Letter to the Editor: Laurie Bajorek for Vernon, CT Mayor

To the Editor:

I’d like to tell you a little bit about my friend, Laurie Bajorek. I met Laurie in 2010, when our now adult children attended Center Road School in Vernon. I knew that I wanted to become involved with the PTO, but I was intimidated by the newness of it and by my preconceived ideas of who the (mostly) moms were who participated in PTO. At face value, Laurie fit the bill of what I thought the typical PTO mom would be. But, from the very beginning of our friendship, it became clear to me that she is someone who dives much deeper than face value. Laurie doesn’t deal in small talk; she thrives in important, meaningful conversations. She asks the hard questions. She doesn’t shy away from differences of opinion. She’s respectful and kind, but she doesn’t sugarcoat or placate. She thoughtfully nudges others to consider different sides of situations, even the sides they may not agree with or don’t want to acknowledge might have merit.

At the beginning of my PTO days, Laurie was the chair of the Scholastic Book Fair. We share the theory that money is always well-spent if it is spent on educating children. When she was ready to pass the book fair committee baton, she suggested I step into the role. I was hesitant because I didn’t feel I could give it the same time and attention that she had. I’ll never forget her words of encouragement, including, “Just because it’s always been done this way doesn’t mean you have to do it the same way.” Laurie has always been a leader who doesn’t just tell people how to do the thing “the right way” but gives them the confidence to do the thing in a way that makes sense to them.

Laurie is the first person who I reached out to when my husband and I received a concerning diagnosis for one of our children. I knew from previous conversations that she would be a caring, nonjudgmental place for me to put my feelings about it all, and that she would help bring my frantic thoughts down to a more manageable level. I wasn’t wrong. She has always been so generous with her experience and time in this way.

In July 2021, I received the words no woman wants to hear: you have breast cancer. I was extremely fortunate that my urgent diagnosis also came along with a very positive prognosis. When I had the impulsive idea after finishing radiation to sign up for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk in Boston in August 2022, Laurie was one of three friends who stepped up to join my crazy. We put in countless training hours in the months leading up to the event, walking a ridiculous number of miles all over Vernon and beyond. She met and exceeded her fundraising goal, then challenged our team to raise over $10,000 combined to help eradicate breast cancer. And, when I said let’s do it again this year, she signed up with me again.

If I had to sum up Laurie in one phrase, it would be: She shows up. She shows up for her family, she shows up for her friends, and she shows up for our community. Please join me in voting for my friend, Laurie Bajorek, for Mayor of Vernon on Tuesday, November 7th.

Cindy Kristoff, Vernon, CT