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In the wake of this terrible tragedy, numerous organizations were founded in honor of those who lost their lives. The work being done by all of these charities is important and your support will be greatly appreciated.

These two organizations were established with the goal of preventing tragedies like this from ever happening again:

Sandy Hook Promise

Research has proven that Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programs effectively teach youth and adults how to prevent school violence, shootings, and other harmful acts. Students and educators learn how to identify at-risk behaviors and intervene to get help. These early-prevention measures empower everyone to help keep schools and communities safe.

Safe and Sound Schools

Founded by parents who lost children at Sandy Hook School, Safe and Sound is a national non-profit school safety advocacy and resource center that provides research based tools and support for crisis prevention, response, and recovery, helping to protect every school, every student, every day.

Where Angels Play Foundation

The Where Angels Play Foundation was founded and its first tribute initiative “The Sandy Ground Project” was completed in just 18 months. Twenty-six playgrounds were constructed along the coast of three states and built by firefighters, police officers, teachers, school administrators and community volunteers. Each playground reflects the personality of the teacher or child for whom it is named and the project had unanimous approval and blessings of all 26 families.

Listed below are individual organizations and foundations created by families to honor their loved ones:

Dawn Alyson Lafferty Hochsprung

The Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Center for the Promotion of Mental Health & School Safety develops and shares solutions that promote the mental health of each child and safe learning environments for all children. Russell Sage College established the Hochsprung Center in 2013 in memory of the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, who died in a school shooting on Dec. 14, 2012.

To further Dawn Hochsprung’s legacy, the Department of Educational Leadership at Sage established the Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Graduate Fellowship — an award for advanced scholarly research in the areas of mental health and/or school safety.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the mission of the Hochsprung Center may make a donation online by going to https://www.sage.edu/alumnae-i/giving/ .

In addition, Dawn's family established the Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund in her honor through the Connecticut Community Foundation to aid Naugatuck students entering the teaching profession.

Mary Joy Greene Sherlach

Mary was the school psychologist at Sandy Hook and one of the first to be killed that day. Her family established Mary's Fund to provide access to mental health for children and teens who might find it inaccessible in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau

Lauren, a teacher at the school, is remembered for being "a sensitive and focused young woman." Her family set up two scholarships to defray the costs for people training to be elementary school teachers: The Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship, Danbury High School Scholarship Fund, 43 Clapboard Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 and the Lauren Rousseau Memorial Scholarship, University of Bridgeport Graduate School of Education, 126 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604.

Rachel Marie D'Avino

Rachel was a behavioral specialist at the school, and her family wrote that she had "an unrelenting determination and a clear focus on helping adults and children with autism." According to My Sandy Hook Family, Rachel's family supports the Autism Speaks organization in honor of her memory.

James Radley Mattioli

James' family described him as "all boy," enjoying wrestling fights with his dad and swimming. His family committed to support the programs that brought him joy through donations to the James R. Mattioli Memorial Fund.

Grace Audrey McDonnell

Grace had a love for art, her family wrote, and so they started the Grace McDonnell Memorial Fund to support young artists and art programs for youth.

Emilie Alice Parker

Emilie is remembered for being an "exceptional artist," her family wrote. To honor her legacy, Emilie's parents founded the Emilie Parker Art Connection to support art programs in schools. Emilie's mother, Alissa Parker, is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools and has written a book called "An Unseen Angel."

Jack Armistead Pinto

Jack is remembered for his love for sports and athletics. His family has honored his memory through donations to Every Kid Sports, which provides funds for athletic programs in under funded schools.

Noah Samuel Pozner

Noah loved playing with Legos and had an "unbreakable and unbroken bond" with his twin sister, who survived the shooting. His father created the HONR Network, which targets conspiracy theorists who claim that the shooting is a hoax. It also aims to empower victims and provide education to the broader community.

Caroline Phoebe Previdi

Caroline, who loved the arts and performing, inspired her family to found the Caroline Previdi Foundation. The foundation aims to help support kids without financial resources so they can engage in extracurricular activities.

Jessica Adrienne Rekos

Jessica's family remembers her as an avid horseback rider with a love for Orca whales. For over eight years, her family ran the Jessica Rekos Foundation to honor her memory, but the foundation is now closing down. The family asks for people to donate instead to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation in Jessica's name.

Benjamin Andrew Wheeler

Ben's family remembers him as someone who loved lighthouses. To honor his memory, his family started a community organization called Ben's Lighthouse to empower children and teens and foster emotional growth and self-awareness.

Charlotte Helen Bacon

Charlotte's family established a foundation in her name called the Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation (previously known as "Newtown Kindness"). According to the website, the foundation helps to fund four programs in honor of the "precocious, independent and joyful 6 year old": Charlotte's Litter Therapy Dog Program, The Charlotte Bacon Veterinarian Scholarship, The Charlotte Bacon Selah Scholarship and The Charlotte Bacon Bereavement and Grief Research Initiative.

Charlotte's parents, with a friend, have also published a book in honor of their daughter called "Good Dogs, Great Listeners." Charlotte's brother, Guy Bacon, also wrote a book called "The Dogs of Newtown."

Daniel Gerard Barden

Daniel Barden's family created the "What Would Daniel Do" campaign to honor his legacy of kindness. Additionally, Daniel's father, Mark Barden, is one of the founders of Sandy Hook Promise.

Josephine Grace Gay

Josephine's family, who know her as Joey, have started Joey's Fund in honor of her to support families in New England looking for resources to help family members with autism. Joey's mother, Michele Gay, is also one of the founders of Safe and Sound Schools, promoting improved school security.

Madeleine Feng Hsu

Madeleine's family described her as "a petite princess with a big personality" on My Sandy Hook Family, a website devoted to remembering their loved ones. Madeleine also loved music and swimming, in addition to riding her bike "without training wheels the day they were taken off."

Catherine Violet Hubbard

Following Catherine's love for nurturing animals, her family created the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, which was awarded over 34 acres of Connecticut farm land in 2014 to house the sanctuary. The sanctuary hosts events and fosters the bond between humans, animals and the environment.

Chase Michael Anthony Kowalski

Chase's family has set up the CMAK Foundation to honor the "amazing little boy," according to the foundation's website. The foundation supports programs for children's physical and emotional well-being, along with hosting Race4Chase, a triathlon program for kids.

Ana Grace Marquez-Greene

Ana's family established The Ana Grace Project, which supports arts education and worked with schools to create the "Love Wins" curriculum to promote love and community. The organization has also brought professional development initiatives to provide training in counseling and other trauma-related care to communities that need them.

Victoria Leigh Soto

Victoria was "living her dream teaching first grade," her family said, and is remembered by her family as having a "zest for life." To honor her memory, her family created a foundation called The Vicki Soto Memorial Fund to provide scholarships to students desiring to become teachers and to collect and donate new books to schools in need.

Anne Marie McGowan Murphy

Anne's obituary requested that "In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Autism Speaks, 1060 State Rd., 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540, www.autismspeaks.org". On the My Sandy Hook Family website, Anne Marie's family wrote, "Thank you for respecting our privacy."

Dylan Christopher Jack Hockley

Dylan's family created Dylan's Wings of Change, a foundation supporting children with autism and special needs. Dylan's mother, Nicole Hockley, is also one of the founders and managing directors of Sandy Hook Promise.

Avielle Rose Richman

To ensure Avielle’s name and legacy live on, the Avielle Foundation formed a new partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz Campus in 2020, establishing The Avielle Initiative, which is now under the Brain and Behavior Innovation Center at CU Anschutz. This partnership between CU Anschutz and the Avielle Foundation grew out of the recognition that their organizations approach work with deep passion, enduring hope, and unflinching dedication. They share a belief that real change can happen when organizations and communities work together to develop and implement science-driven solutions to promote brain health, create compassion and ultimately reduce violence.

Allison Noelle Wyatt

Allison is remembered by her family as a "kind-hearted little girl" who loved drawing and wanted to be an artist. She had drawn a final picture for her first grade teacher, who was also killed in the shooting, and signed it with "I love you, Love Allie."

In honor of Allison, the Allison Wyatt Memorial Scholarship for Art has been established at the University of Florida to provide scholarships to students who are pursuing an art degree.

Olivia Rose Engel

Olivia's family has started a website Honoring The Memory of Olivia Rose Engel, where they ask people to learn more about Olivia and consider donating to the Newtown Park and & Bark Project in her honor.

Jesse McCord Lewis

Jesse's family remembers his last moments, when he saved lives by telling his friends to run. To honor his legacy, his family created the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, which supports social and emotional learning programs for teachers and students.

The Jesse McCord Lewis Scholarship Fund at the Valley Community Foundation, a designated scholarship fund, provides scholarship(s) to graduating seniors at Shelton High School who best exhibit the spirit of compassion and love for their fellow students and their community.

“Twenty six bells will always ring at Christmas
Twenty six bells will ring in my heart
Twenty six bells will always ring at Christmas
Twenty six bells as long as we’re apart”

The Bell Anthem and Credits