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02/15/2017 07:30 AMWhether it’s encouraging the community to “brave a shave” at the annual St. Baldrick’s event or getting behind any number of causes, efforts, and needs that arise in North Branford, Judy Bannon is a person to whom many turn to in town to help make it happen.
The Northford resident of 28 years and Jerome Harrison Elementary School (JHS) teacher of 16 years is currently working hard with her all-volunteer committee to gather more support than ever for North Branford’s third annual St. Baldrick’s event, set for Friday, March 24, from 6 to 10 p.m. at JHS.
“The support we’ve been shown is absolutely overwhelming to us. In the past two years, we’ve raised just over $72,000; and we’re hopeful we’ll hit the $100,000 mark this year,” says Judy.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-powered charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government, according to www.stbaldricks.org.
Judy says the March 24 event is already receiving commitments from teams of volunteers, “shavees,” and donors who are contributing to the cause at www.stbaldricks.org/events/jerome17. The event also has a Facebook page (search “NB St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Event”).
Word is definitely spreading on social media and through the JHS community, with the JHS St. Baldrick’s team leading event contributions with more than $2,300 pledged to date.
Overall, “we’ve already hit our $5,000 mark,” says Judy, noting another way to contribute is by buying a $5 “wish bracelet” crafted by committee member Tina Roth, with 100 percent of proceeds set to go to the March 24 event (more information is available at the event page on Facebook).
Particularly Poignant
This year’s St. Baldrick’s event will be especially poignant as it honors the memory of North Branford nine year-old Lyla Bogardus, who passed away on Christmas morning of 2016. Lyla had bravely battled rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the muscle, for more than seven years. This year’s event will also honor a Guilford child battling cancer, Chloe Mason-Mann, who, together with Lyla, was one of the youngsters participating as honored guests during the 2016 St. Baldrick’s event at JHS.
“This year, in addition to honoring the memory of Lyla, Chloe will be our honored child. She’ll be with us that evening and we have activities for children that will include our entire cafeteria being turned into Lyla’s Arcade and Chloe’s Corner, and all of the activities are free,” says Judy.
The night will include music and plenty of viewing of heads being shaved by volunteer barbers who will be manning chairs in the gymnasium. Raffle prizes will be offered to help build donations and guests can purchase food from food trucks arriving especially for the event.
“It’s one of those events that’s very community-minded,” says Judy, adding JHS is the perfect place to hold it. “There are no words to explain what it’s like to work there, and the support that people give you as an educator and as a person. There’s just an incredible amount of love in that school. We’re really a family: the parents, the teachers, the children. Whatever event is going on, whatever is happening in the community, good or bad, we can always count on the people at my school to be right there.”
Judy got to know Lyla and her family when Lyla became a 2nd grade student in Judy’s JHS classroom during the 2014-’15 school year.
“She really was so amazing—the courage and the strength that little warrior had. She just made you think, ‘How can I help? What can we do?’” says Judy “When you’re a teacher, you’re in a unique category: You know a lot about a lot of things. Some are good, some are not so good. You do whatever you can in that position to be as helpful as you can.”
Judy was part of the fall 2014 volunteer effort gathered by Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker to show support for Lyla and her family. North Branford Public Schools (NBPS) hosted a district-wide fundraising event at the North Branford High School homecoming football game, dubbed “Love for Lyla.”
Once it was over, Judy felt the community would want to continue to show support for Lyla and other children fighting cancer.
“That just kind of blossomed into St. Baldrick’s,” says Judy.
Judy went back to the volunteers she’d worked with on “Love for Lyla” to help found the first St. Baldrick’s event at JHS in 2015.
“That same group of people was right there when I said, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ They said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Nothing happens because of one person. It’s everybody that comes together to do these things,” Judy says. “You can have the great idea, but you still need someone that comes by your side, and grabs your hand and goes along with you for the ride. That’s something that I really appreciate.”
A Wide Influence
In her teaching career, Judy has been involved in organizing educationally-focused school events including Night to Care, Fun Day and Read Across America Day. A co-director of the JSH 2nd-Grade Chorus, Judy coordinated the first Shoreline Elementary Choir Festival on Feb. 3, successfully joining North Branford Public Schools choir students in grades 2 to 5 with choir students from Madison and Haddam-Killingworth public schools for an outstanding community performance in the North Branford Auditorium.
She’s also a North Branford Food Pantry volunteer and fundraising committee member and coordinates sewing bees to support the Project Linus quilt project. In 2003, she received the NBPS “Above and Beyond” award. In 2015, Shore Publishing honored Judy as a Beacon Award winner. This year, she has been named one of North Branford Education Foundation’s 2017 “Shining Star” award recipients.
Judy began getting involved in her community shortly after she and her husband, Peter, settled in Northford to raise their four children. Judy grew up in Branford (Branford High School Class of ‘76) and was born in Fort Hood, Texas, while her dad was serving with the U.S. Army. Even as a child, charity toward others was the golden rule in Judy’s family.
“I was raised knowing you always give back, and you do what you can to help others,” says Judy. “We raised our children to be charitable and luckily we have had a lot of connections in the community that have allowed us to get involved and help others.”
Judy was a stay-at-home mom when her kids were very young and she credits their connections to the community with creating many opportunities to get involved in their church, sports groups, and scouting programs. Judy particularly jumped in to support her children’s Stanley T. Williams Elementary School community. The Northford school was later consolidated to become part of today’s JHS.
“My story is that I was a very over-involved PTO mom,” says Judy, laughing. “I was on every committee. Anything that I could do, I was right there to do, because I just loved being a part of the school so much, and the staff at the old Stanly T. Williams really inspired me.”
In fact, Judy was so inspired, she thought she might want to teach someday.
“Every time I would go in there, I would think, ‘Wow, I would really love to do this, but do I have what it takes to go to school for five years while I’m raising my family?’”
With the support of her family, Judy decided to follow her dream.
“I had never gone to college—I’m actually the first member of my family to graduate, which is very cool,” says Judy. “So I was a stay-at-home mom, who didn’t even go to school to become a teacher until my youngest son was in 1st grade. He and I kind of went full-time together to school. My family jumped right in and supported me, and here we are, so many years later, doing what I absolutely love doing, every day.”
A big part of the reason Judy loves what she does is working at JHS, the town’s only grades K-2 public elementary school. That allows teachers to help create a sense of community in their young charges that will permeate their entire educational experience in North Branford.
“Every child that is going to come through our system is going to come through the doors of Jerome Harrison,” says Judy. “The challenge from our principal has been, ‘What can you do for your community?’ The learning goes so far beyond the walls of your classroom. It’s important for children to always have a sense of what they can do to better their community or help other people. I think that’s something the climate of our school supports, and I’m so fortunate to work somewhere with a belief system that’s very similar to my own philosophy.”