Over the next several days, Lee and others helped lead gatherings in the community. What started as around a dozen people swelled to over a hundred Newtowners. All wanted to “do something.” Their goodwill and intentions were strong. As a result, several different groups were formed.
Some, like Po Murray, left to join others in the community to create Newtown Action Alliance and channeled their energy toward legislative and political change. Others created groups to specifically support the 26 families whose loved ones were killed. Some chose to support the community at large. Others focused on different ways to support the community’s surviving children and teachers.
A core group of around 17 people worked with Lee to form a group originally called Newtown United. They reached out to the 26 families whose loved ones were slain and coordinated meetings for them. This gave interested families an opportunity to foster relationships with each other, and learn about Newtown United and their platform for families to advocate for whatever they wanted to do.
Nicole Hockley, Mark Barden, and Bill Sherlach were among those families that wanted to learn more. They wanted to advocate for change in the areas of gun safety, mental wellness, and stronger communities. They helped officially launch the organization, now named Sandy Hook Promise on January 14, 2013, just one month after the tragedy that took the lives of Nicole’s son Dylan, Mark’s son Daniel, and Bill’s wife, Mary, the school’s psychologist.