On Saturday, October 21, a district-wide staff flag football game will help North Branford support the "Love for Lyla" Lyla Bogardus Scholarship fund.  Staff from Jerome Harrison Elementary School (JHS) and Totoket Valley Elementary School (TVES) will team up to play against staff from North Branford High School (NBHS) and North Branford Intermediate School.

A North Branford elementary school student through grade four, Lyla Bogardus was an inspiration to her classmates as well as the school community and greater North Branford community. She lived her life to the fullest despite having to battle rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the muscle cells. Shortly after her passing at her home on Christmas morning 2016, the community showed its support by "painting" the town purple, her favorite color (see the story here ).

The support continued in March 2017, when the community went on to honor her by coming out to back the JHS annual St. Baldrick's fundraiser for childhood cancer research event, established when she was a JHS student in 2015. One of the earliest community "Love for Lyla" efforts was a district-wide fundraising program which took place at the Oct. 2014 NBHS homecoming football game.

The "Love for Lyla" staff flag football game kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 21 at the NBHS stadium, 49 Caputo Road. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.; admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Other fundraising activities to support the scholarship will include a 50/50 raffle, halftime student obstacle course, face painting and bake sale.