Calendar Stars - January 2023

Judy Bannon

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Over 1,800 organizations nationwide have signed licenses with Cribs for Kids with new partners signing on every week. These partners consist of community-based organizations, state and local health departments, churches, Child Death Review Teams, hospitals, and government agencies. To date, this program has placed over 800,000 infants into a safe sleep environment and has provided safe-sleep education to millions of families. In 2017 Cribs for Kids unveiled their line of safety products for infants including their safe sleep environment, the Cribette. In addition to funding Cribs for Kids programs, the profits from the sale of every Cribette fund vital SIDS research through the Aaron Matthew Research Foundation of Cribs for Kids.

Through her tireless advocacy, Pennsylvania Act 73 of 2010, mandating that every mother giving birth in a Pennsylvania hospital or birthing center be given infant safe sleep education and a crib, if needed, was signed into law by Governor Edward Rendell in October 2010. She has chaired six national Cribs for Kids® Conferences held in Pittsburgh, the Cribs for Kids Headquarters location. In addition to the top SIDS/SUID researchers in the world, these conferences bring partners and advocates together to share best practices and further the mission of Cribs for Kids.

Mrs. Bannon has been recognized nationally by the National Center for Child Death Review with the ‘Making the Difference’ Award in 2009 and is a proud recipient of the 2012 Circle of Commendation Award from the Consumer Products Safety Commission which was bestowed upon her by Chairman Inez M. Tenenbaum. In 2014 she received the Distinguished Educator Award at the International SIDS/Stillbirth Conference in Amsterdam for her contributions to parental support, professional education, and the prevention of sudden infant deaths. In 2015 she was named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalist. April 26, 2017,  to recognize her contribution to the city.

Judy and her daughter, Jennifer, have chronicled the story of the Cribs for Kids movement from humble beginnings to a multi-million dollar national non-profit in their book, Five Ladies and a Forklift.