The family of 6-year-old Charlotte Bacon, who died in the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. last December, plan to gather Saturday in Crosslake, Minn. to plant a maple tree in her memory.
The tree, called a "Kindness Tree," will be planted at 2 p.m. at Camp Knutson, a camp for children with special needs that is run by Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Pastor Dick Erikson of Crosslake Lutheran Church will oversee the dedication ceremony.
Charlotte's maternal grandparents, Jack and Irene Hagen, live in nearby Nisswa, Minn. Jack Hagen has been a volunteer at Camp Knutson for the past six years.
Charlotte Bacon was one of 20 Sandy Hook students who were shot to death Dec. 14 by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy, at their Newtown home before heading to the school. Six adult staff members also died in the attack, which ended when Lanza turned the gun on himself and fired.
To honor Charlotte's memory, family friends created the Newtown Kindness Campaign, which aims to encourage and promote acts of kindness as well as raise awareness of kindness through education, sharing and recognition. For more information about the campaign, go to http://www.newtownkindness.org/
