Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi, I'm Karolyn Marie Roberts and welcome to a very special episode of Koffee With Karolyn.
Today we are honoring 20 beautiful & precious 6 & 7 year old's who were taken from us last
December, along with 6 amazing women who are heroes.
It's hard to believe that we're fast approaching the one year anniversary of one of the most
horrific days in the US, the one year anniversary of the Newtown, CT shooting at Sandy Hook
Elemantary that took the lives of 20 amazing children and the 6 women who were their teachers
and administrators.
Today, I am honoring the 26 precious lives. Most of us have never met them, but we feel
like we know them now. I know for me, I have spent the last year, immersing myself in learning
everything I can about our 26 angels, especially the children. Not a day goes by when I don't
think of you angels. I honor you, today and everyday.
To cutie Charlotte Helen Bacon with her reddish/brown curls. Charlotte loved all things pink and
enjoyed taking weekly Tae Kwon Do classes with her dad and brother. Charlotte is described
as sweet and spunky and extroardinarily gifted. Charlotte's family have launched "Newtown
Kindness" in Charlotte's memory, their mission is to promote kindness as a guiding principle
of humanity. Please visit www.newtownkindness.org to find out more on this amazing foundation.
Charlotte's favorite song was "Home" from Phillip Phillips. Next time you hear that
song on the radio, turn it up, sing along and think of Charlotte.
To Daniel Barden who is one of the most beautiful little boys I've ever seen in my life. Not
only on the outside, but on the inside to. Daniel was the epitome of everything I would
ever want in a son. He was loving, compassionate, kind, thoughtful of others, he would always
hold the door for strangers and he loved to cuddle. He also loved music and played the
drums in his familys band. For months, I've been following a page on Facebook called "WWDD,
which stands for "What Would Daniel Do?" It features wonderful photos and stories about
Daniel. I love hearing new stories and seeing new photos of him. He reminds me so much of
my daughter. Fearless and living life to it's fullest, but incredibly sensitive and loving
too.What an amazing & beautiful boy. Also be sure to check out www.whatwoulddanieldo.com
Love you Barden family! My daughter and I wear our Daniel bracelets very proudly!
To beautiful Olivia Rose Engel, Olivia's was one of the first pictures I saw and I nearly
lost it. She reminded me so much of my own daughter and her sparkly spirit shines through
in every photo. Olivia was a Daisy Scout who led nightly grace at the dinner table. She
had an enormous zest for life and enjoyed everything from dance to tennis to soccer
to music and art. She also loved to join her Dad & Grandpa on their boat. Olivia would
light up the room with her humor, charm and wit. Olivia looks so much like her beautiful
mom Shannon. Please visit www.oliviaengel.org to learn more about this beautiful and amazing
little girl.
To cutie Josephine Grace Gay, who went by Joey for short. She also had the nickname
of Boo because she had short brown hair like the character in Monsters Inc! Josephine loved
the color purple, loved to swing and loved to play with her Barbie Dolls and on the iPad.
Josephine had autism and couldn't speak, but she was still very social and affectionate,
she had a great sense of humor and loved hugs. Josephine's parents have set up "Joey's Fund"
in her memory through the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism. Please visit their website at
http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org and click on "Joey's Fund" for more information.
To gorgeous Dylan Christopher Jack Hockley who has the most beautiful blue eyes. Dylan
looks just like his mom, Nicole! Dylan loved jumping on the trampoline with his older brother
Jake. One of my favorite photos of Dylan is the one where he's in his superman t-shirt.
He is absolutely beautiful. Like Josephine, Dylan also had autism and also loved the color
purple. One of my favorite stories of Dylan is one that his mom told during his memorial.
Whenever Dylan was excited or happy he would jump up and down and flap his arms. His mom
asked him once why he flaps? He answered with "Because I'm a beautiful butterfly." Yes indeed!
Please visit www.dylanhockley.com & www.dylanswingsofchange.com to learn more about this beautiful boy and
the foundation that his parents have started in his honor.
To cutie Madeleine Shue, who went by Maddy. Madeleine is described as a born leader. Shy,
sweet, and quiet, but would light up around dogs. A bright, sparkling, determined little
girl who loved to wear bright, flowery dresses and was very upbeat and kind. She was an avid
reader who loved running and dancing. Please parents share more photos of Maddy!
I've only seen one photo of this beautiful girl!
To beautiful redhead Catherine Violet Hubbard whose greatest passion in life was animals
and taking care of them. Shortly after Dec 14th, Catherine's parents started putting
the wheels in motion to begin the journey of opening an animal sanctuary in Catherine's
name. Catherine was very fortunate that at the age of 6, she already knew what she wanted
to do with her life. She even had business cards made in her name that read "Animal Care
Taker!" Amazing! Ever since December, whenever I see an animal of any kind, I think of Catherine.
I loved the story about how a butterfly once landed on Catherine's hand and she told it
"Tell your friends I'm kind." I think we could all learn some lessons in kindness from Catherine.
Last month, Catherine was awarded the ASPCA Kid of the Year Award for her kindness and
compassion towards animals. Please visit www.theanimalcenter.org/sanctuary & http://cvhfoundation.org to learn more about
Catherine's animal sanctuary. I know my daughter and I can not wait to visit after it opens!
To blond cutie Chase Michael-Anthony Kowalski who completed his first triathalon at the
age of 6. Unbelivable! Chase was a cub scout and loved baseball, riding his bike and his
quad. He was a fun loving and energetic boy who had a true love of life. I recently learned
that Chase's birthday is on Halloween, as is my daughters so from now on when we celebrate
my daughters birthday, we will also be thinking of Chase! Please visit www.chasekowalskifund.com
To learn more about this beautiful boy!
To little hero Jesse McCord Lewis who was one of the kids to escape Vicki Soto's classroom,
He died trying to help others escape. I read that when the shooters gun jammed, Jesse shouted
to the other kids to run, at which time many of the kids escaped. Jesse was fearless, full
of courage and strength and passionately embraced the world around him. Jesse's amazing mom
Scarlett, recently released a book called "Nurturing Healing Love." Jesse had written
those very words on a chalkboard just days before Dec 14th. I feel a connection to Scarlett
because she is the only of the Sandy Hook moms who is a single mom, like myself. I also
read that Jesse was still sleeping with her and that she received a lot of flack for that,
but I completely understand and support that, given that my 6 year old daughter still sleeps
with me! Please visit www.jesselewischooselove.org
to find out more about the incredible foundation that Scarlett has started in Jesse's memory.
This is one of my favorites of the foundations, like Newtown Kindness, it promotes teaching
& fosturing kindness to our children and our communities.
To beautiful Ana Grace Marquez-Greene who loved to sing, loved purple and was quite
the fashionista and loved to wear flowers in her hair. One of Ana's most special qualities
was the ability to draw people in from all different walks of life. She was a burst of
joy and sass, her love and light were a force of nature. One of my favorite stories of Ana
Grace is the story about how her mom was stressed out about something at work one day and Ana
said to her mom "Don't let them suck your fun circuits dry!" I love it! Ana also used
to always say "Love wins" which is so true. Please visit Ana's official Facebook page
under "Remembering Ana Marquez Greene" I love the profile photo on it of her amazing mom,
Nelba boarding a flight and she's holding up a sign that reads "Love Wins." The Greene
Family recently launched The Ana Grace Project which promotes love, connection & community
for every child and family. Please support them at http://anagraceproject.org/
To James Matiolli who is described as being a ball of energy. He loved to rise first and
wake the rest of the house. James enjoyed sports, cuddling with his mom, joining his
dad for yard work and loved to sing to the top of his lungs, in fact, he once asked his
parents how old you had to be to sing on stage! James was born 4 weeks early and his family
had an ongoing joke that James arrived early because he was hungry! James once asked his
parents how old he had to be to order a footlong sandwich from Subway! Hilarious! James also
loved to spike his hair up with hair gel! Too cute! Whenever I think of James, I will
think of him singing at the top of his lungs!
To beautiful and precious blonde Grace Audrey McDonnell. Grace has really resonated with
me because she reminds me a lot of myself. Grace's parents describe her as happy and
peaceful, a kind and gentle soul who loved school, the beach and drawing. She loved Martha's
Vineyard & Hawaii and Her dream was to someday live on the beach and be a painter. Grace
was all about peace and you can really see that in her photos. In fact, one of my favorite
stories about Grace is the morning of the shooting she had drawn a peace sign on her
bathroom mirror after it had fogged up. The next day when her mom was in the bathroom
and the mirror had fogged up again, there was Grace's peace sign again. Grace is one
of the most beautiful little girls I have ever seen.
And from one beautiful blond to another!
To Emilie Alice Parker, who loved princesses and the color pink.
Emilie's face was the very first I saw of the children and the very first I fell in
love with. I remember sitting at my computer, I think it was the night of Dec 15th and one
of my friends on FB had "liked" Emilie's tribute page. I don't own a television, and though
I heard there had been a shooting, part of me, did not want to know the details. I saw
this beautiful little blonds picture on my FB and the curiousity got the best of me.
I clicked on it and must have spent the next few hours sitting at my computer sobbing,
looking through all the beautiful photos of her. Emilie was a loving, compassionate, giving
little girl who was a great big sister to her younger sisters. She was the one they
would run to for comfort. Like Grace, Emilie also loved art and dreamt of opening her own
art gallery. Please visit www.emilieparkerfund.com to learn how you can support what Emilie loved
most. The Emilie Parker Art Connection has been established to help fund art programs
for children. Emilie's awesome mom Alissa has also launched "Safe and Sound Schools"
along with Michelle Gay, Josephine's Mommy. Please visit their website at www.safeandsoundschools.org
to find out more of what they're doing to keep our children safe in schools everywhere.
Alissa Parker is also a great writer and I have been enjoying reading her blog on Wordpress
under "The Parker Five." I usually can't get through one of her postings without crying,
but they are such a beautiful and amazing family and I enjoy following along with how
they are doing. Love you Parker family and love you Emilie.
To cutie Jack Armistead Pinto, whose greatest passion in life was sports. Jack loved the
New York Giants, flag football, wresting, baseball, skiing, basketball, you name it!
He was an incredibly loving and vivicious boy with a lively and giving spirit and steely
determination. Such a beautiful boy.
Speaking of beautiful boys, to gorgeous Noah Samuel Pozner with his dark hair and beautiful
long eyelashes. I think Noah's photo was one of the first I saw of the boys and again,
I nearly lost it. Such a beautiful boy. Noah has a twin sister Arielle who looks just like
him. Noah was smart as a whip, gentle with a rambunctious streak. He wanted to be two
things when he grew up: a Doctor and a Taco Plant Manager! His favorite food was Tacos!
So precious!
To beautiful Caroline Phoebe Previdi who up until a few months ago, I had only seen one
photo of. I recently saw several new pictures of Caroline and she is absolutely gorgeous.
Caroline loved to wear ribbons in her hair and loved the color pink. I've been following
the opening of each playground that the amazing Bill Lavin and The Sandy Ground Project has
been building and I LOVE that they included threading ribbon through Caroline's playground
because she loved to wear ribbon in her hair. So awesome! Caroline also enjoyed soccer,
swimming, dance & art and was very caring, in fact she once broke her piggy bank to buy
toys for needy kids. One of Caroline's favorite things to say was "Isn't that wonderful!"
She was incredibly positive and optimistic, joyful & cheerful with a sheer enthusiam for
life. Please visit www.carolineprevidifoundation.org To learn how Caroline's family is keeping
her memory alive! From one beautiful brunette to another!
To beautiful Jessica Adrienne Rekos whose greatest passion in life was horses. Whenever
I've seen a horse since Dec, I always think of Jessica. Jessica also loved Orco whales
after watching the movie Free Willy. Her parents called her the CEO of their family because
of the way Jessica would carefully plan everything. Jessica also loved to write love notes and
would leave precious notes all around the house saying "I love you." Please visit www.teamjessicarekos.org
To learn more about this amazing little girl!
To Avielle Rose Richman whose smile is infectious. If you've seen a photo of this gorgeous curly
haired brunette, you won't forget it. Her personality shines through in every photo.
One of my favorite photos of Avielle is one of her jumping up in the air, it looks like
it's on the front porch of her house. You can see her enthusiam for life in every photo.
Avielle loved horseback riding and had a spitfire personality, a love of laughter and being
barefoot. She loved Barbies as much as Superheroes and when asked what she wanted to be when
she grew up she would reply with "An artist and a spy and a fairy princess and a writer!'
Hmmm, sounds a little like my daughter. Avielle's amazing parents, Jennifer & Jeremy are both
scientists and earlier this year they launched the Avielle Foundation which supports brain
research and community engagement. Please support the Richman's by visiting www.aviellefoundation.org
to learn more about how you can support their amazing foundation.
To cutie pie Benjamin Wheeler, also known as "Benny" and actually, he also had the nickname
of "Crash!" which I love! I love, love, love the Wheeler family. I heard Ben's dad David
say in an interview that he hopes that parents put themselves in their shoes or else nothing
will ever change. Well, David, I don't think a day has gone by since Dec 14th, when I haven't
put myself in your shoes. We all know that this could have happened anywhere. Ben was
a cub scout who dreamt of being an architect. He loved the Beatles and he loved Lighthouses.
The Wheelers recently launched Bens Lighthouse Fund in his memory. The Wheeler's recently
taped an episode of Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and it was an amazing interview, check it
out at Oprah.com And be sure to visit www.BensLighthouseFund.org
And to cutie Alison Wyatt, Alison's greatest passion in life was drawing and she covered
the walls of her home with drawings. She loved the color red and is described as being sweet,
creative, intelligent and caring. She had a great sense of humor and would often perform
random acts of kindness. And she LOVED goldfish crackers, just like my daughter! Please visit
www.allisonwyatt.org to learn more about this beautiful little girl!
And lastly to the six amazing women who died heroes: Principal Dawn Hochsprung, Pshcolisgist
Mary Sherlach and teachers Lauren Rosseau, Rachel D'Avino, Anne Marie Murphy & Victoria
Soto, you gave your lives trying to protect your children. We know that because of Vicki
& her aide Anne Marie's quick thinking and hiding their students in closets and in the
bathroom, 11 of her students were able to escape. We know that Anne Marie was found
holding Dylan Hockley and trying her best to protect him, we know they did the best
they could with very little time. And to beautiful Vicki, everytime I see a flamingo now I think
of you!!! The 6 of you will always be remembered as heroes and I think it gives us all a little
comfort to know that 6 amazing women are watching over those 20 beautiful babies in heaven.
At the end of the day, we can try to change the laws, but we'll never be able to control
peoples actions. But what can we do to ensure that our 26 angels
haven't died in vein?
We can live our lives the way they did. We can live like Daniel Barden & Emilie Parker
did and have compassion and show kindness for others. Opening the door for strangers,
reaching out to those in need. We can live like Catherine Hubbard did and show love and
kindness towards all animals. We can
live like Avielle Richman & Olivia Engel & Ben Wheeler did, with such an enthusiam for life,
a constant smile and love of laugher. We can live like our angels did. With love, kindness
and compassion for others.
I'm going to leave you today with the wise and brilliant words of Ana Marquez Greene.
Remember, when life gets you down, don't let them suck your fun circuits dry! And please
remember the two most important words of all "Love Wins."