This story was updated at 12:30 pm on June 12 to add and clarify information about a Newtown Kindness donation.

For weeks after they learned their treasured granddaughter Charlotte was among the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, Newtown residents Dan and Lindie Bacon grieved along with many family members, close friends, and others closest to the horrific outcomes of that fateful morning.

Then, like discovering a tiny glint of light through the darkness, they were drawn to a new grief and support network that was specifically created for the grandparents of 12/14 victims through the Healing Hearts Center for Grief & Loss at Danbury's Regional Hospice and Palliative Care Center.

Four years on through the program, the Bacons and others with immediate ties to 12/14 have not only found empathetic peers and caring professionals helping survivors through their grief, but more recently have established ways to help shine a light into the darkness others are facing.

The Bacons did not venture far to provide that reciprocal service. And as a result, on the morning of June 14, they will be honored and provide keynote remarks at the 28th Annual Summer Breakfast fundraiser for the Regional Hospice being hosted by the Newtown Giving Circle at Monroe's Waterview event facility.

Cathie Petrosky, MA, who is manager of donor engagement for Regional Hospice and Palliative Care, said the Bacons decided to volunteer as greeters at the Danbury facility, and have since amassed hundreds of volunteer hours serving the center, its patients, and visitors.

Through their family foundation, Newtown Kindness, the couple also facilitated the donation a spacious playhouse on the grounds for children to enjoy, whether they are receiving treatment, visiting a loved one, participating in a support group, or accompanying others to the hospice facility.

"They are such amazing human beings and wonderful volunteers," Ms Petrosky said.

She recalled how the Bacon family came to the agency's Healing Hearts Center for Grief and Loss following 12/14, and celebrates how Dan and Lindie have since brightened the lives of countless visitors and guests.

"I call them the smiling faces of hospice, and I enjoy it whenever they are in the building," Ms Petrosky added. "Their dedicated and loving support for everyone who crosses their paths is evident. They are both positive, compassionate, and they radiate something very special to every single person they come in contact with when they are here."

In the early days of their involvement with Healing Hearts, the Bacons were like many of their peers - devastated grandparents whose little angels were taken from them with no reason or warning.

But as they began benefiting from the wrapping services that encircled them, the couple said an opportunity to turn their grief into healing energy for the benefit of others facing the impending or recent loss of a dear loved one presented itself.

Sitting with

The Newtown Bee recently at their modest Sandy Hook home, the Bacons didn't dwell as much on the tragedy that eventually inspired their calling to help others, as they did on the fulfillment they experience from reaching out to others - whether it is just a kindly greeting to visitors to the hospice lobby, or deeper, knowing conversations they strike up with those who become more familiar to the couple because a loved one is involved with a long-term stay.

They also still participate in the grandparents group that gathers for a quarterly luncheon at St Rose of Lima parish, and now welcomes other extended relatives of those lost on 12/14.

"Two years ago, when we learned about the opening of the new hospice facility in Danbury, we wanted to support them because they were so supportive of us," Dan Bacon said. "And when we went to their open house, we were so impressed with the facility and the people we were meeting, we decided to sign up to help."

When deciding if they wanted to be trained one-on-one liaisons with individuals and patient families, or lobby greeters, they chose the position where they could interact with not just the hospice staff and other volunteers, but virtually every individual who came through the lobby during their growing number of shifts.

"Most of the time it's just checking them in and getting them where they're going," Lindie Bacon said. "And other times we have time to chat with family members and can offer some empathy as they are experiencing the loss of a loved one."

"We have a sense of what it's like to lose someone very dear to us," Dan Bacon said.

For others who may be looking for a way to give back or explore volunteer opportunities, the Bacons say the Regional Hospice and Palliative Care Center offers virtually limitless opportunities.

"They can use volunteers of all sorts," Lindie Bacon said. "We have a music group that comes to practice and then spends the rest of their time going room to room entertaining the residents and guests. They also need gardeners, cooks, office workers, even folks who may just want to freshen up rooms with flowers or other decorations."

The Bacons say that they credit all the volunteers and staff for maintaining bright attitudes that help lift the spirits of those attending or visiting residents under care.

"It is a joy-filled place, and the staff is superb," Lindie Bacon said. "I can't think of a better way to spend our free time."

"They helped us along our journey since 12/14," Dan Bacon said. "After the tragedy we understandably focused on our family and our own grief. But then came a time to move into service to others - it was a matter of what I can give, not just take. The center has given us a meaningful way to give back."

One of the many fond memories the Bacons have was teaming with others after a home-bound hospice patient asked for a catered holiday season date night - likely the last she would be able to celebrate with her husband.

"So we found a restaurant that was able to meet with her to determine exactly what she could eat, and got the hot meal delivered so she and her husband could have their date night," Dan Bacon said. "The thank you notes and pictures they shared from that night were such a special gift to us. To be part of that chain of giving was very, very meaningful to us."

Then, last Thanksgiving when the Bacons found most of the rest of their family was planning to travel, they decided to spend the day volunteering at the Regional Hospice and Palliative Care Center.

"That was one of the best Thanksgivings we had in a long time," Lindie Bacon recalled.

And through it all, the Bacons have been committed to their volunteerism together.

"We're retired and we only have one car, so it doesn't seem right for one of us to have to stay home alone while the other is off volunteering at hospice, so we always do this together," Lindie Bacon added.

In the short two years the couple has been brightening lives, they have amassed well over 1,200 hours of service at the center, and they hope to inspire others to get involved.

"If someone has a talent, they can be a gift to the organization," Lindie Bacon said.

"And for those facing a loss of a loved one, the Healing Hearts programs are a vital part of the center's services, and they offer high quality programs and support - even a kids camp," Dan Bacon said. "So they are there for everyone, from children to seniors."

Newtown Bee readers and residents who are interested in attending or hosting a table at the breakfast June 14, can do so by contacting Marg Studley at 203-426-3651 or Marie Sturdevant at 203-740-2733. Learn more about Regional Hospice and Palliative Care at regionalhospicect.org.

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