Parents of Murdered Sandy Hook Children Speak on Mental Health for Project Aware Grantees

SANDY HOOK, CT — Nelba Márquez-Greene, mother of Ana Grace, and Jeremy Richman, father of Avielle, are working together to save lives after the horrific murder of their two children in the Sandy Hook School massacre.

Márquez-Greene and her family created Ana Grace Project as a way to spread their "Love Wins" message and honor their daughter. The Ana Grace Project exists "to promote love, community and connection for every child and family our goal is to identify the most effective ways to build community and interpersonal connection to prevent violence and promote recovery. This is to be accomplished through research, practical tools, professional development and public policy," according to their website.

Richman's foundation is in honor of his daughter and called "The Avielle Foundation," a nonprofit that works to prevent tragedies through mental health study and awareness. "The Avielle Foundation has been created to bring about change in the hope of honoring Avielle and all the others that have fallen to such senseless violence. The goal of the Foundation is to prevent violence through brain health research and fostering community. The Avielle Foundation will work directly with world leaders in these fields toward understanding and change."

Márquez-Greene said on Wednesday that she met Richman in the Sandy Hook firehouse while waiting for news of their children after the shooting. "He had very kind eyes. I sat next to his wife and someone was praying for us. We held hands. That is all I remember. We learned hours later our children were murdered. Three and a half years later, I have the honor of presenting with that same family. We have both started organizations to honor our children and change the world."

The pair is in New Hampshire presenting for Project Aware ‪grantees. Richman presented on "Making the Invisible Visible: A Talk on Brain Health." Márquez-Greene presented "Love Wins: Implementing Trauma Sensitive Care to School Communities to Prevent Violence.

"Love wins. It also saves lives," Márquez-Greene said.

To learn more about The Ana Grace Project, click here.

To learn more about The Avielle Foundation, click here.

Photo by Fanny via Flickr Creative Commons