A small army of volunteers from Home Depot converged on Heritage Middle School April 22 to help build a bench and plant a heart-shaped garden in memory of those who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The tragic and senseless shootings that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, touched the lives and hearts of students in Andy Habing’s North Pointe class at Heritage Middle School. Having read about some of the memorials being built around the country to honor the victims, the Heritage pupils decided that they, too, wanted a special place of remembrance. After much brainstorming they came up with the idea of building a commemorative bench and planting a heart-shaped garden. They got permission from administrators to move forward with the project, and headed to Home Depot on Maxtown Road to purchase supplies. Home Depot personnel embraced the idea, and through their Giving Back program, they ended up donating all the necessary supplies to build the memorial. They also sent several volunteers to help with construction and planting. As volunteers, students and teachers worked side by side to create the memorial, one educator expressed her gratitude to Home Depot, saying, “This is like Christmas for us.” The garden will be dedicated in coming weeks.