Scarlett Lewis, the founder of the Choose Love Movement, sits near her son Jesse Lewis's grave in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown. "He was exactly how a little boy is supposed to be," she says. Her message: You have power; use it. It was a formula for choosing love over hate. "I've had many death threats," Heslin told CBS News in 2018. [17][18], The Movement has multiple programs, including Choose Love for Home that brings the Choose Love Formula beyond the classroom to teach families how to manage their emotions, communicate in healthier ways, and grow together to form a more nurturing environment. Olivia was in the same classroom as Jesse and her teacher was Soto and it was the brave and heroic actions of Jesse Lewis and Soto that allowed for many of the students in that classroom to escape. In 2017, Heslin went on television, he told CBS News,to directly address the Sandy Hook deniers. Scarlett Lewis, mother of 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Jesse Lewis, appears in court during the trial for Alex Jones, Tuesday Aug. 2, 2022, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. In an Infowars show from January 13, 2015, Jones told a caller that "Sandy Hook is a synthetic completely fake with actors, in my view, manufactured.". I know that youre a father, Lewis told Jones at the time. Las Vegas. Hero: Jesse Lewis, 6, was shot in the head after screaming for his classmates to run and flee gunman Adam Lanza, Survivors: Eleven children from Jesse's class manages to escape Lanza - thanks to Jesse's courage and the heroism of his teacher who shielded them from the bullets. He was accompanied by several private security guards. Even 18 years later, studies have shown that students exposed to SEL training in school have better academics, score higher on skills like empathy and teamwork, have fewer emotional problems and lower rates of drug use. 6 Parents Of Sandy Hook Shooting Victims On Moving Forward After "Jesse was real. Even now, she unearths his beloved little green Army men in the corners of closets and under rocks in her garden. My name is Scarlett Lewis, and I'm the founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. Erica Lafferty, daughter of deceased Sandy Hook Elementary school Principal Dawn Hochsprung, listens to a replay of recorded testimony from fellow plaintiff Bill Sherlach played for the jury in the Alex Jones defamation trial at Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Jesse and 19 of his schoolmates and six adults were killed on Friday, Dec. 14, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown when a 20-year-old man shot them with a semiautomatic rifle. Contributed Photo Show More Show . "I still find little Army men coming up from the dirt from different places where he would play with them. Sandy Hook is a hard truth.". Attorneys for Lewis and Heslin had a recording of Jones Tuesday morning comments admitted as evidence and played for the jury. Tennis legend, 41, debuts her new baby bump as she and husband Alexis Boots and booty! Chris Mattei, attorney for the families, urged viewers not to donate to Jones. I want to be the billion-dollar man., He then urged viewers to donate to "save Infowars," adding the trial was a political hit job and said he was actually proud to be under this level of attack.. After his murder at Sandy Hook, Lewis said, a lot of people blamed Adam Lanza's mom (who was also his first murder victim), but as a single parent herself, Lewis was struck by the similarities in their lives. The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that provides free Character Social Emotional Development (CSED) programs. Easter or Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, he just loved the holidays, one as much as the other, says Neil Heslin of his son. Jones testified he had long wanted to apologize to the plaintiffs. Scarlett Lewis / Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 15 J.T. Now she devotes her days to spreading a program she thinks could have saved her son, and Adam, from their intertwined fates: it's called social and emotional learning. "Your beliefs do not make something true. Jones likely has little property or assets in Connecticut so any judgement would have to be secured in his home state of Texas, Taubes said. Scarlett Lewis, Jesse's mother, says she was not surprised to learn that her son's last act was to save his classmates, Adam Lanza killed himself after murdering 20 children and six teachers. Why where some of the victims of Sandy Hook moved by first responders "It's fear for your life," Scarlett Lewis said. The company filed for federal bankruptcy protection last week. Orlando. Im a single mother and responsible for the safety of both of my boys, and I was not able to keep one safe so Im going to keep my surviving son safe, Lewis said in emotional testimony. The awkward response from a Q&A audience after they are asked if they will swear allegiance to King Charles Charlotte is daddy's double! Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse, 6, was killed in the elementary school shooting, rebuked the Infowars fabulist over his lies in a face-to-face courtroom confrontation. "That perked them up a bit, and one had a twinkle in his eye," she adds. Jesse was a lovebug, Lewis says, but its not like that phrase was part of a 6-year-old's everyday vocabulary. Heslin and Lewis both said they fear for their lives and have been confronted by strangers at home and on the street. Scarlett Lewis says she thinks about her son Jesse's bravery every morning when she gets out of bed. What you're describing is love, and it's still there and he's still all around you. With help from friends, Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and combined the most effective elements of SEL school programs into one curriculum, and made it free. "In the face of unbridled cruelty, harm, & harassment these survivors have been a profile in courage & perseverance.". And of course, I spend almost every waking moment trying to be part of the solution that caused the tragedy in the first place., Echoing the sorrow of her sons father, Scarlett says Jesses death was like losing a limb., Hes still always with me, even though its kind of spiritually, she says. Lewis has dedicated herself recently to the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, which promotes ways for communities to 'choose love over anger, gratitude over entitlement, and forgiveness and compassion over bitterness. Jesse Lewis 'a brave and compassionate little boy' . I believe (the verdict) sends a powerful message, and I see it working.". Updated on: August 2, 2022 / 7:23 PM Theres always reminders of the loss.. Lisa Backus is a local, state and national award-winning crime reporter who covers breaking news and criminal justice policy for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. While he tries go through the motions for the holidays, one thing Heslin will not be doing this year is putting up a Christmas tree. [14], Three days after Jesse's murder, Scarlett returned to the family's farmhouse and found a message on their kitchen chalkboard that Jesse had written shortly before he died: "Norurting Helinn Love" (Nurturing Healing Love). "Were not saying, 'Grab a guitar and come sing around the campfire,'" says Tim Shriver, board chair of CASEL, which provides research and policy support for social and emotional learning in schools. When she's not working she can be found hanging out with her animal companions Spot and Morgan and her six grandchildren. We realized we had to forgive the killers, one of the Rwandan survivors told them, or we would go down the same path., All right, God, Lewis remembers thinking. Neil Heslin. After which, the harassment only got worse, Heslin said. The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement was founded in 2013 in honor of Jesse McCord Lewis, a six-year-old killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. 'Leading through uncertainty' is the focus of a Sandy Hook nonprofit's "I know his hate, lies, and conspiracy theories will follow me and my family through the rest of our days. Put simply, its teaching children how to understand and manage their emotions, cultivate empathy and develop positive relationships. This program, aligned with Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, Common Core, and American School Counselor Association standards and fully incorporating state-of-the-art Character Social Emotional Development Model Standards from Character.org, also includes neuroscience and positive psychology to teach mindfulness, character, and emotional intelligence. The little boy who just wanted someone to hear his moms call for help is grown up, Lewis said in the video. On the day of the shooting, Jones published an episode of InfoWars in which he says, "Don't ever think this couldn't be staged." "And in this big moment, like in every big moment since the shooting, I just wish I could call my mom and tell her about it.". Thats the courage to choose love.. I believe that inside every one of us is that same innate courage and to honor Jesse, Ive decided to be courageous enough to run for state Senate in my home state, Lewis said after describing his brother's last moments. Three years before that day, Jesse slept next to her in bed as she read a book called Left To Tell, by a Rwandan genocide survivor who forgave the people who killed her family. Often speaking directly to InfoWars host Alex Jones, the mother of a 6-year-old killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School testified Tuesday that the right-wing conspiracy theorists lies that the attack was a hoax have left her in fear for her life and compounded her grief. JT Lewis, whose younger brother Jesse was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, announced Monday he's running for state Senate in Connecticut. Jones and another Infowars host, Owen Shroyer, later implied that Heslin had lied. Heslin, who also testified on Tuesday, said that Jones made their lives a "living hell" filled with abuse and trauma from his followers. 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At first, Lewis thought she might not return to the Newtown, Connecticut farmhouse where she raised Jesse and his older brother, J.T., now 18. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "What was said about me and Sandy Hook itself resonates around the world," Heslin said. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Jesse Lewis, 6 Jesse Lewis, aged six, one of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., who was shot dead on December 14, 2012. "We are now very significant creditors of Alex Jones," Mattei said. Im not putting another Christmas tree up. IE 11 is not supported. Sitting at the witness stand and looking Jones straight in the eyes, Lewis said, "I wanted to tell you to your face. I have realized how incredibly powerful we are, she says. It was initially thought that Lanza started with Ms Rousseau's class because he killed all but one child in the room. A six-year-old boy courageously gave his life during the Newtown school massacre to save six of his classmates, it was revealed today. Briana Sanchez / Pool/Austin American-Statesman via AP. Speaking briefly to the media, defense attorney Norm Pattis said the verdict was more than he expected and he looked forward to the appeal. (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool) [19][20] Choose Love for Athletic Leadership Development is a program for athletes and leaders to incorporate the Choose Love Formula in any sports program to build character and create positive relationships on and off the playing field. Alex Jones walks into the courtroom in front of Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, the parents of 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Jesse Lewis, at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on July 28. "We recommit ourselves to having the courage that Jesse showed on that day and to spread his message of nurturing, healing love," she adds. They described how Jesse was known for telling classmates to "run!" started an organization called Newtown Helps Rwanda and raises money to send orphaned Rwandan genocide survivors to college. ", "There will be more Alex Joneses in the world," she said. Her older son, J.T. The parents claim in a lawsuit that Jones claims that the attack was a hoax have led to years of abuse from his followers. King Charles' Coronation LIVE: Anne dismisses 'slimmed down monarchy' and poll shows rock solid support for Dr Martin Scurr: Why have I always had a runny nose for 30 years - and what can I do to make it stop? Hollywood writers go on strike over fair pay in streaming era, Missing teens likely among 7 people found dead in Oklahoma, authorities say, Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at 84, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, American climber dies on Mount Everest, expedition organizer says, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Sandy Hook parent blames Alex Jones for years of "hell". The story of Jesse's bravery comes from the young survivors, who told investigators what they witnessed on December 14. Safia Samee Ali is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in Chicago. "I could hardly remember what was said at the funeral," Alissa Parker said. After the verdict was read, Nicole Hockley, who lost her son Dylan in the shooting, said she wouldn't miss the grueling days of the trial but would miss being able to speak to the other families. [1][2][3][4] Choose Love programming is being taught in over 10,000 schools, in all 50 states and over 120 countries, serving over 3 million children globally. Lewis and Jesse's father, Neil Heslin, are among several Sandy Hook families that have filed lawsuits against Jones arguing that his statements that the attack was a hoax have led to years of . On the 10-year anniversary of the day her son was taken from her, Lewis says she plans to do what her family does every year: Gather at Jesse's grave, light candles, read bible verses and inspirational quotes and say a prayer. An apology from Jones wouldn't be good enough, the parents said. Television camera tripods are set up in preparation for a jury verdict in the Alex Jones defamation trial at Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Always. Sandy Hook's Scarlett Lewis on spreading healing with her nonprofit org Hwang went on to win a state Senate seat in 2014. / CBS/AP. When Adam Lanza stepped into her sons classroom, his gun jammed or he briefly ran out of bullets, and Jesse shouted at his friends to run. Court jesters Ant and Dec will be among the VIPs at the King's Britain's rock solid support for the Royal Family: With Charles' Coronation just four days way, a major poll Scientists discover what happens seconds before you die - activity in the brain and heart RAMPS UP, Trendy hard floors could be to blame for your foot pain (and there is a simple way to stop it). The decision to sue Jones, Lewis says, was a direct result of her son's parting message to her three words Jesse had written on their kitchen chalkboard that she found shortly after he died.