My mother, Carol Fitzgibbons has been a personal and professional bright light in young children\’s lives for many years! She supported an environment full of love, care, creativity, play, reading, service to others, security, and new adventures when my sister and I were young. She made sure the house was full of glitter, books, healthy food (to my sister\’s and my chagrin at times!), and a whole lot of music. As a young adult, I lovingly referred to her as Marmee, as she has the same spirit as Louise May Alcott’s beloved matriarch. My mom was a teacher for 30 years, beginning in special education, and then teaching kindergarten and 1st grade, with a specialty for integrated classrooms. If you have a parent who’s a teacher, you quickly learn that they are grocery store celebrities; no shopping trip is complete without at least one former or current student wanting to say hi. My mother was no exception, and she loved connecting with her young students as they grew up over the years! She generously has taken on the job of caring for my children two days per week since 2012 in the role of grandma. It’s great to see her in her element with them, offering similar activities, adventures, fun, reading, and music from my childhood (she seems to have relaxed her health food standards though- those lucky ducks!). This past pandemic school year has brought my mom out of teacher retirement, spending two days a week helping her 5th grade and 1st grade grandsons navigate online learning. We are also so lucky to have her in our lives!

Nominated by Sarah Fitzgibbons/SPCC – 03/30/2021