Newtown - One Week Later

On December 14th the nation was crushed with the tragic news in Newtown, Connecticut. My heart broke for all of those who were involved. I came across Karla's blog and she is from Newtown and hearing someone talk first hand about the horror in this quaint city made it feel even more real to me.  Kayla was my connection to someone in Newtown and I thought of her daily wondering how her, her family and friends were coping.  She graciously accepted my offer to do a guest post for me today on how we can help the city of Newtown build hope and give them reasons to smile again.

While it may be one week later and the media may have shifted its attention on to something else - please remember this Christmas that there are still families grieving, families that will be broken forever. Reach out, pay it forward and always remember Newtown.

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Hello to all of Kathleen’s lovely readers!

I am so grateful to Kathleen for letting me reach out to you all today.

 

My name is Karla,

& I blog over @ Forever Newly Wedded.

I’m a newlywed, and I blog about my day to day life,

as a newlywed newbie.

 

I have a very light-hearted blog,

but after the tragic shooting that took place in Newtown on

December 14, I have been finding it difficult to post about anything happy.

 

Newtown is my hometown.

I was raised there,

my little cousin attends 2^nd grade at Sandy Hook School,

& my father works there as well.

(both are safe)

So, this tragedy has not only struck home,

it has struck my heart.

 

It has been over a week since the shooting,

& though my heart (and the hearts of many others) are not

& never will be completely mended,

I have started to smile again seeing all the love & support the town has gotten.

It’s been unbelievable. 

 

It helps me re-gain hope that this world really does have more good, than bad in it.

& I want everyone to know that my town has been absolutely inundated with donations… so much so that the problem now is just getting it all where it needs to go.

 

If you’d like to help,

Here is how!

 

The need right now is:

- School supplies (pencils, paper, notebooks)

-School decorations (they could be winter décor, or just school décor)

Their new school for the remainder of the year will be a middle school in a neighboring town, and it needs to look welcoming for the students)

-       Money  (Both for a new school & a scholarship fund for all students at SHS, and their siblings, including siblings of victims).

- Prayers (can never have too many)

 

The address to send this to is:

 

Newtown Board of Education

3 Primrose Street

Newtown, CT 06470

  

Newtown was also collecting teddy bears too for all the students in the school, but there have been thousands of those already donated.

 

In fact, a lot of school decorations have been donated too.

& The Sandy Hook School Support Fund online has reached over $100,000.

It’s been absolutely incredible.

  

These are things that you don’t really read about it the paper, or see on the news, so for all of you who have been inundated with bad news about this shooting, I hope that this brings you a little bit of happiness.

 

Though nothing in the world could buy the victims lives back,

my town is starting to heal,

& I’ve started to see smiles again,

at a coffee shop in Newtown,

where an anonymous man in Florida

called and told the owner of the shop to put everyone’s coffee on his tab at the end of the day.

 

Now, that is something to smile about.

 

Newtown will get better.

Newtown will heal.

Because when a tragedy like this happens,

we are all,

Newtown Strong.