WS Chronicle

For nearly two decades Anita “Boss Lady” Dean Arnette has been holding a Mother’s Day event while working for The Light AM 1340/103.5 FM radio station. this year’s event, held at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, May 10, was one of their largest crowds ever.

According to Dean Arnette, the event started out very small in one of the conference rooms of the radio station. They have grown so much over the years they have had to expand to spaces such as the Enterprise Center to accommodate everyone who wants to attend.

“So many people forget about the mothers, and there are many people who listen to my station that don’t have family that looks out for them, so I thought why wait until somebody dies before we give them flowers,” said Dean Arnette.

“I just thought about having a celebration never thinking it would get this big,” she continued. “When we first started we had a few ladies with some food and it was very intimate, so as the years went by, it began to grow. I feel like with my faithfulness, God has blessed this event because it’s more than a Mother’s Day event. It is a celebration of life to give honor to mothers.”

There is a theme to each year’s event. This year’s theme was “You Win.” The listeners of the station then write in letters about their mothers pertaining to the theme. The letters are then sent to a panel of radio station employees, which Boss Lady is not a part of, and the finalists are selected and contacted.

Dean Arnette stated she stays out of the selection process because she knows a lot of people. She says she wants the process to be as objective as possible and does not want to appear partial to one candidate or another.

The top five finalists were notified and were pampered for the day not knowing who is the winner. They were shuttled to the event via a limousine. The ladies were seated front and center for the event that includes a skit, dance routine, a lovely soul food dinner and prizes galore.

This year’s winner was Dr. Mattie Walker. She was nominated by her daughter, the Rev. Andrea Walker, who wrote a tear- jerking letter about how great her mother has been not only to her children but to everyone she meets.

“She is an awesome mother and she has always been there for me, my family and others,” said the Rev. Walker. “So many people have become our sisters and brothers because she was like a mother to everyone. She is a winner and I am so glad that now the Winston-Salem area will be able to share that love she shares with us.”

Dr. Walker stated her stomach was “turning upside down” as Dean Arnette read off where the finalists placed.

“God is good and you never know what He has in store for you,” she said. “My daughter’s letter touched my heart and I can’t explain it to you. I tried to be a mother to everyone but to hear her say it meant all the world to me.”

All of the finalists received a special prize from the radio station. Dr. Walker received a cruise vacation, which she was very excited about. This will be her first time on a cruise, she says.

With all of the work this event entails, Dean Arnette says it is all worthwhile when she can see all of the smiling faces in the room.

“This is so emotional because I lost my mother like three or four years ago, so I feel like every time I do this, I’m doing it in her honor to let her know I have not forgotten her,” Dean Arnette said. “I want every mother in here to feel special.

“This is the thing that makes me wants to keep doing this every year even with all the work, but it’s all worth it,” she continued. “Everyone is encouraged to come together for the fellowship and I always say love isn’t love until you give it away, and we will continue to give away love every day on the radio station.”