The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Obama, dignitaries headline national events to honor Sandy Hook victims
NEWTOWN — Two homegrown nonprofits that have developed national profiles in the fight to make schools and communities safe from gun violence will host events in New York City and Washington, D.C., next week in honor of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
Former President Barack Obama will headline a benefit on Dec. 6 at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom for Sandy Hook Promise, which provides free school shooting and violence prevention programs, and dignitaries will attend a Dec. 7 annual vigil for gun violence victims at a Capitol Hill church hosted by Newtown Action Alliance and its partners in the gun violence prevention movement.“No family should have to endure the unrelenting pain of a child being killed, especially in the places that should be safest,” said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, in a prepared statement. “While this (benefit) event underscores the incredible work that Sandy Hook Promise has achieved in 10 years, there is still more work to be done, as gun violence is now the leading cause of death among youth.”Hockley, whose son was among the 20 first graders and six educators killed on Dec. 14, 2012, when a gunman shot his way into a locked Sandy Hook Elementary School and committed the worst crime in Connecticut history, was among the parents Obama greeted two days later in Newtown — a day the former president called the saddest day of his eight years in office.A partial quote from Obama’s speech in Newtown on Dec. 16, 2012, is engraved on a granite bolder at the entrance of the newly opened Sandy Hook Memorial. It reads in part, “I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world, too, has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you.”Obama’s appearance at the Sandy Hook Promise benefit in Manhattan and the dignitaries’ appearance with families of loss at the Newtown Action Alliance vigil on Capitol Hill come as Newtown and everyone who was touched by the Sandy Hook tragedy prepare to mark 10 years since the morning everything changed. Two solemn church services that have become an annual tradition in Newtown will provide the only public opportunity to remember the victims the evening of Dec. 14, while the Sandy Hook Memorial will be open for the first time during an anniversary for private reflection. Schools in Newtown will be closed on the anniversary. Teachers will participate in professional development and students will stay home. Meanwhile Newtown activists and nonprofit groups will observe the 10-year mark by advocating for life-saving educational programs and calling for an end to gun violence.“By this December, over one million Americans will be killed or injured by guns since the Sandy Hook shooting tragedy,” says the Newtown Action Alliance, calling on supporters to join “our collective effort to continue to shine a light on the devastating epidemic of gun violence in our nation until these gun deaths and injuries are reduced.”The Newtown Action Alliance vigil, planned at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, will bring together “survivors of gun violence, victims’ family members, concerned citizens, faith leaders, lawmakers, leaders of gun violence prevention organizations, and activists from across the nation.”The day before the vigil in midtown Manhattan, the Sandy Hook Promise benefit will honor Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger for his “his strong support of gun reform and creating safer communities for America’s children” and raise money for the nonprofit’s cost-free educational programs.“Nearly 10 years ago, my
beautiful butterfly Dylan was killed in his first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary,” Hockley said. “Since that time, I have dedicated my life to empowering youth and adults to prevent violence.”“I am incredibly proud of the strides the organization has made and, most importantly, the lives saved through our proven programs,” she said. “I will continue to push for solutions to ensure the safety of all children.”