September 7, 2004 – Mommy's Light Lives On Fund, a non-profit organization that serves children coping with the death or serious illness of their mothers, announced today that Hope Edelman, author of the New York Times best seller Motherless Daughters, will join the organization’s Advisory Board. Mommy's Light, headquartered in Chester County, PA, serves grieving children, ages 3 to 17, by helping them keep alive traditions or simple pleasures they shared with their mothers.

"Hope’s work has touched the lives of thousands who have experienced the deaths of their mothers. She has lectured internationally on the long-term effects of early parent death,” said Laura Munts, Executive Director, Mommy’s Light. “We look forward to working with Hope to get the word out about our services and to reach grieving children and their families locally and nationally.”

“Wherever I lecture, I stress the need to reach out to daughters and sons at the time of a mother’s death and to sustain support for them through adolescence,” explained Edelman. “I am excited and honored to join the Advisory Board of Mommy’s Light and to support the organization’s important and unique work with grieving children.”

Ms. Edelman is the author of three nonfiction books: the international bestseller Motherless Daughters (1994), which was translated into seven languages; Letters from Motherless Daughters (1995), an edited collection of letters from readers; and Mother of My Mother (1999). Hope is currently working on her fourth book, Motherless Mothers, to be published by HarperCollins in fall 2005.

She has appeared on national television, including The Today Show and Good Morning America. Hope's articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and Parenting. She is the recipient of a New York Times Notable Book of the Year designation and a Pushcart Prize for creative nonfiction.