Silver Spring’s own Corina DuBois has been nominated by her loving husband Hal as Military Spouse of the Year!
Corina helps the community as creator of national & local phenomenon Celebrate Mama! and owner and heart of the Montgomery County Stroller Strides program. She is also a mother of three beautiful boys and soldiered through her third pregnancy while Hal was on tour in Iraq. See below for Hal’s nomination essay, detailing how she helps her family and others.
But first, vote for Corina here, early and often!
“We do it ALL as military wives. I alw A loving mother of three wonderful boys, one of which she carried during my deployment to Iraq, Corina is a self made entrepeneur who has devoted her life to helping other mothers realize their own potential. A navy veteran herself, Corina’s awarding of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Tutor of the Year Award for Kitsap County (while stationed in Bremerton, WA) is but one example of her early volunteerism prior to our first child. But then Corina’s 12 year background in Public Relations and Marketing seemingly came to an end when she decided to be a stay-at-home to our first son. Instead, she took motherhood and entrepreneurship and melded the two into something amazing for women all over the nation. She created a national organization, www.celebratemama.com, to empower mothers in a way that is especially accessable to military families and a resource for work-from-home moms. The Celebrate Mama! name, event and brand enables other women to make a name for themselves, and make money while giving back to their communities. As Corina says, “Celebrate Mama! helped define who I am as a mom, a community leader, and allows me to continue to be a successful businesswoman while encouraging other moms who want the same thing!” Although Celebrate Mama has a charitable function, she is still driven to do more for the communitiy. Corina joined with Crossway Community Inc., a local non-profit organization dedicated to assisting single, at-risk mothers and their children, as a part-time staff member. Corina is also a franchise owner of Stroller Strides Montgomery County, a fitness group for mothers, and is one of the chief mentors for new moms joining as mentors, instructors and business owners. Her success led her to be named one of the Stroller Strides’ top three woman of the year in 2006 and 2007. It is a calling that allows her to enhance other mom’s lives through community and health with our boys tagging along for the ride. Corina’s keen desire to help less fortunate children was a driving factor to our becoming foster parents with the intent to adopt a child who would otherwise face an uncertain future. We pray daily for the arrival of our new family member. Our battle with my second son’s epilepsy has only further my realization of the treasure I have in Corina as her strength, determination and joy in the face of adversity carries us all. In fact, she responded to the challenge in her characteristic way by writing and illustrating for him a preschooler book for coping with epilepsy which may be published soon. Corina manages to do all of this while still taking care of our boys at home, a true stay-at-home-mom. She has skillfully designed all of her efforts around the boys’ schedules so that if you asked them, they would say she was home all the time, waiting around to take care of them. Her enthusiasm for life and the creativity that flows from her to the boys leaves me constantly amazed and grateful to have her in our lives. Again, please vote for Silver Spring’s own Corina DuBois as Military Spouse of the Year. What started as a husband’s tribute to a great woman can be a community’s tribute too!
Corina’s Personal Quote – Taken From Her Celebrate Mama! Blog:
Like you, my life has been about remaining strong through change, adaptation & service. I hope to share how my roles as wife, mother, volunteer, entrepreneur and woman have all grown thanks to the opportunities and reinvention we gain through the U.S. Military.”
Husband Hal DuBois’s Nomination Essay:
