Girl Scouts of Connecticut reports that, as more details emerged about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the Girl Scouts community learned that eight Girl Scout Daisies and sons of two Girl Scout families died as a result of the shootings. We are devastated by these losses and will keep the families in our hearts.

Girl Scouts of Connecticut has set up a fund in honor of the Girl Scouts who died during the shooting. The fund will assist girls in attending Girl Scout Summer Camp. If you would like to give, go to www.gsofct.org, and on the online giving form linked from the site indicate “Sandy Hook Girl Scout Campership Fund” in the “What is this gift for?” box. See here for instructions.

In addition, Girl Scouts from across the country are encouraged to write down thoughts and prayers, or to create art in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil, and send them to:
Girl Scouts of Connecticut Hartford Service Center
c/o Trefoil Project
340 Washington St
Hartford, CT 06106.

In mid-January, the council will present them to the Newtown Service Unit during a memorial service.

In response to the tragedy,  Anna Maria Chávez, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA, posted a message on the Girl Scout Blog. It reads:

“I write to all of you with a heavy heart. Indeed, words cannot express the sorrow I feel over the loss of life as a result of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. I, like everyone across the country and around the world, was shocked by the terrible tragedy and have grieved for the children and educators who lost their lives, and for the entire Newtown community.

On Sunday, I learned that eight of the twelve girls who died were Girl Scouts and that two Girl Scout families lost sons. The girls were Girl Scout Daisies who wore their uniforms proudly. The loss of any child brings with it an especially hollowing pain; to know that all of us in our Movement shared with those girls a love of Girl Scouting makes it all the more personal—and heartbreaking. Yet I know that all of us stand with our sisters at Girl Scouts of Connecticut as they endure with courage and strength this unspeakable tragedy, and I am heartened by the fact that we are developing girls who will lead our society to solutions and approaches that will prevent such tragedies in the decades ahead.

So we forge ahead, now more than ever committed to our mission of serving girls, and we do so even as we mourn this devastating and unfathomable loss. May those who perished and their families always remain in our thoughts and prayers, especially as we gather with our own families during this holiday season.”