Loren Thebodo Named New

NJWC Beautiful Baby

What a wonderful first birthday present Loren Thebodo received. Saturday, June 13, was not only her birthday, it was also the day Newtown Junior Women’s Club announced the winner of its 2009 Beautiful Baby Contest.

When Lauren’s home was called to see if she could make an appearance up on the Relay For Life stage, it turned out she could not leave her home because the phone call came in the middle of her birthday party. Celebrating her big day with her were the relatives who gave Loren the early lead and many of the winning votes.

Lauren’s parents are Heather and Dan Thebodo. Her grandfather reportedly drove up to Newtown from Norwalk every other day to stuff the ballot box with his votes, and Dan’s coworkers would stop off to vote on their way home from work.

When the voting booth visited the Sandy Hook LobsterFest, Dan was — between bites of his meal — an effective campaign manager for his daughter, as evident from the ballot box.

Parents of children from toddler through age 3 were invited during the spring to submit a photo of their child for the competition. Votes from the public were $1 apiece, with all money raised through the contest promised to charities.

NJWC has selected Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds custom homes, free of charge, for returning servicepeople who are severely wounded. The club also made a donation with some of the funds received through votes to Relay For Life-Newtown, and will use some of the remaining money toward its annual Backpack Program. The club also plans to make donations to nonprofits in town they have helped in the past.

A voting booth was moved between a few locations, including Sand Hill Plaza, Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue’s LobsterFest, and then on June 13, to the temporary Relay For Life track at Fairfield Hills. Voting concluded that evening, with the winner announced about an hour after voting closed.

In addition to having her photo published in The Newtown Bee, Loren and her parents will be featured in the Newtown Labor Day Parade and receive a family gift basket.