"Anna Mary Kidman's" motto must be, "There's always room for one more." Some think the "M" of her middle name should stand for "Mother To All".

The matriarch of the considerable Kidman clan graduated from Central High School in 1940.

Kidman, 75, of 708 E. Prairie Ronde, grew up fourth among six girls. "My dad was strict. He had to be. My parents were Polish and very family-oriented. We didn't ever get to go anywhere and stay overnight. He always had to know what we were doing".

Her children, who wrote from all over the country nominating her for Hometown Hero, include: Stephen, of M-62, Cassopolis; Susan, of Texas; Philip, of M-51 South; Lisbeth, of California, George, of Florida; Theresa, of Dowagiac; Andy, of Dowagiac and Theresa Winters, whom she raised from about 12.

She has 23 grandchildren, four foster children and four great-grandchildren.

"I had my sisters Mary's two boys during the day after she was divorced because she had to work."

Bill Lawrence, an attorney and partner in Wittorp-Lawrence, serves on the board of education. Tom Lawrence works for the City of Dowagiac.

Another nephew, John Nusbaum, the former administrator of Lee Memorial Hospital, is now in Ann Arbor with the Sisters of St. Joseph.

"It takes a lot of patience", she says of parenthood. "Having a big family is nice and I enjoyed it, but there were times when things were pretty hectic. They all had their little jobs to do to help out. When I look back, I wonder how I had time to do everything I did, but I always had the theory what I don't get done today, I'll do tomorrow.

"Having strong faith helped a lot. Without faith, I would have crumbled under a few times. Church and religion and family sustain me. I was baptized at (Holy Maternity of Mary), made First Communion, got married there and when I pass away, that will be the place, too".

Her kids encourage her to join them in California, but a warmer climate "Would,nt be home, This is Home".

More than 20 years ago she began volunteering at the St. Vincent DePaul Society store on W. Railroad Street.

"I go down there Monday through Thursday for about 20 hours a week," she said, "it's something I really enjoy doing. Somebody said, "How can you deal with the people who dump their problems on you"? But I feel good inside knowing I'm helping somebody. I can remember being small when things were tough. "I can relate to that", said Kidman, whose father couldn't find work for three years during the Depression.

"I really want to be there to see what I can do to help," said Kidman, who never had an opportunity to attend college, but if she was a young woman picking a career today figures she would become a social worker.

With a strong economy, "People think there aren't so many people hurting, but there are," Kidman said.

"What can you do on minimum wage with a family? We are an emergency place to come for food and clothing. United Way helps us a lot. We appreciate that. We haven't helped so much with rent because the Salvation Army does that."

Her sense of helping others she attributes to her immigrant parents.

"They all helped one another. When there was illness or death, everyone pitched in. My dad worked for Round Oak and at Rudy's for a while. He was very sharp and if he had taken the time to learn the language fluently, he could have done something more professional," such as being an accountant.

"He always kept the books for the PNA (Polish National Alliance). They come over to Chicago in 1910, then was recruited to come to Dowagiac to work for Round Oak. All of us were born here. I grew up at 319 E. Division, on the corner of Mill. It was an ethnic neighborhood with a lot of Polish, German and Salvic. Our neighborhood had Taberski's grocery store. My mother never learned English because she didn't have to. It was a good neighborhood to grow up in because people bonded together. Whenever my kids hit a bump, I tried my best to help them out if I could. My husband, Terry, was supportive, too," before the tool-and-die maker died in January 1995. "With a big family, sometimes he had to work two jobs to make ends meet," she said. "When these kids hit a rough spot, I could relate to that. I've been there. Things weren't always easy."

Her favorite pastime is going to play bingo with her sister, Mary, whether it's the Cassopolis VFW on Wednesday, Dowagiac American Legion Hall on Friday night or the Moose Lodge on Sunday afternoon.

"All these kids can't understand why we like bingo," she said, "but you make a lot of friends. It's more for socializing. I'm not going to go to a bar or do those kinds of things. I cook a lot. My mother was my role model. My parents were strong role models. They always wanted to keep a tight-knit family and that's what I always tried to do.

"My grandmother truly is a hero," says Maria Reddy. "Not one that is world-renowned for some extraordinary feat, but one that lived a good Christian life and made her family very proud."