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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
SANDY HOOK PROMISE - SAY SOMETHING PROJECT
WHEREAS, on December 14, 2012, the tragic mass shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut resulted in the needless deaths of over 25 people; and
WHEREAS, of the total 26 lives lost, 20 were children all in first grade between the ages of six and seven, and six were adult staffers at the school; and
WHEREAS, in the aftermath of this devastating loss, affected families began meeting to discuss how to ensure a school shooting tragedy like this would never happen again; and
WHEREAS, on January 14, 2013, several families united to launch Sandy Hook Promise, and read “The Promise” for the first time; and
WHEREAS, “The Promise” reads:
Our hearts are broken;
Our spirit is not.
And it is with this knowledge that we are able to move forward with purpose and strength.
This is a Promise. To truly honor the lives lost by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation.
This is a Promise. To be open to all possibilities.
There is no agenda other than to make our nation a safer, better place.
This is a Promise. To have the conversations on ALL the issues.
Conversations where listening is as important as speaking.
Conversations where even those with the most opposing views can debate in good will.
This is a Promise. To turn the conversation into actions.
Things must change. This is the time.
This is a Promise. We make to our precious children.
Because each child, every human life is filled with promise, and though we continue to be filled with unbearable pain we choose love, belief, and hope instead of anger.
This is a Promise. To do everything in our power to be remembered not as the town filled with grief and victims; but as the place where real change began.
Our hearts are broken; Our spirit is not.
This is our Promise. The Sandy Hook Promise; and
WHEREAS, co-founders soon began research nationwide on mental health, educational programs, law enforcement, mass shootings, and school shootings, discovering the important warning signs that precede every attack; and
WHEREAS, following their broad research Sandy Hook Promise co-founders began the strategy and development of the “Know the Signs” programs, including the “Say Something” program; and
WHEREAS, the “Say Something” program is a no-cost program teaching elementary, middle, and high school students to recognize the warning signs of someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to say something to a trusted adult to get help; and
WHEREAS, in November 2014, the first Say Something program teaching the warning signs of potential violence is conducted by Sandy Hook Promise Co-founder Nicole Hockley, at St. John’s Church in Columbus, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, the first credible school shooting plot is averted in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the help of a Say Something-trained student and guidance counselor; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” launches nationwide, becoming the first anonymous reporting system exclusively serving schools 24/7/365; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, Sandy Hook Promise launches “Say Something: Prevent Suicide and Being a Trusted Adult” programs to prevent youth suicide and violence; and
WHEREAS, the “Say Something” program teaches both students and adults about different types of warning signs or threats and how to spot them, understand strategies to take action and overcome potential barriers to being an “upstander”, and how to intervene by telling a trusted adult or using an anonymous reporting system; and
WHEREAS, Cook County remains devoted to its dedication to creating safe and thriving communities, with its belief in the right to safety and well-being for all our residents; and
WHEREAS, Cook County remains committed to its work towards violence prevention in our communities, across the State of Illinois, and the country overall;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby recognize the Sandy Hook Promise “Say Something” program and the demonstrable life-saving work that this program has done so far; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby proclaim the week of March 3-7, 2024, as “Say SomethingWeek”, highlighting the importance of recognizing the warning signsof someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others, how to say something to a trusted adult to get help, and celebrating the trusted adults and upstanders in our communities.
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