MANITOWOC, Wis. — In our Two Americas series, we show you the side of America you may be familiar with and the one you might not be.
This Mother's Day, our focus is on moms. Throughout the day, we are going to take you through the lives of hardworking moms in Wisconsin.
We were able to spend some time with these women, to see their daily lives, their challenges and what they love most about being moms. We start with a Manitowoc mom named Jennifer Estrada. She is a mother of five.
"I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. It has changed me, shaped me, molded me - made me the person I am and continues to be a joyous and hectic, amazing ride. It really is," says Estrada, whose duties go far beyond the household.
Estrada started non-profit Crusaders of Justicia in 2019, to feed northeast Wisconsin families who are still struggling through the pandemic. "[Especially] for an undocumented family. So we stepped in to curb that issue and break down that barrier," she says.
Estrada says she's serving the Latino population because of her former husband. "A lot of people, their life shifts, and their mission comes out of struggles that they lived. And mine certainly did when my husband was deported. We actually moved to Mexico after he got deported. It made me also realize why people come here, like really truly why people come here."
She does all of this while supporting five children. "I work a lot, I have a lot of different jobs. I work at Voces de la Frontera, that's my family. I'm the statewide COVID-19 vaccine outreach coordinator. I try to teach my kids there's no excuses: be a good person and do good things."
When she is not working or volunteering, she is homeschooling her children.
"I think a mom is a mom. It's borderless, it's ageless, it's - being a mom is the most amazing experience. It gives you a sense of like living for somebody else," she says.
We followed more moms throughout the day. Click here to follow the day in the life of a Walworth County mother and special education teacher. Click here to watch the day in the life of a Kenosha County mother of a newborn baby boy.
