Bethel Kindness Day to Benefit the CVH Animal Sanctuary

In solidarity to community and kindness, Bethel and Newtown are coming together for a great cause – the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. The sanctuary was created in honor of Catherine Violet Hubbard, one of the children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. For the students at the Bethel High School Kindness Club, Catherine’s mission and the charity are very close to their hearts as Catherine would have been a fellow graduate of the Class of 2024.

To raise money for the fundraising initiative, students sold t-shirts designed by student artist, Ashlyn Germinaro, with the words “KINDNESS HEALS” and a beautiful butterfly graphic to share Catherine’s message of compassion. The “Kindness Heals” theme directly ties into last year's theme which was, “Be Kind to Your Mind.” This year, the Kindness Club thought it important to have a theme that pertains to healing, considering this is the year of the empty seats at graduation. Bethel and Newtown share a deep-rooted sense of unity in regard to the Sandy Hook shooting and are honored to pay tribute to the organization. To date, nearly 450 shirts have been sold, raising over $630 for the sanctuary.

Jenny Hubbard, President of the CVH Animal Sanctuary and Catherine’s mother, was deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support from Bethel students, faculty, staff and community. “Bethel High School’s Kindness Club is a perfect example of young people joining together for the higher good of all. My daughter, Catherine, would have been tickled pink to see the t-shirts created and would have begged me for at least ten of them! The goodness and kindness overflowing from these students leaves me in awe. On behalf of the entire sanctuary, we simply can’t thank them enough for supporting our mission and spreading kindness to all they know.”

This year's official Bethel Kindness Day is planned for Friday, February 16 and will include an assembly at Bethel High School where a check will be presented to the sanctuary.

To learn more about the CVH Animal Sanctuary visit cvhfoundation.org.