When it comes to ending things on your own terms, Kids Connection Director, Londa Lillo, added a poetic touch toward her retirement from the position. Her last day of her 27-year tenure as Director will be on February 27, the same day she started her career at KC on February 27, 1991. While her decision to retire seems fateful considering the divine symmetry with the number 27, it proved difficult for Lillio as she reflected on her career at Kids Connection, the bonds she has formed along the way, and what she intends to do with her free time.
Lillo is a St. Clair alum and is a familiar face at the school through her efforts with KC, jotting down stats during volleyball and basketball games and assisting Katie Thompson in the Media Center, all while being a calming presence amidst the chaos in a room filled with young children can bring. Technically, her career at KC started 34 years ago at the behest of Ruth Nicolai; Lillo took on several roles at the start of her tenure as she would wash dishes two or three times a week, aided the kitchen staff in preparing meals, and handling inventory, supervised rooms while the teachers were away, and worked as a para in the center’s Autism Pre-K class. She would also volunteer as a custodian.
To this day, Lillo thanks Nicolai for the opportunity she offered all those years ago. “She saw something in me that I didn’t know I had. All of these wonderful years are because she took a chance on me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Fast forward to early 1998, when St. Clair was in dire need of replacing its director at Kids Connection, the program was located inside the school instead of in a separate building close by. Lillo had not considered herself for the position, but destiny would have other ideas as former Superintendent Rick Linell presented her the opportunity minutes before an official School Board meeting. It came as a complete and utter shock to be offered the Director position, but Linello expressed a vote of confidence that Lillo would be “very good at it.”
She accepted the position just as the meeting began and the future of KC and “who was taking over” inspired parents to attend the meeting. Lillo had hoped the Board would not make the announcement, but upon hearing her name reported as the New Director, a sudden surge of confidence came over her. “I was shaking my head, hoping they didn’t say my name, but they did, and when the parents turned at me, I knew at that point it was sink or swim, and I gave my heart and soul into everything I’ve done since.”
Of course, Lillo had much to learn as she took over the director position. She had planned a budget or was in a leadership role where others depended on her guidance, so bumps and bruises came naturally with this new world for her. It took a steady hand to learn the ins and outs of her position, which included hiring staff, preparing budgets and yearly audits, planning activities throughout the school year, processing payments, and managing enrollment on a year-to-year basis. Handling the financial side of the program helped Lillo realize the cost of operating the program, and the “cost you don’t realize” that goes into running Kids Connection. She relied on the advice of former Superintendent Linell, current Superintendent Tim Collins, and Activities Director Brad O’Donnell to help her “control what I can control” through troubled times with the program. Lillo also thanked the students for teaching her throughout the years. “I’ve grown as much as the kids have…you learn how to interact with them, and you learn every year that while the respect is there, the expectations have changed dramatically over the years.”
Kids Connection provides before & after childcare services during the school year and a full-time daycare during the summer months. That kind of year-round commitment lends itself to long days, difficult decisions, and the constant attention of caring for dozens of students can bring tremendous strain and stress for a Director. The position has changed hands a number of times throughout the program’s history, which makes Lillo’s long-tenured 27-year career as Director a testament to the depth of her passion for caring for others. She has had as few as 12 kids and as many as 68 kids at one time, so the growth of KC also reflects how consistency can breed a strong community. Although certain events like traveling to the Minnesota Zoo or Twins games are a rarity due to financial cost, KC keeps events local around the Mankato area, and they participate in themes like the Kentucky Derby where the kids will race their bikes, or in this case horses.
Being a Director of a childcare program can be a daunting task for anyone; an unforgiving position filled with 12-hour days in which you are only paid for eight hours…the rest “comes from the heart.” Much of the care is provided by Lillo alone, but students over the years have volunteered their time to help supervise the kids. Currently, seniors like Morgan Roemhildt, Lily Trier, Sophia Tolbert, Lincoln Froehlich, and others use the little free time they have to assist in “Homework and Reading” time after school. Trier especially is incredibly dedicated to the cause as she has been a part of the program since seventh grade–Lillo called her “my right hand.” A future childcare provider in the making.
As an unintended consequence of the position, Lillo’s family faced their fair share of sacrifices, and precious years of quality time were lost during her tenure as Director. In an effort to play catch up, spoil her grandchildren, and spend as much time with her father, Harvey, Lillo declared her intent to retire earlier in the 2024 school year, citing a desire to spend more time with her family. Or maybe her decision to retire may have stemmed from a decades-long promise to her husband to retire two years before he would. Regardless, Lillo will use her retirement to catch up on lost time with her family, a family she is eternally grateful for. “My dad was my biggest supporter and influence in my life, and I’d like to be with him as often as I can…my husband and children have been incredibly patient and forgiving while I put my absolute heart and soul into Kids Connection. There were hardships because I was focused on the program all these years, and to just have the free time to be with them again means the world to me.”
The decision to retire still came with the usual response of shock and dismay by her fellow staff members and the students, but Lillo is at peace with her decision as she prepares to hand the torch, or in this case a collection of keys on a lanyard, to the new Director Tiffany Habinger. Her decision to retire in February would give Habinger time to plan out and follow through on a summer program.
While she had plenty of gratitude to share for her 27-year career, Lillo offered a tearful reminder of what she will most upon retiring. “The kids, the love, the hugs. We would have chit-chat time with the kids after school, and the stories they would tell could fill out an entire book. We wanted to be able to give them a chance to express themselves and know someone is there to hear them.”
That devotion toward compassion and understanding is what made Lillo a fitting Director for Kids Connection and although her retirement leaves behind an enduring legacy, this new direction for her life will still be filled with a desire to care for her loved ones. A retirement party will be held in the Commons area on February 28 from 3-7–a well-deserved celebration for a dedicated Cyclone.
