A Very Beautiful Baby

One-year-old Lia Spremullo, pictured, has been named the winner of the 2011 Beautiful Baby Photo Contest.

Lia’s photo raised the most money for Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds free custom houses for severely disabled military personnel. According to contest coordinator Lois Barber of Sandy Hook, the funds raised through this year’s contest have already been earmarked for a home being built in Danielsville, Penn., for Robert Kislow, who was wounded in Afghanistan. His house’s Build Brigade is slated for July 22–24.

Parents were invited to enter their children into the Beautiful Baby Contest by submitting photos and a $10 entry fee to Ms Barber, who put the photos of all the entries on display during June. The public was then invited to vote, at $1 per vote, for their favorite toddler of the 35 entries.

All funds collected through the contest were forwarded to Homes For Our Troops, which has benefited from Ms Barber’s friendly competition — and the generosity of those who have “voted” for a Beautiful Baby — annually since 2009. This year’s contest was also sponsored by the Northern Fairfield County Blue Star Mothers.

For winning the contest, Lia will be a guest of honor during the 2011 Newtown Labor Day Parade on September 5, riding in a new convertible limousine provided by Mercedes-Benz of Danbury, and her parents will receive a Family Fun Basket filled with items donated by local merchants. She is the firstborn child of Cayenne and Jonathan Spremullo of Oxford.

“Many generous people in Newtown contributed money for [Mr Kislow’s] house through [this] contest,” said Ms Barber, who recently sent a note and a check to Mr Kislow for his home project. “I told him we were honored to be part of his home built and to wish him a happy future and thanked him for his service to our country.”