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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How to Help Newtown, Connecticut


This post has absolutely nothing to do with style, or fashion, or holiday shopping.  Last Friday’s mass shooting of children, parents and teachers devastated everyone who heard about it. 

As anyone who lives in the tri-state area of a certain age, it is very likely that you know someone directly that has been affected by this tragedy.  After the shock, your next instinct is to help any way you can.  Here are a few options based on how/what you can do:

Trauma, Grief Counseling, Dealing with Mental Illness:
Danbury Hospital is on the frontline for victims and also in working with different agencies to provide counseling for families.  You can help fund these initiatives here.
Save the Children is also available to help with their Help Children Cope with a Crisis initiative.  To help or donate, click here.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School Victims Relief Fund, organized by the PTA, was organized to provide grief counseling, pay for funeral expenses, create scholarships for students and fund a memorial.  To donate to the fund, follow here.

Additional resources can be found at ABC News’ round-up.

Support Organizations:
The United Way’s Western Connecticut branch could use your help volunteering or donations.

The Red Cross is always on hand at every crisis.  In Newton, they are providing food, water, emotional support and any other services they can in collaboration with local authorities.  To work with the Red Cross, connect here.

To volunteer with local organizations directly, you can call (800) 203-1234, according to the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

Families of the victims have organized funds in honor of their loved ones:
·         The family of Sandy Hook's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, created a memorial fund for the educator, who died trying to stop the gunman. Donations: Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund, CT Teachers Credit Union, P.O. Box 2121, Waterbury, Conn. 06722.
·         The family of Olivia Engel, 6, created the Friends of the Engel Family Fund. On its Facebook page, a relative says the fund will be used to help the family financially. The family plans to meet this week to decide how to use the donations for a tribute or effort in Olivia's name that will have a more lasting impact.
·         The family of Emilie Parker, 6, created the Emilie Parker Fund  to raise donations to help her parents, Robbie and Alissa, take time off from work to be with their two younger children, and to help with funeral expenses and airfare to the family's home state of Utah, where they will have Emilie's funeral and bury her.
·         The family of Noah Pozner, 6, created Noah's Ark of Hope Fund to provide counseling, education and basic needs for his four siblings.

Photo: Gent Shkulaku via CNN.com

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