LOS ANGELES (Map) - LOS ANGELES, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Teleflora and NBC revealed that Pasadena, CA resident and Military Mom Patti Patton-Bader as the winner of their nationwide search to find "America's Favorite Mom" during a primetime Mother's Day special on NBC hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond. Bader was selected as the grand prize winner after securing the highest percentage of votes at NBC.com following her appearance on the "Today" show last week.

Bader is the founder and CEO of "Soldier's Angels," the nation's largest all-volunteer military support organization that specializes in sending care packages to deployed soldiers as well as providing various support services for the families of troops overseas. In addition to being a mother of two sons who serve in the military, she also is considered a mother to over 200,000 soldiers who benefit from her organization's cause.

With the grand prize of $250,000 awarded to her as "America's Favorite Mom," Bader plans to expand her operation by sending even more care packages overseas and also by building a ranch where soldiers can relax with their family the week they return from duty.

"I'm incredibly fortunate to know so many heroes in my life," said Bader. "Whether they are the troops who serve our country or the amazing mothers here on this 'America's Favorite Mom' program, I am honored to be in the presence of such inspirational people and also am humbled to know that America thinks the same of me."

In addition to the title of "America's Favorite Mom" and $250,000, Teleflora presented Bader with a diamond encrusted 18K heart shaped pendent and a year's worth of Teleflora flower arrangements. Bader also received a Redbook "Love Your Life" all-expense paid trip to New York City, including a beauty makeover and spa treatment, courtesy of Redbook Magazine, a family vacation package to St. Lucia, courtesy of Coconut Bay and an all-new General Electric kitchen and laundry appliances.

"For the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day, Teleflora wanted to go above and beyond how America traditionally celebrates motherhood on this special occasion," said Lynda Resnick, chairman, Teleflora. "The America's Favorite Mom program provided a national platform for us to acknowledge and honor the incredible contributions and sacrifices mothers make everyday in their role in and outside the home."

"Thousands of people visited NBC.com to cast their vote for 'America's Favorite Mom'," said Doug Vaughan, senior vice president, special programs and alternative development, NBC Entertainment. "For us, it was really exciting to be part of a multi-media event where an enthusiastic and interactive community came together in celebration of all these amazing moms."

The "Teleflora Presents America's Favorite Mom" special featured exclusive performances by Donny and Marie Osmond and Sony/Epic Artists The D.E.Y. Presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama joined a string of celebrity cameo appearances ranging from Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys to Steve Carell and Tony Hawk to honor moms on their special day.

The America's Favorite Mom program garnered nearly 20,000 nominations from proud children and adults nationwide. To narrow down the candidate pool, show producers made a preliminary round of recommendations based on each candidate's distinct and inspirational contributions to her family and community. A third party judging panel consisting of Stacy Morrison, editor-in-chief of Redbook Magazine, Sally Lee, editor-in-chief of Parents Magazine, and Sabrina Weill, editor-in-chief of Momlogic.com, assisted in narrowing down to the 15 semi-finalists who were featured in their respective categories last week on the "Today" show. Based on the highest percentage of votes in their individual categories, the runners-up were:

    -- Working Mom -- Stacy Horn Koch, New Orleans, LA
    -- Single Mom -- Betty Yerkes, Denville, NJ
    -- Adopting Mom -- Nora Leon, Haiti
    -- Chairman of Everything Mom -- Gwendolyn Beauchamp, Lancaster, TX

Teleflora presented the runners-up with $25,000, a gold pendant, a year's worth of Teleflora flower arrangements and a General Electric washer and dryer. The remaining 10 semi-finalists each received $10,000 from Teleflora.

Executive producers of the "Teleflora Presents America's Favorite Mom" special included Lynda Resnick, chairman, Teleflora, Al Berman, president, Berman Productions and Mark Koops, managing director, Reveille.

About America's Favorite Mom

In honor of the 100th Anniversary of Mother's Day, Teleflora invited consumers to nominate their inspirational moms on http://www.AmericasFavoriteMom.com for the title of "America's Favorite Mom." From January to April 25, children and adults alike adoringly expressed how much they loved their mom online. Log on to the web site to view all the nominations. The site also features more information about the program, including the official rules.

About Teleflora

Teleflora is the world's leading floral service offering the best choice in floral arrangements and convenient local delivery. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Teleflora has over 20,000 member florists throughout the U.S. and Canada, with an additional 20,000 affiliated florists outside North America. Teleflora offers industry-leading floral arrangements and gifts, technology, marketing and education services. Through its extensive member florists' network, Web sites including http://www.teleflora.com and http://www.findaflorist.com, and its toll-free line 1-800-TELEFLORA, the company offers consumers fast, convenient and high-quality flowers and keepsake products.

About NBC

NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network's primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC's quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, ratings success, particularly among young, upscale viewers, and numerous awards, including more Emmy Awards than any network in television history.