On the 14th of every month we at VolunteerSquare choose to remember the victims of Sandy Hook by sharing a story of individuals or groups giving back to the community. Today, we’re happy to share the uplifting story of how a little yellow duck became an unlikely symbol of hope and healing for the Sandy Hook community.
It all started with Todd Keeping. Keeping, a Sandy Hook resident, has been a Monroe police officer since 2005. Keeping’s own children went to Sandy Hook Elementary School not too long ago and like so many of us here in southwestern Connecticut, Keeping says the tragic events of the day hit too close to home.
When the decision was made to use the old Chalk Hill School in Monroe as the temporary Sandy Hook Elementary, Keeping says he just knew he had to volunteer to be one of the school-based police officers. When classes resumed in January at the old Chalk Hill School in Monroe, Officer Keeping says boxes of donated items kept pouring in from all over the place.
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“School supplies, stuffed animals, books. You name it, it came to Newtown,” said Keeping. “The generosity was overwhelming and very appreciated but there was so much coming in that we weren’t sure how to make use of it all.”
One box that stood out to Keeping and his fellow school officer Michael Panza was a big box of 500 small, bright yellow rubber ducks. The ducks made their way Sandy Hook Elementary School thanks to a Kiwanis Club in Colorado. Keeping and Panza grabbed the box and started giving them to the kids and putting them in unexpected places throughout the school.
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“All of a sudden it became this school-wide thing,” said Keeping. “They’d make kids laugh, we’d get a smile or two and then we’d use the ducks as rewards. For instance, if a kid came to school on the bus or slept through the night, they’d get a duck. We just wanted to do whatever we could to help them feel happy.”
Soon, the ducks ran out. Keeping called Oriental Trading Company had more donated from individuals and his police union. He started a Facebook campaign to bring in more ducks, too.
When the kids came back from winter break, Keeping had arranged to have a special “Sandy Hook Duck” with a little green ribbon on its chest on the desk of every student, teacher and staff member at school. Keeping and volunteers even helped organize a school-wide “duck hunt” the day before Easter and kids searched the schoolyard for more than 3,000 ducks.
Soon, as the Facebook page grew and word spread, hundreds more of the little toys were flocking to Newtown. In fact, so many were coming in that the UPS store in Newtown donated a box where people could send the ducks.
Then, Keeping says people started taking pictures of the ducks all over town and began posting them to the Facebook page. It wasn’t long before the ducks started to leave Newtown. From President Obama to the New England Patriots, to Switzerland to the Super Bowl, these ducks have been rubbing elbows, eh – wings, with some cool company.
Keeping says the Facebook page has become a great way for the community of Sandy Hook to come together and have a little bit of fun. Despite all of this, Keeping, who is admittedly uncomfortable with recognition, insists he isn’t doing anything all that special.
“There have been people who tell me it’s brought them a bit of healing, some happiness. I don’t really know about that. To me, it’s about the kids and helping them get through each day, one day at a time, and maybe getting a smile or two.”
Keeping says he will continue to run the Facebook page, which has nearly 12,000 fans and growing, as long as people send pictures and ducks. If you’d like to send some ducks you can do so by calling Oriental Trading directly for free shipping. Ducks can be sent to:
Sandy Hook Ducks
261 S. Main St. #312
Newtown CT. 06470
You can check out more of the famous duck pics on the Ducks of Sandy Hook Facebook page. If you know an individual or group giving back to the community please be sure to let us know so we can share their story next month.
All photos courtesy Ducks of Sandy Hook
