Matilda Cuomo facts for kids

Matilda Cuomo (born Mattia Raffa on September 16, 1931) is an American champion for women and children. She served as the First Lady of New York from 1983 to 1994. She is a respected leader of the Cuomo family.

Matilda Cuomo is the widow of former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo. She is also the mother of Andrew Cuomo, who was also a Governor of New York. Her son Chris Cuomo is a well-known television presenter. Matilda Cuomo founded a group called Mentoring USA. This group helps young people. In 2017, she was honored by being added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Matilda Cuomo's Early Life and Education

Matilda Cuomo was born Mattia Raffa in New York City. Her parents, Mary and Carmelo "Charles" Raffa, came to the United States from Sicily. Her father arrived in 1927. He started his own business making supermarket shelves. He also invested in real estate. Matilda was the third of five children in her family.

When Matilda was young, her mother tried to enroll her in kindergarten. The school principal turned them away. This happened because her mother only spoke Italian at the time. Matilda later remembered the principal yelling at her mother.

During elementary school, her teachers started calling her Matilda. Her birth name was Mattia. She accepted the name Matilda because she was a bit scared. The name stuck, and she has used Matilda ever since.

Matilda's College Years

Matilda Cuomo attended Midwood High School. She was a very good student. She was accepted into several colleges. However, her family wanted her to attend a school closer to home. They were concerned about her safety.

She chose to study teaching at St. John's University in Queens. She graduated from St. John's Teachers College in 1954.

Matilda Raffa met Mario Cuomo in 1951. They met in the cafeteria at St. John's University. They were both students there. The couple got married on June 5, 1954. Matilda worked as a teacher. She supported her husband while he studied law. Mario graduated from law school in 1956. Their marriage lasted 61 years until Mario's death in 2015. Many people called their relationship "one of the great love stories."

Matilda Cuomo's Important Achievements

Matilda Cuomo was very active as the First Lady of New York State. She worked hard to help women, children, and families. She started programs to mentor children who needed help. She also helped find permanent homes for foster children. Her work strengthened families by offering education, nutrition, and immunization programs.

Mentoring Programs for Youth

In 1984, Cuomo founded the New York State Mentoring Program. Its goal was to create one-on-one mentoring for young people. This state-run program helped over 10,000 students. Matilda Cuomo led the program until 1995.

After the state program ended, she started Mentoring USA. This is an international non-profit organization. It helps young people aged 7 to 21 find mentors. The New York State Mentoring Program was restarted in 2015. She also led the New York State Decade of the Child initiative.

To support her mentoring efforts, Cuomo put together a book. It was called The Person Who Changed My Life: Prominent People Recall Their Mentors. The money from the book sales went to Mentoring USA. The book was first published in 1999. It was reprinted in 2002 and 2012. It included a special introduction by Hillary Clinton. In 2016, it was made into an audio book. Famous people like Joe Torre and General Colin Powell shared their stories in her book. Matilda Cuomo also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about her mentoring work.

Advocacy for Children's Rights

Cuomo also helped lead the Governor's Commission on Child Care. She chaired the NY Citizens' Task Force on Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect. She played a key role in New York's involvement in the UN's World Summit for Children in 1990. She also supported the USA's agreement to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Awards and Special Recognition

Matilda Cuomo has received many awards. These honors recognize her lifelong work as an educator. They also celebrate her efforts to help women, children, and families.

In 1994, she received the International Fellowship Hall of Fame award. This was given by the Coalition for Italo-American Associations. It honored her humanitarian work for children.

In 2010, she received the Lewis Avenue Alumni Legacy Award from St. John's University.

Cuomo was honored in 2011 with the Champion for New York's Children and Families Award. This award came from the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation in Albany, New York.

In 2016, she was the special honoree at the 75th Anniversary Jubilee for Midwood High School.

Cuomo received the first Liberty Partnerships Program Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. This was for her work to improve the lives of New York's children through education and mentorship. In 2017, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

"Matilda's Law" Explained

On March 20, 2020, her son, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, announced a protective order. This order was for people over 70 years old in the state. It was a response to the COVID-19 outbreak. He named it "Matilda's Law" to honor his mother. He asked everyone to think of their mothers when following the rules.

Matilda Cuomo's Family Life

Matilda Cuomo and her late husband Mario had five children. Their daughters are Margaret, Maria, and Madeline. Their sons are Andrew and Christopher.

Her elder son, Andrew Cuomo, was New York's 56th governor until 2021. Cuomo's daughter Maria Cuomo Cole is a film producer. Her projects include Newtown and The Invisible. Her younger son is journalist Chris Cuomo. Her daughter Margaret Cuomo is a radiologist.

See also

In Spanish: Matilda Cuomo para niños