Aly Raisman spreads holiday cheer amongst Newtown children
In the wake of the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., many people want to do something to help the town but simply don’t know what to do. The town has received so many toys and gifts that it recently had to ask for a halt to donations, and monetary donations will never bring back the loved ones lost in the massacre.
As a result, people are beginning to get creative with ways to give back. Count Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman among those people.
The Needham gymnast took time out of her holiday break to visit a Newtown gymnasium that lost eight young gymnasts in the shootings. The details of Raisman’s visit are scarce. Raisman tweeted about the visit and a few of the families in attendance thanked her on Twitter afterward, but it appears neither Raisman nor the gym alerted the media or attempted to turn the day into a photo op.
Raisman visited Vasi’s International Gymnastics gym according to the gym’s Facebook page. A photo album on the gym’s Facebook shows Raisman talking with the children there, signing autographs and taking photos with countless young gymnasts. Raisman also brought her medals from the London Games to share with the children.
After the visit, Raisman tweeted: “Went to a gymnastics club that lost 8 young gymnasts #SandyHook so heartbreaking 🙁 … No words to describe how happy it makes me to see these brave kids smile.”
