is home, she still finds time to help our special needs daughter, assisting her with her needs and creating her special diet needs, as well as spending time with our kids. Even with all of those big tasks occurring each and every day, Mandy still finds time to volunteer at church and assist others.

April Krowel

Nominated by Justin Krowel

After returning from a combat tour in Iraq and losing friends to suicide, my wife made the decision to embark on a journey to earn her Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Throughout this process, she has been involved in research about several military-related topics. She frequently presents at conferences and hopes to inform public policies through her research. She has done all this while being my wife (a tall task!) and a mother to our two daughters. Recently, we learned that our 9-month-old has atypical seizures; April analyzed dissertation data while comforting her in the hospital. She deserves to be recognized.