Sandy Hook Mom Promotes Compassion as the Solution to Mass Shootings

by Valeria Villarroel | 12/13/2018 | 12:25pm

Scarlett Lewis and Choose Love Foundation with school children

Scarlett Lewis' foundation takes her sons message of love to communities nationwide

Six-year-old Jesse Lewis left a message for his mother on the kitchen chalkboard before he left for school on December 14, 2012. That day, Jesse, along with 19 of his classmates and 6 adult staff members of Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut, was killed by Adam Lanza. Jesse’s mother, Scarlett Lewis has taken the message her son left for her and made it her mission to do what she can to prevent more mass shootings.

“This all started when I saw Jesse’s message of ‘Nurturing, Healing, Love’ on our kitchen chalkboard, and I knew instantly that if Adam Lanza has been able to give and receive nurturing, healing love, that the tragedy never would have happened,” said Scarlett Lewis.

Lewis may not be wrong in her assessment. This week, the Hartford Courant obtained more than 1,000 page of documents from the Connecticut State Police that paint a picture of the isolated, reclusive life of 20-year-old Adam Lanza. According to the findings, Adam's isolation began in preschool and only increased as he got older. The documents reveal that he had a disdain for relationships and connections with other kids, and was obsessed with violence and murders. A psychiatrist who interviewed Lanza at 14 years old, was worried that he was already on his way to becoming a "homebound recluse."

Lewis believes that the work of her foundation, The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, has the formula to help students, educators, and their communities give and recieve compassion in their lives.

"When we think about safe schools,” we traditionally think about external safety measures, which are door locks, and things like that,” began Lewis. “But really, the #1 way to have a safe school is to have a comprehensive social and emotional learning program.”

The foundation has a curriculum, the Choose Love Enrichment Program, to teach children how to nourish healthy relationships, develop meaningful connections, and how to manage their emotions in conflict. "This is cultivating safety from the inside-out. It is directly addressing the cause," began Lewis. "You cannot be addressing the solution unless you’re addressing the cause."

To date, the Choose Love Enrichment program has been implemented in schools in all 50 states. She credits the guidance of her son, Jesse, to the success of the program.

“I know that this was a mission he left for me. And I feel so blessed to have it. And I also feel like he’s with me on this mission. And I certainly know in the last six years that he’s been working very hard from where he is, helping me, because there’s no way we could have gotten to having our program being taught in all 50 states and downloaded multiple times in over 67 countries, with no PR or marketing, just by word of mouth – and that’s with his help. And I’m sure he’s very proud,” said Lewis.

Lewis knows with certainty that tragedies like hers are 100% preventable. She wants every person, especially parents to know how important social and emotional learning (SEL) is to preventing mass shootings.  She said that the findings of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission also emphasized the importance of SEL along with increased access to mental health services and gun safety as tantamount to preventing future mass shootings.

“I wish I had known this before, but I didn’t. But it’s not too late for other people,” said Lewis.

Currently, the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation is working on expanding their curriculum to include infants and toddlers, parents and caregivers, and individuals in the workplace.

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