Parent volunteer who survived tragedy named 'Hero of the Heart'
Autumn Bignami praised for her service to Los Alamitos Elementary School
“I’m gonna try to get through this without crying,” Los Alamitos Elementary School Principal Gary Willems said during the Nov. 15 workshop of the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education.
His school had just made its annual presentation to board members, district leaders and an audience of L.A.E. teachers, students and families gathered in the board’s meeting room.
As Willems recognized the school’s “Hero of the Heart” recipient for the 2022-23 school year, parent volunteer Autumn Bignami, his eyes welled up with tears.
“Autumn is the quintessential hero of the heart,” Willems said.
Bignami, a mother of three, including a fifth grader at L.A.E., was lauded for her dedication to the campus community. She was described as a daily presence at the school, the head of the school’s nonprofit, Friends of Los Alamitos Elementary, and a prolific fundraiser for student programs, including heading up this year’s successful Fit-A-Thon that raised almost $72,000 for interventions, P.E. equipment and the purchase of Chromebooks and iPads.
But what makes her story particularly moving is what came before all that stellar volunteer work. In 2017, Bignami and her husband were among the more than 500 people injured in a mass shooting during The Route 91 country music festival in Las Vegas. (Last school year, Bignami’s son William received the“Every Student Succeeding” award given to a student who had overcome significant obstacles.)
She suffered severe injuries to her jaw and back and would undergo at least ten surgeries and a long recovery process. A beloved teacher and activities director at Paramount High School, Bignami would end up having to leave the job she loved.
“The most amazing thing about Autumn is that this event did not leave her bitter, mad or angry. She instead took this as an opportunity to get more involved in her students’ education and as an opportunity to help all of our Tigers get the best educational experience possible,” Willems said.
Willems thanked Bignami for her many years of service to L.A.E. families and even joked about holding back her daughter, Morgan, for another year so the campus community didn’t have to say goodbye to the woman he said has been so much more than just a volunteer.
“I truly consider her a friend who has helped me become a better leader,” Willems said, visibly emotional.
When it was Bignami’s turn to speak, she was thanking everyone else; describing her experience as a volunteer at L.A.E. as an “important part” of her recovery that helped her “feel again like a very productive, normal human.”
“After the incident that [Willems] had mentioned, I was hospitalized for a long time. And my children really had a second family at L.A.E.,” she said.
She credited the teachers and staff including Principal Willems, and former Assistant Principal Rick Larson with supporting her family in their time of need. She made it a point to recognize her kids’ teachers saying they had “created a very safe and secure place for my children at a time when they weren't feeling very safe and secure.”
Bignami added: “They really did sort of fiercely rally behind our family and they continue to support them and rally behind them every time something else comes up.”
Her daughter is headed to McAuliffe Middle School next year and Bignami predicted she would be back there volunteering.
“Autumn you are truly an inspiration to all of us,” Board President Diana Hill said at the conclusion of the presentation. Choking up, she added: “And we just so appreciate that you have given so much of yourself to this community and felt it was safe, so that you could come and heal and give so much to us. So thank you very much for that and for your heart and thank you for being our “Hero of the Heart” this year.”
Sign up for our newsletter
Your weekly dose of education news in Orange County simplified. We shine a light on the stories, people and policies impacting your family’s educational experience.
More in Community from Spotlight Schools
LAHS senior leads Girls in STEM program
'I wanted to make an impact on younger girls in the community'
Girl's Goal of Giving
8th grader hopes to perform 100 hours of community service this school year
Sunny seat at Seal Beach school honors beloved teacher
‘Caring Bench’ at McGaugh Elementary dedicated to Cari Crevda McQuiston who passed away in 2021
Time capsule from 1970 unveiled at Los Alamitos High School
Griffins from high school's first graduating class and current students share in historic moment
'Make your strangeness matter' is message in Kid Conference
Warner Middle School holds annual event run for and by students with 'Stranger Things' theme
School's sock drive spreads warmth with generosity
Lee Elementary School students collect more than 1,000 pairs of socks to donate
Pageant of the Arts celebrating 40 years at McGaugh Elementary
Fine arts program includes performances with students bringing artworks to life
McAuliffe Middle School names Campus Supervisor as its 'Hero of the Heart'
Cleveland "Bud" Jones praised for 'connecting with students'
Los Alamitos High School’s Interact Club helps local families in Holiday Giving Drive
Supporters give $40,000 worth of donations for annual drive benefitting Casa Youth Shelter and school district families
🚸 School crossing guard honored for 28 years of service
Betty Camacho was City of Seal Beach's longest serving school crossing guard
Youth football team fundraising to get to Pop Warner 'Super Bowl'
Los Alamitos team qualified for 13U Division II championship game in Florida
School newspaper gets rebooted at Los Alamitos High School
Student journalism class returns to campus and launches Griffin Gazette website
Crossing guard named Rossmoor Elementary's 'Hero of the Heart' for 2022-23
Tom Germscheid: 'It's not just a job to me anymore. It's who I've become.'
Pumped up for pickleball
McAuliffe Middle School club gets students on the courts
‘Taste for Los Al’ boosts Los Alamitos High School student activities as foodies delight
Around 3,000 tickets were sold to event featuring local restaurants
O.C. teacher wins big on Wheel of Fortune
McAuliffe Middle School special education teacher earns nearly $60,000 in episode during 'Teacher's Week' on the TV game show
Math lesson comes alive with 100x100 In-N-Out burger surprise
Third graders calculate the cost and calorie count of mega meal
Full Circle Moment at McGaugh Elementary
Connected by a Chair: creation by school board member for teacher's late father part of 'amazing' reunion
'Backpack Bash' is boost for students at Inglewood school
Seal Beach teacher delivers backpacks filled with school supplies donated at annual party with a purpose
Los Alamitos High School Quarterback Malachi Nelson on What's Next
Nelson talks about the upcoming 2022-23 football season, his last as a Griffin
LAHS Football Coach says dignity, integrity and grace are primary focus for his student-athletes
Ray Fenton touches on NFL recruitment, a new NCAA policy that could transform high school sports and more in talk at Chamber meeting
McGaugh's Pageant of the Arts Returns
After two years of cancelled shows due to the pandemic, students were back on stage for the 39th Pageant