Dr. Virginia Maurer, Maurer Foundation Founder, with her daughters Kimberly and Tammy.
In honor of Mother’s Day and the Foundation’s Maurer Memories initiative, we thought it would be fun to hear about our founder, Dr. Virginia Maurer, through the eyes of her daughters, Kimberly and Tammy. Here are some of the Maurer Memories they shared about her.
Kimberly
When I was growing up people would always ask me if I was going to be a surgeon like my mother. But Mom never asked that or tried to influence what I was deciding to do. The only thing she told me with great sincerity is that she loved getting up every morning. She loved going to the office, being with her patients, and working with the Foundation.
She told me I needed to figure out what it was that made me as happy as her career made her and that is what I should be doing with my life. In her own subtle way she impressed upon my sister and me that it is not what we do with our lives but how we do it that is most important.
That piece of advice, the way my mom sees the world and the people around her is the best and really the only way I can describe who my mother is and how she has shaped the person that I am.
Tammy
Although my mom is the founder of The Maurer Foundation, her involvement extends past that. She makes The Maurer Foundation’s philosophy a daily practice. She believes that its mission is a vital part of education.
She is the most selfless person I know. She has always shown an extraordinary amount of compassion for others, whether it be in her professional or personal life. Growing up, this characteristic has been one that I have tried to emulate. My mom has continuously shown me what type of person I want to be.
She has shown me that being a mother is a gift. I continue to look forward to the day that I become a mother so that I can have the type of relationship my mother and I have. She has proven to me how influential a mother is to her daughter and the importance of teaching a child by example and not only by words.
Growing up with Dr. Maurer being your mother, it would be impossible to not understand the importance of philanthropy and volunteering. Because of my mother, I am constantly looking for ways to give of myself and to others, whether that is in my job as a teacher or volunteering during my free time.
Share Your Own Memory
Tell us how much that special woman in your life means to you! When you make a donation in the month of May to support the Foundation’s breast health education programs, we’ll post your tribute on our website and send a copy to the special woman in your life.
