Family members of Sandy Hook Elementary School victims thanked the world today for an outpouring of kindness since the shooting in the Connecticut school nearly a year ago. The families say they want the victims to be remembered.
The families have launched a website with remembrances of their loved ones.
The full text of the prepared statement, which was read by JoAnn Bacon and Krista Rekos, is below:
"December 14, 2012 forever and unalterably changed our lives. Since that day, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness, love, prayers, and generosity received from the entire world. To simply say thank you is not enough to express our sincere gratitude.
In the midst of our grief we have come to realize that we want our loved ones to be remembered for the lives they lived and how they touched our hearts. We have been uplifted by the support of so many people and we would like to keep that spirit of unity and love alive in all we do to remember those we so dearly miss.
It is with this in mind that we have created the MySandyHookFamily.org website. This website is intended to serve as a singular place of sharing, communication, and contact with the families of those who lost their lives that day. MySandyHookFamily.org allows us the opportunity to honor those taken from us so violently.
We ask that you understand that each of us - each family -- is unique in our own experiences following this tragedy and we each have our own voice and perspective. By creating this website, we hope to offer an opportunity to communicate with our families and honor our loved ones, while at the same time respecting each family's individual journey and unique experiences.
On the one year mark of that horrific day, we know that many people across the country will be thinking of the children and educators so tragically taken from us, and wondering how to help. We ask that you consider performing an act of kindness or volunteering with a charitable organization in your local community. In this way, we hope that some small measure of good may be returned to the world.
If you would like to learn more about how we have chosen to honor our loved ones, please visit www.MySandyHookFamily.org."
