Newtown Middle Schoolers Raising Thousands for Those Who Grieve

Last year, Ryan Patrick, then a 12-year-old Newtown Middle School student, sold wrist bands and raised more than $24,000 for the Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children and Families to support the bereavement programs that Healing Hearts provides free to families who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Ryan recently encouraged several of his friends to join him in his philanthropic efforts, and they began meeting after school, in between sports and homework. Together they started KIDO (Kids In Deed Organization), a fundraising organization to support Healing Hearts. KIDOs includes Caroline Condon, Ryan Patrick, Greg Brissette, Josh Dunn, Brian Montoya, Ashley Santore and Allie Paynter, all of Newtown. The following is a list of places you can find KIDOs over the next few weeks.

Support Healing Hearts by visiting one of these fundraisers this holiday season:

November 23: Gift wrapping for donations at Barnes and Noble Danbury

December 7 & 8: Candy and Ornaments Sale, Saint Rose of Lima Church, Newtown (After each mass)

December 13 & 20: Candy & Hot Chocolate Sale, Queen Street Gifts, Newtown

The Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children & Families is an award-winning program of Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT, Inc. offering support groups, workshops, and educational events to help children, teens and adults throughout CT and parts of New York cope after the loss of a loved one.

Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut is a nonprofit hospice agency serving Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties that provides hospice and palliative care for everyone who needs it regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice care includes medical, emotional, spiritual, and comfort services provided by a team of hospice certified caregivers who are all specially trained in end of life care. Regional Hospice is currently building the State’s first and only private room, family-centric hospice residence facility.