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A heartfelt legacy
By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer
WESTCHASE -- In the Baldor family, everyone always knew there was something supremely special about Ana Maria, the youngest of the bunch. There was something in the way she carried herself, the way she looked out for others, the way she brought comfort and grace to an often weary world. But it wasn't until after Ana Maria Baldor-Bunn's death last year, after a two-year battle with a rare form of stomach cancer, that her family found the words that best described her, the words they had searched for but never quite captured. Someone left a card at Baldor-Bunn's Mi Bebe children's boutique in West Park Village the week after her death in April, a small memento of the empty place she left behind. "You had the heart of a lion," wrote friend Diana Holmes, "and the soul of an angel." Now, the close-knit Baldor family has turned that heartfelt homage into a campaign to raise funds for the Catholic school where Baldor-Bunn volunteered in the final months of her life. In January, the Villa Madonna School in central Tampa launched the Heart of the Lion campaign to raise $2-million by April 19, the first anniversary of Baldor-Bunn's death. So far, the campaign has brought in more than $1.6-million, said school principal Sister Kim Keraitis. Contributions are streaming in from coast to coast. "My sister always felt comfortable here," said Javier Baldor. "She felt she was contributing. And it was something that helped her through her latter stages of cancer. After she passed, our family wanted to do something, we wanted to continue her legacy of giving, her compassion and kindness." Baldor-Bunn, who lived in Westchase, was 30 years old when she died. Two years earlier, she was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor while pregnant with her first and only child, William. While fighting the cancer and launching her boutique business, Baldor-Bunn also volunteered at Villa Madonna, where Javier Baldor had once helped with a computer system installation. The money will be used to implement improvements throughout the school, including: -- an improved technology curriculum that will provide computers for every student in grades three through eight. -- enhanced athletic resources, including an all-purpose sports field. -- campus beautification and improved security. -- scholarship opportunities for children seeking a Catholic education, but whose parents cannot afford one. "I always believe that God sends the right people at the right time to get his work done," Sister Keraitis said. In addition to the fund drive, Villa Madonna has instituted an annual award in Ana Maria Baldor-Bunn's name that will honor one child in each grade. "You're instilling her spirit in the hearts of children," Sister Keraitis said. "Children who will one day be the adults in society who will be able to give to someone else. It's another way in which her spirit literally lives on in others." "What better thing could someone say about you than you have the heart of a lion?" Baldor said. "I think that quality exists in everyone. It's amazing to see people aspire to that quality." -- Logan D. Mabe can be reached at 269-5304 or at mabe@sptimes.com. To learn more For information about the Heart of the Lion campaign, call Sister Kim Keraitis at 229-1322.
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