In 1994, Hope Edelman wrote “Motherless Daughters, A Legacy of Loss,” a book about premature mother loss through death. The national response from women who had lost their mothers as children or adolescents was enormous. This reaction inspired a group of women to establish a national non-profit organization in New York because women were starving to be both understood and to understand themselves as well. In 1995, local organizations were formed and continue to thrive, even though the national organization is no longer operational. Each year, approximately 60,000 girls under the age of eighteen lose their mothers through death.
In 1997, the first Motherless Daughters Day Luncheon was held in Orange County. Women have found comfort and healing in meeting and sharing their stories with other women.