Sandy Hook families broken-hearted for Uvalde families

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The horrifying details and images coming out of Uvalde, Texas tear at the hearts of those still grieving from losing their own little loved ones at Sandy Hook Elementary.

“You have to be very careful about how much you consume but obviously it was just a horrific day in Texas,” said Kelly McCormick Sullivan, “it just speaks to the collective ugliness that kids are growing up and in, in the world today and I think until we really start to have a conversation around who we are and what’s our moral compass, unfortunately, I think this stuff is going to continue.”

McCormick Sullivan’s niece, Catherine Violet Hubbard, was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre.

“All you have to do is look at her picture and her red hair and just know what a gift she was to this world,” she told News10NBC.

Right now, she says these Texas families just need to be wrapped in love, “these initial moments are just utter shock.”

As the days and weeks pass, they’ll need to find purpose. McCormick Sullivan’s Sister-in-Law, Catherine’s mother, found that in creating the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newton Connecticut.

“It’s definitely been an important part of the healing process I mean we’re almost 10 years out at this point and I think having the ability to focus on that kindness, that compassion, using the programming, using the land as a place to bring the community together for that healing has been an important part of the journey,” she said.

As for everyone else, all of us on the outside looking in, “I think those are the opportunities where you take a step back and say what really matters and how can I extend kindness and love and compassion to someone that maybe I really had given too much thought to or how can I extend that love maybe to a perfect stranger as I’m going about my day because I think that’s ultimately what we need right now as we’ve just become us world where we don’t think about one another and so I guess my answer to that would be when you’re feeling so overwhelmed by it all I don’t know what to do just be extra nice to somebody,” McCormick Sullivan said.