Newtown’s annual Beautiful Baby Photo Contest, coordinated since 2010 by Sandy Hook resident Lois Barber, is kicking off and looking for photos of children, newborn to age 4, to be posted on its voting booth.

The contest is a friendly competition/fundraiser that this year will help an American soldier returning home with life-altering injuries receive a free custom handicapped accessible house through the Homes For Our Troops national nonprofit. It is a baby photo contest, not a live pageant. All money raised goes to Homes for Our Troops.

The money raised by this year’s contest will be earmarked for a house being built on Long Island for Marine Sergeant Luis Remache, who, due to a grenade blast, lost both legs above the knees in a traumatic amputation. Sgt Remache also sustained elbow, stomach, and severe damage to both hands in Afghanistan due to the blast and also small arms fire.

To enter the Beautiful Baby Photo Contest, send a $10 check made payable to Homes For Our Troops and a non-returnable 4 by 4-inch photo, with the baby’s name, parent’s email address and contact phone number written clearly on the back, to Baby Contest c/o Lois Barber, 33 Zoar Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482. Children do not need to live in Newtown in order to be part of the competition.

The voting booth will be displayed at Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza, 228 South Main Street in Newtown, for two weeks in June.

The public will be invited to vote for their favorite by placing dollar bills or checks in a slot above the child’s photo on the voting booth. Checks, which are tax-deductible, should be made payable to Homes For Our Troops.

The winner will be determined by whose photo has raised the most amount of money to help this soldier. Multiple votes are encouraged.

The winning child and their family will ride in a chauffeur-driven convertible, provided by Mercedes of Danbury, in the Newtown Labor Day Parade as the  Beautiful Baby Winner. All children and their families who enter will also be invited to march as the Beautiful Babies Helping Heroes. Every child entered will also receive a coupon good for a free 8 by 10 portrait at the JC Penny Lifetouch Studio in Danbury Fair Mall, an $18 value.

For more information about the Beautiful Baby Contest, email babycontest2010@gmail.com or call 203-270-8017.

 Visit  www.homesforourtroops.org for more information about the non-profit the contest will benefit.