North Branford Rotary Club to Recognize Bannon, Burich & Lanza

The North Branford Rotary is excited to announce the recipients of their Inaugural “Service-Above-Self” Community Service Award to three deserving North Branford Residents. In February of this year the Club reached out to the community for nominations for the Service Above Self Award and received a tremendous response.

“We asked the community to nominate individuals who have made an impact in the community through meaningful service and actively helping others in town. The response from our community was incredible and we couldn’t be more thankful.” Recent remarks from the North Branford Rotary Club President, Melinda Fonda. Fonda went on to say, “We couldn’t think of a better way to say thank you to distinguished individuals right here in town than to recognize them with an award that symbolizes dedication, compassion and generosity.” The Club recently revealed this year’s award recipients as Judy Bannon, Laura Burich, and Victoria Lanza.

Judy Bannon is an elementary school teacher at Jerome Harris Elementary School, and has been involved as an educator with the North Branford Board of Education since 2001. Judy has recently been praised for her efforts in organizing virtual assemblies for the students at Jerome Harris which gave students a sense of community pride during the pandemic. Judy also volunteers several hours on the board of the local food pantry, Love For Lyla, St. Baldricks, Read Across America, Jerome Harris Chorus, and Night to Care. She was also involved in helping the 2018 Police Lip Sync Video. Judy is passionate about her current and past students. As described in her nomination, Judy is a treasure in our community and the North Branford Rotary is honored to award her!

Laura Burich is a Captain for the North Branford Town Ambulance Company (NBFD Co. 4) where she has dedicated 30 years to the Ambulance service. Laura’s career has been honored by the Branford Exchange Club’s Shoreline Heroes Award, and the State Exchange Club’s Connecticut’s Bravest in 2014. She is also an appointed member of the Board of Fire Commissioners and is actively involved with the town Senior Center, Parks and Recreation, PoCo Festival, Relay for Life, Toys for Tots, and Santa Run in addition to many other community events and fundraisers. Among the events she has been involved in, she is known to organize fundraisers for members of the community impacted by catastrophic illnesses. Laura’s nomination describes her as someone who selflessly steps up to the plate, is tenacious and helps to get the job done. The Club is looking forward to honoring Laura for her dedication to her community!

Victoria Lanza is a dedicated resident in North Branford who operates a daycare in town. She was praised for her dedication to the community after giving birth at the onset of the pandemic and maintaining her commitment to essential workers by keeping her daycare open. In addition to her passion for early childhood development, she also commits her time as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, actively helps the local food pantry as well as the animal shelter. Victoria is also an active board member of the North Branford Women's Club and school’s PTO. Victoria is known to help with many fundraisers and town events including delivering stockings to children in need. She is a co-founder of a community group whose mission is to spread positivity and unity in the community. Victoria’s nominations describe her as someone who truly works hard to make North Branford a better place, who is always willing to jump in and help, and a great citizen who loves this town. The Club is eager to award Victoria for her distinguished service!

The North Branford Rotary Club will be awarding the recipients on Thursday June 10, 2021 at 6pm, at Woodwinds of Branford. The event will be held outdoors. Tickets can be purchased in advance by going to www.northbranfordrotary.org or by contacting Rotary Club President Melinda at NorthBranfordRotary@gmail.com / 203-988-0883.

Committee Chair, Alex Casella, expressed his appreciation to those who sent in nominations. “It’s been a very rewarding experience for the members of the committee, and the club, to receive a fantastic response from the North Branford Community and I’d like to thank those who found the time to submit nominations.” Casella and Fonda were both impressed by the number of nominations that came in the first year which exceeded their expectations. The club is looking forward to continuing to honor distinguished members of the community each year.