{"id":8947,"date":"2020-06-19T06:40:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T06:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.incirliseviye.com\/?p=8947"},"modified":"2020-06-19T06:40:21","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T06:40:21","slug":"tolling-the-bell-for-sandy-hook-by-beth-shluger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/?p=8947","title":{"rendered":"Tolling the Bell for Sandy Hook, by Beth Shluger"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n<!-- \/* Font Definitions *\/\n@font-face\n{font-family:Times;\npanose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;\nmso-font-charset:0;\nmso-generic-font-family:auto;\nmso-font-pitch:variable;\nmso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}\n@font-face\n{font-family:Cambria;\npanose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;\nmso-font-charset:0;\nmso-generic-font-family:auto;\nmso-font-pitch:variable;\nmso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\np.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal\n{mso-style-parent:\"\";\nmargin:0in;\nmargin-bottom:.0001pt;\nmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\nfont-size:11.0pt;\nfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\nmso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;\nmso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;\nmso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;\nmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";}\n@page Section1\n{size:8.5in 11.0in;\nmargin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;\nmso-header-margin:.5in;\nmso-footer-margin:.5in;\nmso-paper-source:0;}\ndiv.Section1\n{page:Section1;}\n-->\n<\/style>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Tolling the Bell for Sandy Hook<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\">by Beth Shluger<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>Photo: <\/strong>15,000<br \/>\nparticipants gathered for the Sandy Hook Run for the Families in Hartford, CT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Photo courtesy of the Hartford Marathon Foundation<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">On December 14th of 2012, just 40 miles from my home, 20 first-grade<br \/>\nchildren were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Six of their teachers<br \/>\nwere killed with them. Our hearts broke all over Connecticut, all over our<br \/>\nnation, and I, like many, wanted to do something\u0089\u00db\u00d3anything to make it hurt less.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">And so I did the thing I know best. I created a road race<br \/>\nand promised to give every penny collected to the Sandy Hook School Support<br \/>\nFund. I committed that 100% of expenses would be covered by my organization,<br \/>\nthe Hartford Marathon Foundation. That amount turned out to be nearly a half-million<br \/>\ndollars. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">My amazing staff went to work and our Board of Directors<br \/>\nsupported the effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In a few short weeks, we moved the venue to three different<br \/>\ncities in order to handle the amount of expected runners. When we reached<br \/>\n15,000 entries, we closed the race and asked people to continue to send us<br \/>\ntheir entry fee and run in their own neighborhoods. We added another 5,000<br \/>\npeople into this &#8220;Virtual Run.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Over the next month, we planned and re-planned as we moved<br \/>\nthe venue, first from a college campus outside of Newtown, then to downtown<br \/>\nDanbury and finally to the state capital, Hartford. That meant courses were<br \/>\ndesigned, logistics set and venues mapped out. All those plans went out the<br \/>\nwindow as the event grew and moved and we started the process all over again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Moving the event further away from Newtown was a delicate<br \/>\nissue. We knew that the last thing the Newtown Police Department needed to<br \/>\nthink about was a road race, yet, the public wanted to run as close to Sandy<br \/>\nHook as possible. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Our decision to move the race to Hartford, an hour away from<br \/>\nSandy Hook, was a good decision for many reasons. We produce the Hartford Marathon<br \/>\neach year and know how to work in the city. We have strong relationships with<br \/>\nthe police and the mayor&#8217;s office. And we knew the city could handle the huge<br \/>\ncrowds expected. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut and was the appropriate<br \/>\nplace to invite the entire state to gather to support their neighbors in<br \/>\nNewtown. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">By and large, the response to the move to Hartford was met<br \/>\nwith acceptance by the public.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The HMF staff was consumed with the production of the race<br \/>\nalmost to the exclusion of the other 35 races we were staging during the year. We<br \/>\nhad a very short period of time to put a million details in order. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">First and foremost, we needed to find financial and product<br \/>\nsupport of over $400,000. We began calling our loyal vendors, both national companies<br \/>\nand small mom-and-pop operations. Without an exception, everyone responded,<br \/>\n&#8220;Yes and what more can I do?&#8221;\u00a0<br \/>\nReebok donated 15,000 shirts and our local printer took care of the<br \/>\nprinting. Chronotrack gave us B-Tags for 20,000 bibs and Electric City Printing<br \/>\ndonated the bibs. Baystate Race Services donated timing for the 15,000 racers. On<br \/>\nand on it went in this wonderful outpouring of generosity and support until we<br \/>\ncame within $16,000 of our goal. Our running community is an inspiration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Race day was March 23rd. The usual pre-race competiveness<br \/>\nand nervous energy was replaced by an atmosphere of hope, resolve and an<br \/>\noverwhelming sense of community. This was not a celebration of those who have<br \/>\nsurvived an illness or a push to raise money to find a cure. This was<br \/>\ndifferent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The starting ceremony included the Oake National Children&#8217;s<br \/>\nChoir, comprised of 200 young, sweet voices, accompanied by 75 adults in the<br \/>\nTravelers Choral. Their beautiful voices filled the air with spiritual sound. Connecticut&#8217;s<br \/>\nGovernor, the Mayor of Hartford and the First Selectwoman of Newtown offered<br \/>\nthanks and encouragement. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">And then we rang the bell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\">(<strong>Photo:<\/strong> Ken &#038; Beth Shluger) <\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>As we were planning the start of the race, I realized it had<br \/>\nto be moving and meaningful. But I didn&#8217;t want it to be sad. And so, my husband<br \/>\nKen, an avid sailor, went to our sailing club and unscrewed the ship&#8217;s bell<br \/>\nfrom the wall and brought it home. We practiced ringing that bell until the<br \/>\ntiming was perfect. Just before the start of the race, Ken held the bell while<br \/>\nI counted, and we rang it slowly, 26 times. Each time it rang, we pictured the<br \/>\nface of a sweet first grader and their beautiful teachers. It took a long time<br \/>\nto ring that bell 26 times.<\/div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">We donated over $450,000 to the Sandy Hook School Support<br \/>\nFund, the largest single donation received. Our expenses were covered<br \/>\ncompletely by our loyal vendors, sponsors and anonymous donors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">But I think that perhaps, most<br \/>\nimportantly, we saw what a road race, a sporting event, can mean to a<br \/>\ncommunity. We witnessed how our road race served as the great stage to unite<br \/>\nour region, deep in pain, and lift its spirit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In closing, a tip of the hat to the HMF Staff &#8211; What an<br \/>\nextraordinary group they are! Credit goes to Josh Miller, Matt Anderson,<br \/>\nDanielle Alt, Kim Neurath, Jill Hallet, Genevieve Lattimer, Nancy Loughlin,<br \/>\nDiane DiBerardino, Tom Hutchinson, Ellen Smith, Lisa Butler, Sarah Roberson,<br \/>\nand Shari Maglio with special thanks to Ken Shluger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><em style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u0089\u00db\u00d3Beth<br \/>\nShluger is the Executive Director of the Hartford Marathon Foundation and Race Director of the Hartford Marathon. <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"ts-fab-below\" class=\"ts-fab-wrapper\">The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts<\/p>\n<div class=\"ts-fab-tabs\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-tab\" id=\"ts-fab-bio-below\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-avatar\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-social-links\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"ts-fab-text\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-header\">sirgeorge<\/div>\n<p><!-- \/.ts-fab-header --><\/p>\n<div class=\"ts-fab-content\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"ts-fab-tab\" id=\"ts-fab-latest-posts-below\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-avatar\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-social-links\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"ts-fab-text\">\n<div class=\"ts-fab-header\">\n\t\t\t\tLatest posts by sirgeorge (see all)\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tTeen Phenom Cain Added to Star Studded Boston NBal GP &#8211; January 10, 2014 <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t&#8220;Uptight&#8221; &#8211; &#8216;My Word&#8217; column by Tom Derderian &#8211; January 6, 2014 <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tTolling the Bell for Sandy Hook, by Beth Shluger &#8211; January 6, 2014 <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tolling the Bell for Sandy Hook \u00a0 by Beth Shluger \u00a0 Photo: 15,000 participants gathered for the Sandy Hook Run for the Families in Hartford, CT. Photo courtesy of the Hartford Marathon Foundation \u00a0 On December 14th of 2012, just 40 miles from my home, 20 first-grade children were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/onhee.com\/?p=8947\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Tolling the Bell for Sandy Hook, by Beth Shluger&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8947\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}