Students at elementary and middle schools in Newtown will receive “superhero capes”

Dec 22, 2012 11:50 GMT  ·  By
Students at elementary and middle schools in Newtown will receive "superhero capes" honoring Sandy Hook survivors
   Students at elementary and middle schools in Newtown will receive "superhero capes" honoring Sandy Hook survivors

Camie Mollica and her daughter, 13-year-old Allison Anderson, plan to give all 525 students who survived the Sandy Hook attack a “superhero cape.”

“These kids saw horrific things. [...] So we said, ‘We're going to make you superheroes for a day.’

“Even if it’s just going to give them that little smile, something to be happy about. They lost that sense of being a kid, running and jumping around in a superhero cape. [...] We want to give that back to them,” Mollica describes.

Camie's 6-year-old son Frankie gave his mother the idea for the capes. He was talking about the students that ran from attacker Adam Lanza during the December 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, describing they acted like “superheroes.”

“We were talking about how brave, how smart they were, the fact that they could think that fast. [...] That's when my son came up with the comment,” she is quoted by NY Daily News as saying.

With the help of teachers at Northwest Catholic High School in west Hartford, the “Capes for Kids” program was launched.

“They need to know they are brave and strong. They need to know that the world thinks they are all superheroes ... and every superhero needs a cape,” organizers encourage the children.

As the idea became more popular, all the elementary and middle schools in Newtown commissioned capes, upping the demand to 2,300, then 3,200 pieces. The program is now accepting donations, and can be contacted through Facebook.

“The whole world is proud of their bravery. All of those children are superheroes. Every superhero needs a cape,” the description of the Facebook page reads.

Sandy Hook students will receive the capes upon returning from Christmas break, during a “Superhero Day.” All leftover donations will be forwarded to the Sandy Hook Family Fund, helping the families of the victims.