The Friends of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial commits to ensuring the sacred and reverent nature of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial endures, thereby providing a thoughtful and healing experience for visitors who wish to remember the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook School Shooting.
The Friends of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial is a Connecticut non-profit organization formed in 2025. Through oversight and special projects, the organization will protect the vitality and integrity of the memorial’s design and landscape. Several sacred elements of the memorial honor those who died and the grief of their families and community, including winding paths bordered by nature, the entombed “sacred soil”, a circular water feature bearing the names of the victims, and the Sacred Sycamore positioned at the center. The organization's priority is to ensure that these elements thrive and do not fall into disrepair.
If you would like to learn about the victims and their stories, please visit www.mysandyhookfamily.org
History
The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial is dedicated to the 20 first-grade students and 6 educators who died in the Sandy Hook School shooting on December 14, 2012.
In the immediate days following the tragedy, the community and nation’s outpouring of compassion was expressed through the numerous impromptu memorials along the streets of Sandy Hook
Joined in grief, these temporary memorials brought comfort to the Newtown community. Enduring the elements of a Connecticut winter, the remnants of these memorials were gathered and incinerated to ash, with the intention that this “sacred soil” would become part of a permanent memorial. That year, a 12-person commission was formed with the charge to determine the nature, location, and funding of a memorial to honor the memory of the 26 lost at Sandy Hook Elementary.
2013
The Sandy Hook Memorial Commission is formed
2016
A private out-of-commission soccer field adjacent to Sandy Hook School is donated to the town of Newtown.
2017 - 2018
The commission solicits and reviews 188 designs submitted by design teams and individuals worldwide.
Photo: Newtown Bee
2018
“The Clearing” submitted by Dan Affleck and Ben Waldo of SWA Group in California is chosen as the final design
August 2021
The memorial breaks ground
November 2022
The memorial is dedicated and opens to the public
February 2025
The Friends of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial is established
Read More about the design, construction, and dedication of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial:
March 19, 2017: SAC Field Signed Over For Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Site
December 7, 2017: A Walk Through The Permanent Memorial Site
January 11, 2018: Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission Begins Design Evaluations
February 15, 2018: SHPMC Finishes Reviewing 188 Design Submissions
March 12, 2018: SHPMC Gathers After 12/14 Families Weigh In On Top Design Submissions
May 3, 2018: SHPMC Elects New Chair, Narrows Down Possible Permanent Memorial Designs
May 17, 2018: SHPMC Receives Advisory Panel Input, Selects Top Three Designs
July 19, 2018: Designers Present Front-Running Projects To Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission
August 3, 2018: Commission Selects Design For Town's Permanent Sandy Hook Memorial
September 14, 2018: SHPMC Prepares To Present Selected Design To Board Of Selectmen
December 2, 2019: SHPMC’s Newest Design Revision Praised As ‘Impressive Work’ At Recent Meeting
April 22, 2020: Selectmen’s Vote Sets Permanent Memorial Construction Process Into Motion
August 1, 2020: PBSC Approves Downes Construction As SHPM Construction Manager
September 20, 2020: SHPMC Gets Update From First Selectman, Design Firm
October 17, 2020: SHPMC Approves Obama Quote For Memorial Inscription
February 12, 2021: SHPMC Receives Memorial Update, Gets Approval For Referendum
June 26, 2021: PBSC Receives Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Updates, NDAs Required
August 12, 2021: Construction To Begin At Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial August 23
October 4, 2021: Public Buildings Panel Approves Several Permanent Memorial Features
November 13, 2021: Granite Pavers Donation To Enhance Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial
July 26, 2022: Commission Discusses Signage For ‘Memorial Etiquette’ At Property
November 10, 2022: Sandy Hook Memorial Opening November 13
November 20, 2022: Survivors, Responders, Volunteers, Officials Gather To Open Sandy Hook Memorial
Meet the Board
The board members of the Friends of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial played a pivotal role in the initial design and construction, overseeing landscape design, providing construction oversight, representing victim families, and local governing bodies. After the completion and dedication of the memorial, each chose to remain involved and volunteer as a board member to ensure the integrity and mission of the memorial were maintained as intended.
President, Tara M. Vincenta, FASLA, PLA, Artemis Landscape Architects
Secretary, Jessica Wilson, Artemis Landscape Architects
Treasurer, Tricia Pinto, Mother of Jack
Director, JoAnn Bacon, Mother of Charlotte
Director, Daniel Rosenthal, Former First Selectman
Director, Jason Smith, Downes Construction