WCCO EYE4 LOGO WCCO Radio

Latest News

Acts Of Kindness: From Orono, To Newtown

View Comments
77674_Heather Brown WEB

Reporting Heather Brown

Today's Most Popular Video
Finding Minnesota: Is That A Manure Spreader Or A Hot Rod? Amazon Drops Minn. Affiliate Bloggers To Avoid Tax 1 Year Since Devastating Duluth Flood Skydiver With 1 Arm Going For World Record Video: Bear In A Tree 'Talks' With Dogs

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – As expected, it’s still too hard for Joann Bacon to open up to the press about her daughter who was murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Her brother, Paul Hagen of Minneapolis, says it’s a slow healing process.

“It’s tough for her. They’re dealing with it day-by-day,” Hagen said.

It’s been more than a month since the Newtown shootings. Six-year-old Charlotte Bacon was one of the 20 first graders killed that day. Her mom, Joann, still has strong connections to her hometown of Orono.

Last week, a friend of the Bacon’s launched a non-profit in Charlotte’s honor called Newtown Kindness. Its website already had 100,000 hits.

“This is about kindness, trying to do something more within the community [to] help the people of Newtown instead of just another fund to send money,” said Hagen. “This is kind of a win-win situation.”

The idea is simple: when a child does something nice for someone else, they share it with Newtown Kindness by email, mail, photo or artwork. Newtown parent Aaron Carlson came up with the idea. His six-year-old daughter was friends with Charlotte.

“Every day people are reaching out to us saying thank you because it gives them a way to feel like they can make an impact or they can connect with the tragedy and support it,” said Carlson.

Already, submissions have been coming in. Six-year-old Lila collected pancake mix for the local food bank. Abby, Hannah and Hannah baked cookies from scratch for the therapy dogs at their school. Five-year-old Jack baked cookies and brownies for his heroes – the local fireman. And one little girl drew a swing, slide and see-saw for her friends because she thought it would make her smile.

On Charlotte’s birthday, Feb. 22, winners will be chosen to receive a prize or reward.

“No deed is too small,” Hagen said. “Sometimes it’s just a smile at somebody walking through the door.”

To submit your act of kindness, visit the Newtown Kindness website. A $5 donation is suggested.

View Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

Mobile Weather Watcher

Follow CBS Minnesota

Like us on foursquare
wccoradio podcastbanner3 WCCO Radio

Meet WCCO-TV’s Anchors

Amelia Santaniello Frank Vascellaro Chris Shaffer Mark Rosen

TV Schedule

Full Program Grid
7:00 PM The Big Bang Theory
7:31 PM Two and a Half Men
8:01 PM Person of Interest
9:01 PM Elementary
10:00 PM WCCO 4 News at Ten
10:35 PM Late Show with David Letterman
11:37 PM The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson