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.
How to help Sandy Hook, 10 years later: Here are all the organizations started by victims’ families
By Laya Neelakandan
Dec. 12, 2022, 10:20 AM PST / Source: TODAY
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