Obama, Witherspoon earn top mom honors

• Tweet

DALLAS, May 2 (UPI) -- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and actress Reese Witherspoon have been named International Mothers of the Year for 2012, organizers said Wednesday.

Also enshrined in the Hall of Fame this year are Victoria Beckham, a singer and fashion designer; Lisa Belkin, a Huffington Post journalist; Stephanie Decker, an Indiana housewife and tornado survivor; Betty DeGeneres, author, activist and mother of talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres; Meredith Olafson, a North Dakota nurse and surrogate mother; Holly Robinson Peete, an actress and television host; Ann Romney, philanthropist and wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney; and Summer Sanders, an Olympic medalist.

The International Mothers Hall of Fame is a 45-year-old Texas non-profit that describes itself as being dedicated to "increasing respect and recognition for the first -- and often the most powerful -- influence of our lives."