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 State from 1983 to 1994. She is also a leader of the important Cuomo family.

Matilda Cuomo was married to Governor of New York Mario Cuomo. She is also the mother of Andrew Cuomo, who was also a Governor of New York. Another one of her sons is Chris Cuomo, a well-known TV presenter. Matilda Cuomo started a group called Mentoring USA, which helps young people. In 2017, she was honored by being added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Growing Up and School

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, Charles, started his own business making supermarket shelves. He also bought and sold buildings. Matilda was the third of five children in her family.

When Matilda was young, her mother tried to sign her up for kindergarten. But the school staff turned them away because her mother only spoke Italian. During elementary school, her teachers started calling her Matilda instead of Mattia. She was a bit scared at first, but she accepted the new name. She has been called Matilda ever since.

Matilda went to Midwood High School. She was a very good student. She was accepted into several top colleges. However, her family wanted her to stay closer to home for safety reasons. 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 at St. John's. He finished law school in 1956. Their strong partnership lasted for 64 years until Mario Cuomo passed away in 2015.

Important Work and Achievements

As First Lady of New York State, Matilda Cuomo worked hard to help women, children, and families. She started programs to help children who were at risk. She also helped find permanent homes for children in foster care. She worked to make families stronger through education. This included teaching about good nutrition and getting important shots.

In 1984, Cuomo started the New York State Mentoring Program. This program aimed to connect children and young adults with mentors. Mentors are like guides or trusted friends. This state program helped over 10,000 students. Matilda Cuomo led the program until 1995.

After the state program ended, she turned it into Mentoring USA. This is an international group that helps young people aged 7 to 21 find mentors. The New York State Mentoring Program was started again in 2015. She also led a project called the New York State Decade of the Child.

To support her mentoring efforts, Matilda Cuomo put together a book. It was called "The Person Who Changed My Life: Prominent Americans 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. Hillary Clinton wrote the introduction for it. It was also made into an audio book in 2016. Famous people like Joe Torre, Rosie O'Donnell, and General Colin Powell wrote stories for her book. Matilda Cuomo even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about her mentoring work.

Cuomo also helped lead the Governor's Commission on Child Care. She chaired the NY Citizens' Task Force on preventing child abuse. She played a big part in New York's role in the UN's World Summit for Children in 1990. She also helped the USA agree to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Awards and Special Honors

Matilda Cuomo has received many awards. These honors are for her long work as an educator and advocate. She has always championed women, children, and families.

In 1994, she received the International Fellowship Hall of Fame award. This was for her kind work helping children.

In 2010, she was given 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.

In 2016, she was the special guest 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 make life better for New York's children through education and mentoring. In 2017, she was also added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.

"Matilda's Law"

On March 20, 2020, her son, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, announced a special rule. This rule was to protect people over 70 years old in the state. It was a response to the COVID-19 outbreak. He called it "Matilda's Law" to honor his mother. He asked everyone to follow the rules and think of their own mothers.

Family Life

Matilda Cuomo and her late husband Mario had five children. They had three daughters: Margaret, Maria, and Madeline. They also had two sons: Andrew and Christopher. Her older son, Andrew Cuomo, was New York's 56th governor. Her daughter Maria Cuomo Cole is a film producer. She helped make movies like Newtown and The Invisible War. Her younger son is the journalist Chris Cuomo. Her daughter Margaret Cuomo is a doctor who specializes in radiology.

See also

In Spanish: Matilda Cuomo para niños