By Bill Milligan
For the Call

Judy Holley is anything but an ordinary woman. You might call her an ordinary hero who truly wants to make a difference with the young children of her community.

The day care teacher at Noah’s Ark Day Care Center, 5001 Little Rock Road in Concord, has a large family, which she doesn’t see as often as she’d like: daughter Monica, 37, and five grandchildren.

The teacher’s faith drives her to work with the youngest among us at the Christian-centered day care center.

“I accept all children, and I think they all deserve love,” Holley said. “I rely on God to get me through the tough times.”

Her favorite verse from the Bible is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

She recalls the verse when she hears “I can’t…” uttered by children in her care.

“I use that verse to show them they can do anything,” Holley said.

Her approach has been impressing her peers in child care for decades. She has worked at Noah’s Ark since 2011.

She specializes in working with the younger children at the day care center.

“She seems to do really well with our 2-year olds,’’ said day care administrator Kathy Cox. “She is very energetic and very organized. She does a really good job. It’s an adventure every day when you’re working with 2-year olds. She does a really good job for us.”

Holley goes above and beyond for her students, with teachers in school districts asking her how she helped particular special-needs children. She has a knack for seeing when a child is growing frustrated.

“I had a grandma once tell me she had no idea what I did for her girls,” Holley said. “She said they loved to pray and be involved with church.”

In her spare time, Holley tries to help the homeless.

“It hurts me to see homeless people,” she said. “A bunch of us from church go out to help. A long time ago I would have been afraid of them. But I’ve found out we have the same interests. They were all just like me.”