Homemakers for America Inc. First Meeting

By Stacy Gooden

A new day dawned for American women on November 11, 2004 when Homemakers for America Inc. Inc. conducted its charter meeting in Dayton, Ohio. Leading the official organization was association founder and President Kimberly Fletcher.

In attendance were twenty-seven women of all ages, religions, backgrounds and walks of life. Mothers, grandmothers, college students and professionals gathered for one common purpose-to forge a path whereby they and other American women can become instruments for good in their communities, states and nation.

The highlight of the evening was the introduction of three remarkable and courageous women who, in turn, told of their life experiences which influenced their love for America.


Violet Acanfora of Huber Heights, Ohio told of her family's tragic experience as Christians in Iraq. When she was a child her father was killed for his beliefs. Following his murder, Violet's mother vowed that the family would go to America someday. Her mother never saw that day for she died when Violet was fourteen years old, still in Iraq. As a young adult, Violet graduated from the University of Bagdad with a degree in education and foreign languages. However, she and her brother were determined to fulfill their mother's dream of going to America.

While still very young, the siblings were traveling outside Iraq which provided them a window of opportunity to finally escape the persecution of their country. They eventually made the trip to America with the support of the World Council of Churches. Now, Violet is an American grandmother who has strong convictions of what makes America great.

"We believe in freedom and family," stated Violet, "The family is the foundation of society."

The most profound testimonial of the three guest speakers was that of Yuko Houseknecht, a Japanese immigrant and young mother of four. Yuko met and married a United States Air Force soldier stationed at a base in her home country. She moved to America in 1999 when her husband was transferred to Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. Since then she has found a home in her new country, studying its history and the origins of its unprecedented freedoms. She looks forward to the day when she can proudly call herself an official American citizen. These are her words.



Yuko Houseknecht
"Good evening my friends. I would like to call you 'my friends' because I feel that we share the same kink of values. It is an honor to be with you at this historic event, the first meeting of Homemakers for America Inc. Inc. and very humbling. I hope that I will say something valuable to you.


Do you like caterpillars? I used to despise them, but this summer that changed. I came to like them. I even started looking for them in the milkweed patch. I had some experiences with my children observing the transformation of Monarch butterflies. It was awesome! They are beautiful. A tiny caterpillar forms a chrysalis. The chrysalis changes its color and the Monarch comes out. It would then flap its wings to dry and take off. Monarch butterflies know where to find their shelter and food. They even travel thousands of miles to Mexico. There, they find mates, lay eggs and repeat the cycle for the next generation. Thus, they preserve their species.

There are no such practices as same-gender marriage or abortion in the world of butterflies. Their instincts are strong enough that nobody needs to teach them how to live. Unlike butterflies, humans are not completely controlled by instincts, rather they are heavily influenced by their environment. We are born into a family and need to be taught almost everything in life. We need to be taught what to eat while Monarchs instinctively go to milkweed right after their transformation.

The family is the very first institute for human development and it should be. The family is the fundamental unit of society. Without family, society won't exist. Without family, America won't exist. There is so much confusion in the world today. I sometimes feel like I am in a very messy room and I don't know where to start to bring peace and order. Then, I remember the words of E.T. Sullivan and it brings peace into my heart. I would like to share them with you.

'We fancy that God can only manage his world with battalions, when all the while he is doing it by beautiful babies. When a wrong wants righting, or a truth needs preaching or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world…perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart, and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.'

God put "Love of America" into my heart and I have tried to put it into my children's hearts. I have 4 young children and I home educate them. At meal times, I sit at the table and read stories of George Washington and the war that he fought with his noble people. My love for America has sunk deep into my heart and this land of freedom has became sacred ground to me. I fell in love with the founding fathers and the courageous people who stood for what they believed. And I fell in love with the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution is the law; a beautifully written law that if men follow, will build the most perfect union that can ever exist upon the face of the earth. That is my belief. I believe that the United States of America has a very unique and divine mission to accomplish. That is to be the standard unto the world in bringing peace and order. The Constitution is the banner of peace that allows us to have pure freedom when it is interpreted and practiced as it is.

I testify to you that there is no other nation under heaven that has the law to protect human rights as you will find in the Founding Father's Constitution. As you know, some of the principles have been changed and we are actually losing some of our freedoms. I hope all Americans try to learn what our Founding Fathers intended and bring back what we have lost.

I love America because of the love she has for all human beings. She declares that all mankind is created equal; equal before God, equal before the law, and equal in their rights. I know that it is my mission to help raise a generation of children who will become the guardians of our liberties.

George Washington once said,

"A primary object … should be the education of youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing … than … communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?"

And I quote Abraham Lincoln:

'Let [the Constitution] be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges, let it be written in primers, in spelling books and in almanacs, let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation.'

George Washington said that the people are the only keepers of the Constitution. May we read the Constitution and ponder it. I hope we truly understand its principles and defend it. I hope we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound.

George Washington knelt in prayer at Valley Forge. His men were cold and hungry. They had ragged summer clothes and bare feet on the snow. They boiled their shoes fill their hungry bellies. They stayed in the battlefield in spite of many severe challenges because they knew the value of freedom. They fought for their families and they fought for us! I am the beneficiary of the great sacrifices of those noble people.

How grateful I am to stand on the American soil to partake of the blessings of liberty even though I was born in Japan! I am blessed to raise my children here in the land of freedom. I am grateful for the opportunity to stand before you tonight to share the love that I have for My America. Yes, she is your America, but she is my America too. May we be united to protect what we have and bring back what we have lost so our children, their children and the generations to come may have freedom. Let us hope that America will continue to set the standard and wave the banner of liberty forever. This is my humble prayer."