Victor Badaracco and his brother-in-law, Michael O’Rourke, work as a kind of tag team when it comes to doing repairs at St. Andrew’s Parish in Bayonne. O’Rourke does maintenance by day, and Badaracco often shows up after hours to repair this or take care of that.
“I like to do things behind the scenes,” he said. “I just want to get things done. I don’t need the credit.”
So when Father Paul, the pastor, wanted to submit a name to the Sears Unsung Heroes: Dads Making a Difference Contest, Badaracco shied away, telling Father Paul to nominate O’Rourke instead.
In celebration of Fathers’ Day, the Sears Blue Tool Crew asked Americans to salute dads making a difference and nominate those who use their tools and talents to benefit their communities, throughout the month of June. The Dads Making a Difference Contest kicks-off the Sears Blue Tool Crew’s new “Unsung Heroes” campaign that will continue to pay tribute throughout the year to those using their tools and talents to benefit a community.
“When Father Paul says he needs something to be done, I try to do it.” — Victor Badaracco
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As a result, Badaracco has been named as one of 10 national finalists and will receive about $3,000 in tools and supplies from Sears to continue his public service. More importantly, the public will get an opportunity to vote on whether or not he and the church will qualify for $30,000 in supplies as well as volunteer help in a community project through ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”
Once the grand prize winner is selected, the Sears Blue Tool Crew will bring the winner’s project to life. The winner will be determined solely by America’s vote. Votes can be cast July 14 through July 30 at www.searsunsungheroes.com.
Lots of service
“We know there are dads everywhere who serve not only as an inspiration to their own kids, but to their entire community,” said Ty Pennington, formerly a carpenter on the show “Trading Spaces,” who currently hosts “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” a reality television series providing home renovations for deserving families. “This contest is about paying tribute to all those people who do these small acts of kindness. Even on our show, we can’t do it alone. People need to lend their time and their skills.”
Badaracco said he was “shocked and surprised” when he heard that he was a finalist, and said he was likely selected over his brother-in-law because of his multiple roles as a Eucharistic minster at St. Andrew’s, a Boy Scout troop leader, as well as one of the coordinators for the church’s SEARCH program. He is also involved with the decoration of veterans’ graves on Memorial Day, was a past Holy Name Society president at St. Andrew’s, and a member of the Knights of Columbus in Bayonne.
A panel of judges, including Pennington, selected the 10 finalists, and America’s vote will decide which nominee will receive a special visit from the Sears Blue Tool Crew.
“This is about all of the unsung heroes that go unrecognized, people who spend their weekends helping out in their neighbors, fixing garages, building tree houses, and repairing churches,” Pennington said. “The finalists are about those people who stand up and make a difference in their community. In this case, Victor is an electrician and a jack of all trades. He uses his hands to do good things and not for praise. What we’re trying to do is shine a light on are these dads who are doing amazing things.”
By singling out individuals, he said, they hope to encourage other people to also volunteer in their communities.
“Volunteerism is a cornerstone of my show, where people volunteer for six hours and sometimes stay for three days,” Pennington said, noting that Badaracco is just that kind of person, someone focused on his church and its grounds.
Badaracco’s son last year worked at the nearby senior center for an Eagle Scout project. He has encouraged the troop to collect food for the St. Mary’s and St. Andrew’s food pantry.
“But I like to do things in the background,” Badaracco said. “When Father Paul says he needs something to be done, I try to do it. Right now, I’m working on polishing the brass knobs to all the doors and restoring them. I generally go over to the church after work.”
New roof needed
He said the $3,000 in tools will be used for work around the parish.
While he said he doesn’t like to count his chickens before they are hatched, Badaracco said that the parish and convent need a new roof, and if he is a grand prize winner, that is a possible project.
“But it will be up to Father Paul,” he said.
When he first heard about the contest, Badaracco thought the grand prize was a cash prize, and he thought if he won, he would give $20,000 to the church and use the remaining to pay the cost of sending scouts to summer camp.
“If I can get enough votes to win, I will be doing the service project at St. Andrew’s,” he said. “My scouts will be helping out on the project. This can be a great advertisement for all scouts in Bayonne.”
The public can vote at www.unsungheroes.com.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.