Friend,

In just over a week, we will mark seven years since the worst day of my life—the day my beautiful daughter, Gina Montalto, was murdered at her school. She was taken from us along with sixteen other innocent souls:

Alyssa Alhadeff. Scott Beigel. Martin Duque Anguiano. Nicholas Dworet. Aaron Feis. Jaime Guttenberg. Chris Hixon. Luke Hoyer. Cara Loughran. Joaquin Oliver. Alaina Petty. Meadow Pollack. Helena Ramsay. Alex Schachter. Carmen Schentrup. Peter Wang.

Seventeen lives ended far too soon. Seventeen families shattered. A community shaken to its core.

Gina was a light in our lives—her infectious smile could brighten any room, and she had a way of making instant friends wherever she went. She was kind, compassionate, and always eager to help others. Whether she was performing with her beloved Color Guard team, earning badges as a Girl Scout, or volunteering at church, she gave everything her whole heart. She had dreams, just like every child does. But those dreams were stolen from her—and from us.

My family is not alone in this pain. Each of the 17 families who lost a loved one that day carries a heartbreak that never fades. We lost our children, our spouses, our siblings, our best friends—people who were deeply loved and who should still be in this world today.

It’s not easy to open this wound again and again, to relive the worst day of our lives. It’s not easy to travel from Parkland to Washington, D.C., or anywhere else we can be heard, pleading for real school safety reforms before it’s too late for your communities. But we do it—because we don’t want another family to feel this same, unbearable grief. Because we don’t want another parent to receive the call that shatters their world.

Each year, we work to strengthen school safety, introduce legislation, and push policy and lawmakers at every level to act. And today, we ask you to support school safety. Will you stand with us?

STAND WITH SCHOOL SAFETY →

Take a moment to honor the 17 lives that were taken. Keep them in your thoughts. And if you’re able, take action—contact your representatives and demand meaningful school safety measures.

DEMAND SCHOOL SAFETY NOW →

We are grateful for your support, for your kindness, and for your shared commitment to help to make sure no family ever experiences this heartbreak again.

Thank you, 

Tony Montalto, Gina’s Dad