Newtown Foundation to Hold Annual Fundraiser for Gun Violence Victims

Image via Newtown Action Alliance Facebook

The Newtown Foundation is inviting community members from Newtown and beyond to its Breakfast Fundraiser to raise funds for the 3rd Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Rock Ridge Country Club.

In commemoration of the 3rd anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings, the Newtown Foundation, the charitable arm of the Newtown Action Alliance, will once again bring families of victims and survivors of gun violence from Newtown and from around the nation — including urban, rural and suburban communities — to a National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence.The vigil will be a service of mourning and loving remembrance at the St. Marks Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.

“By December 14, 2015, the 3nd anniversary of the tragic Newtown shooting, an estimated 90,000 more Americans will have died from gun violence. It’s a heartbreaking toll that affects ALL of our communities,” said Po Murray, Chairwoman of the Newtown Foundation and Newtown Action Alliance. “When the news vehicles depart, the victims are often forgotten in the ensuing discussions of gun violence. We are working tirelessly to ensure that these victims and their families are not forgotten.”

Daniel W. Webster will be the keynote speaker at the breakfast fundraiser. Dr. Webster is a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he serves as Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research, Deputy Director of Research for the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, and Director of the PhD program in Health and Public Policy. He has published numerous articles on the prevention of gun violence, firearm policy, youth gun acquisition and carrying, intimate partner violence, and the prevention of youth violence.

Dr. Webster is currently leading studies evaluating the effects of various efforts to reduce violence, including state gun and alcohol policies, policing strategies focused on deterring gun violence, a community gun violence prevention initiative, and Maryland’s Lethality Assessment Program for reducing the recurrence of intimate partner violence. Dr. Webster teaches courses in violence prevention and research methods for health policy at Johns Hopkins, and serves on the executive committee of Johns Hopkins’ Interdepartmental Violence Research Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training Program.

Dr. Webster will present his study on the association between Connecticut’s permit-to-purchase handgun law and homicides.

Tom Sullivan, whose son was killed in the Aurora movie theater in Colorado, will share his heartbreaking story and his efforts to reduce end gun violence.

Other honored speakers include Newtown First Selectwoman Patricia Llodra, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Chris Murphy.

Those interested in supporting the families of the victims of gun violence and the National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence can go to the Newtown Foundation website to RSVP by Sept. 5 to attend the fundraiser. Tickets are $50 per person; there is also an opportunity to sponsor a table of eight for $300.

Murray said, “We need help to continue to shed a light on the epidemic of gun violence in our nation. We are hoping more Americans will join us in our efforts to #HonorWithAction to #EndGunViolence.”