Remembering Vicki Soto Ten Years After Sandy Hook

Ten Christmas holidays have come and gone since Jillian Soto-Marino last heard the laughter from her big sister Vicki.

“It doesn’t get easier,” she said.

On the morning of December 14, 2012, Vicki Soto was preparing to make gingerbread houses with her first grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“They were her kids, and she referred to them as 'those are my kids.' And she'd loved each and every one of them fiercely,” said Jillian. “And when i got the call that there was a shooting at Sandy Hook from my mom, I literally said to her, ‘Vicki will give her life for those kids.’ And that is exactly what she did.”

Vicki died shielding her first graders from gunfire. She was one of the six educators killed along with 20 children.

“We’re still healing. We're still trying to rebuild our lives,” Jillian said.

But that process of healing has been set back by years of harassment from followers of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. In September, the Sotos joined other Sandy Hook families in the defamation trial against the Infowars host.

“Having to watch my mother mourn for her child and to defend who her daughter is every single day has broken her,” Jillian testified tearfully during the trial.

“We got up on the stand and we poured our hearts out,” she said. “We talked about things that no family should have had to, in front of strangers, in front of a live tv show. But we did. And he mocked it. And it was a joke to him. And this is our real life. This is what we've gone through and continue to go through. But to him, he was able to make views off of it. He was able to make money off of it.”

She hopes the jury’s nearly billion-dollar verdict sent a clear message.

“Your actions can be held accountable,” Jillian said. “You know, no money is ever going to bring Vicki back. If we could give every dime that we've ever received back, we would, if it meant that we got my sister back. But you can’t. So what we can do is grow a foundation and help other educators pursue their education.”

Over the last decade, the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund has awarded over half a million dollars through scholarships for future teachers, literacy programs and funding classroom projects.

“It makes it easier to focus on the good instead of the horrible tragedy that we went through and that we live with every day,” said Jillian.

From the top down, the organization is an all-volunteer labor of love to honor Vicki’s greatest passion – learning – and to keep the love and laughter alive.

“Vicki would be so incredibly proud if she could be here to see it all.”

This Saturday, November 5, is the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Vicki Soto Memorial 5K Run and Walk. More than 2,700 people are already pre-registered.

This year’s event is happening at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre in Bridgeport. You don’t have to run or walk to attend; $20.00 spectator wristbands are on sale and include access to free food trucks, beer from several local breweries, and live entertainment. To sign up or donate, click here.