Catherine Violet Hubbard's love for animals was undeniable.
“From the moment Catherine could exercise any sort of independence, her passion was animals, she was drawn to them, she loved them, she promised to take care of them,” Catherine’s mom and Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary President Jenny Hubbard said.
Catherine was one of the 20 students killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
It was Catherine’s care that led her mom to create the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. The mission is to create a space where animals are attended to and where people can learn to care for animals.
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“We have a curriculum that teaches empathy and kindness towards animals. We believe when people can care for animals and they know how to care for animals and give them safe haven and appropriate habits, there is something transformative in the person,” Hubbard said.
On Monday afternoon, Hubbard was on The Kelly Clarkson Show, being recognized for her work in the Senior Paw Project that helps financially insecure older adults keep their pets.
Next Tuesday, Dec. 10, the foundation will host a barn raising for what will be Catherine’s Learning Barn.
“The barn raising for me is just so significant in so many different ways in just showing how the community can come together, how healing begins and continues, it’s exciting,” Hubbard said.
The barn will serve as a multi-functional building. It will be used to host students taking field trips, workshops, corporate events and much more.
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The learning facility will allow for programs that have been previously held outdoors to have an indoors location. More than 150,000 adults and kids have participated in learning programs at the sanctuary.
“Allows us to expand on those community workshops and the educational initiatives that we have been focused on,” Hubbard said.
Tuesday’s event is being held a few days before the 12th year remembrance of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. If Catherine was alive today, she would have been 18 years old and would have recently graduated high school.
“While it's a sad day for us as a family and her loss is palpable, it is also a day of hope and celebration that we can continue to honor her life and her legacy in such a remarkable way,” Hubbard said.
The foundation is actively fundraising for Catherine’s Learning Barn that is expected to open next spring.
