In early 2013, the family of Catherine Violet Hubbard met with The Animal Center of Newtown to discuss the legacy of their daughter, a first grader lost 12/14 at Sandy Hook School. The family had asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Animal Center to honor Catherine’s love of animals, and the first seeds were planted to create The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary.

Today, nearly $500,000 has been raised to initiate the project, architectural designs have begun, and The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation has been created to fund and sustain the sanctuary.

“The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation was born of Catherine’s inherent love for living things — a love affair that grew, as she did, into the beautiful girl whose memory we now honor,” said Catherine’s mother, Jenny Hubbard. “The goal of the foundation is to build, fund, and sustain the animal sanctuary, a place where all creatures are welcome, a place where all creatures will know that we are kind and they are safe.”

The Hubbard family and The Animal Center have teamed with PH Architects, a Newtown-based architectural firm generously donating its time and services to design The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. Initial plans outline the creation of the state-of-the-art facility, which will include a welcome and learning center, adoption area, barns, reflection and butterfly gardens, outdoor play area, master tree houses, rescue cottages, hug rooms, canine and feline housing communities, outdoor amphitheater, reading library, and walking trails.

“This sanctuary will truly be a place of beauty and healing that will reflect Catherine’s compassion for animals by providing adoptive services for companion animals, refuge for farm animals, and native wildlife rescue and release services. Our mission is to provide the top care for our animals, offer innovative educational programs to the community and foster human compassion and kindness,” said Ms Hubbard.

While land is still being sought for the site of the sanctuary, the plans are moving ahead, and large sponsorships are being negotiated to fund the project.

 “Matt and I are so grateful for the support we have received both locally and across the country,” Ms Hubbard said. “This sanctuary is born from light coming straight from the heart. We see it everyday: a child who raises money from a lemonade stand or requests donations for the sanctuary in lieu of birthday presents. There are so many people who share our daughter’s dream and will help it become a reality. And for this, there are no words that can express our deepest appreciation.”

To learn more about The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation and animal sanctuary or to donate, visit www.cvhfoundation.org/about/cvh-foundation or www.theanimalcenter.org/sanctuary.

The Animal Center of Newtown is an all-volunteer, nonprofit rescue organization dedicated to helping animals through compassionate, no-kill programs. Created in 2004, The Animal Center runs its rescue programs entirely through a volunteer foster network. All adoptable animals are in the safety and comfort of private homes.