John,
On the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, my wife Jackie and I both rushed to Sandy Hook Elementary. We had just learned there was a shooting at our sweet little Daniel’s school – all we knew was that parents would be reunited with their children at the firehouse nearby.
When I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the number of emergency vehicles and helicopters. Jackie called and texted again and again as she hurried to the school.
“Do you have him?” “DO YOU HAVE HIM YET?”
I didn’t have Daniel. We would never get him back.
Saturday marks seven years since my sweet little Daniel was murdered in his first-grade classroom, and I’ll relive the nightmare of it forever. I still dream about the ways I could have stopped the shooter that day. I’ve dreamt that I tackled the shooter in the parking lot before he reached Daniel's classroom. But then I wake up and Daniel's still gone.
I don’t want any other parent to live with this constant, unbearable heartache. That’s why I’ll do whatever it takes to prevent other families from losing a child to gun violence. But our ability to do that work next year relies on meeting our important fundraising goal this week. And right now, we’re still $684,882 short – so please, will you donate now to help protect more children from gun violence?
My sweet little Daniel is constantly on my mind. I’ll always remember the last precious moments of that early December morning we spent together.
And I will devote the rest of my life to this work, to honor Daniel and make sure no other parent has to go through what our family did that day and every day since.
I’m so grateful for your help in making that possible. Thank you for all you do to help us save lives.
Mark Barden (Daniel’s father)
