Posted by Robin Lasersohn on Dec 14, 2013 in News | 0 comments

Photos from Delaware Valley Remembers Sandy Hook

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped on December 7

Signing in before the event

Timothy Horner, Villanova Assistant Professor of Peace & Justice Education, gave the welcome

Rev. Katie Day of Heeding God’s Call opened the program with a prayer

Memorial slideshow of the victims at Sandy Hook

Tom Buglio of Chester County Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and Shira Goodman of CeaseFire PA MC’ed the event

Lori Haas, whose daughter was shot and wounded at Virginia Tech, urged the crowd not to sanitize gun violence with the use of euphemisms; loved ones are not “lost,” she said; they are “ripped from us.”

Starr Cummin Bright shared her powerful story of surviving being shot at point blank range at a church in Chester County

LisaBeth Weber performed her beautiful song, “All the Angels”

Beverly Wright of Chester, shared the tragic impact of her son’s death by gun violence

Villanova’s a cappella group, Minor Problem, gave an energized musical performance

Governor Ed Rendell delivered the keynote address

Rendell’s $100 question: What logical argument is there for the legality of someone with three felony armed robbery convictions being allowed to purchase an AR-15 from a private seller without a background check

Governor Rendell received a standing ovation

Terry Rumsey, Co-Chair of Delaware County United, delivered a request for financial support for the Delaware Valley Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence

Video of Francine Wheeler, whose son, Ben, was killed at Sandy Hook, testifying about background checks at the PA House Judiciary Committee

Villanova’s Gospel Choir closed the program

Dave Scholnick, PA Director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, urged supporters to push state legislators to co-sponsor H.B. 1010, which would require background checks on the private sale of long guns in PA

Heeding God’s Call and Villanova students installed this t-shirt Memorial to the Lost representing the 26 victims at Sandy Hook and the 288 gun homicide victims in Philadelphia last year

Memorial to the Lost on the Villanova campus

Singing at the Memorial to the Lost

Shawn Kraemer, Chair of Lower Merion United

Robin Lasersohn, Co-Chair of Delaware County United

Rendell with singer songwriter, LisaBeth Weber

Chester Mayor John Linder and Police Commissioner Joseph Bail have been consistent supporters of gun violence prevention efforts

Kathy Leary of BuxMont Coalition for Peace Action served on the event organizing committee

Audience members came from all over the Delaware Valley

Che Saitta of CeaseFire PA and Shara Dunham of Heeding God’s Call

Delaware County United Steering Committee member, Carol Seeley

Brendan McPhillips of Mayors Against Illegal Guns handled the press work for the event, which got great coverage

Bill Deckhart of BuxMont Coalition for Peace Action gave an impassioned call to get involved with local gun violence prevention organizations

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Thank you to everyone who came out to mark the Sandy Hook anniversary and is ready to speak out for stronger gun laws

This beautiful photo of Shara Dunham of Heeding God’s preparing the electric candles was published in the Delaware County Daily Times and the Main Line Times

Walking by the Memorial to the Lost

Singing at the Memorial to the Lost

Memorial to the Lost

Processing to Lancaster Ave. for the vigil

The event was to mark the one-year anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT

We processed past the beautiful Rosemont Chapel

Candlelight vigil on Lancaster Ave.

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