Letter from Sandy Hook Elementary School Parent

I received this beautifully written letter from a parent at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

Hi Erin!

Thanks so much for your generosity!  It's amazing how much support our community has received from around the world!  We really do appreciate everything that has been done to help us. Acts of kindness such as this are what helps us to show our children that there really are good people in the world and that people from all over the world care about them! 

Last week we started at our new school and we are taking it slowly, day by day.  Most of the kids are excited to be back in class and back to a "normal" routine.  My student is a second grader at the school and their classroom was directly across the hall from Ms. Soto's and Mrs. DeMato's rooms.  My child and several of their classmates are having a particularly hard time coming back to school since just being in school is bringing up memories of that day.  Their class was just feet away, hiding beneath their coats in a corner.  They heard it all and saw more than any child should have to witness.  We have good days and we have bad days.  The kids jump at loud noises, cringe at the sound of sirens, even smells of smoke will bring up bad memories.  Then there are the days when the kids are all together and you can see the special bond they have formed by having endured such a horrific event together - they are all there for each other - ready to give hugs or a pat on the back, giving each other drawings, stickers or cards - anything to show that they care and they understand what each other is going through.  They are an amazing group of kids and they have amazing teachers! Just watching those kids together gives me hope that there is a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel and they are the ones who are going to lead us there.

Your idea to send the Box Tops is fantastic!  I know so many people want to know how to help.  This is a great way to help since we really don't know at the moment what we'll need down the road.  The money we receive from Box Tops will go a long way to helping us meet any needs we may have as we move further along in the school year and beyond. 

Thanks again so much for your support!!!!!

If you want to send Box Tops 4 Sandy Hook, please send them to the following:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
Att: Box tops 4 education coordinator
12 Dickinson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Box Tops 4 Sandy Hook Update

Yippee! Box Tops 4 Sandy Hook really seems to be catching on! As we are busy spreading the word via social network, we are thrilled that several companies contacted us to let us know that they are sending the information to their employees, vendors and contacts! Today we got word that the Federal Reserve is posting a notice in their employee newsletter about the drive. They join The Land of Nod, Fab.com, Lilla Rogers Studio and Sephora in spreading the word! Thank you to these fabulous companies!

Many schools have also joined in, offering to send to Sandy Hook the Box Tops they have collected, or the Box Tops they will collect during an allocated time! This includes many schools who could greatly benefit from the Box Top funds themselves-Wow! That makes my heart swell!



Please continue to spread the word! (see below for details)

We are sending all of our "Box Tops 4 Education" to Sandy Hook and encourage everyone to do so as well and to spread the word to their contacts! Sandy Hook will receive the revenue from "Box Tops 4 Education" and will be able to spend it as needed. I love the idea of being able to help and if lots of people do it, the impact will be much bigger than what most of us could do alone!

From the "boxtops 4 education" website "We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week –- or more. Now turn those shopping trip into easy cash for your school, and encourage friends to do the same!  Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios^®, Hamburger Helper^® and Kleenex^®, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and send them to your school’s Box Tops coordinator —- each one is worth 10¢ for your school."  Check out their website here: http://www.boxtops4education.com/ for more information.

I am hoping that everyone who reads this joins us in mailing their boxtops to:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
Box tops 4 education
12 Dickinson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482


Please post this on your facebook, forward to your email contacts, tweet or pass it along anyway you can and help spread the word! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Box Tops for Sandy Hook

Like everyone else in the world, my heart has been so heavy for the families in Newtown, Connecticut. Actually, my heart has been aching for everyone, everywhere-children whose bubble of innocence and security was decimated by unfathomable violence, parents and guardians who must press on and send their children to school after such a stark reminder of lurking danger, and for all the communities who feel a little more vulnerable these days.

As everyone grapples at making "sense" of the senseless, debates gun control and mental health access, dissects and bisects why, how, who, wanting answers and wanting the assurance that it won't happen again or can't happen to them-also wanting to act, to reach out, to show that good and right are stronger and mightier than bad and wrong. There is a helplessness that accompanies that-there isn't an acute act that will make everything better-that will bring the victims back, and really, isn't that what we really want to do? The only way to erase the devastation?

At our house, we've been searching for something to do. An act to help us grieve and to process and to act, but also that would be beneficial to the Sandy Hook community.

Okay, so I must give credit where credit is due-Steadfast Husband came up with the best idea! He suggested that we send all of our "Box Tops 4 Education" to Sandy Hook and encourage everyone we know to do so as well-and they will encourage everyone they know to do the same-and so on and so on! Brilliant-they receive the money this generates and are able to spend it on what they need and if lots of people do it, the impact will be much bigger than what we could do alone!

From the "boxtops 4 education" website "We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week –- or more. Now turn those shopping trip into easy cash for your school, and encourage friends to do the same! Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios^®, Hamburger Helper^® and Kleenex^®, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and send them to your school’s Box Tops coordinator —- each one is worth 10¢ for your school."  Check out their website here: http://www.boxtops4education.com/ for more information.

I am hoping that everyone who reads this joins us in mailing their boxtops to:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
Box tops 4 education
12 Dickinson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482


Please post this on your facebook, forward to your email contacts, tweet or pass it along anyway you can and help spread the word! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!