Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Jesse's mother Scarlett Lewis presenting in 2016 | |
| Formation | January 29, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit organization |
| Purpose | The Choose Love Movement was founded in honor of Sandy Hook victim/hero, Jesse Lewis, to spread his message of “Nurturing Healing Love" |
| Headquarters | Sandy Hook, Connecticut, U.S. |
Region served | International |
Founder & Chief Movement Officer | Scarlett Lewis |
| Website | chooselovemovement |
The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that provides free Character Social Emotional Development (CSED) programs.[1][2][3][4] Choose Love programming is being taught in over 10,000 schools, in all 50 states and over 120 countries, serving over 3 million children globally.[5] This is the only organization that offers free lifespan Character Social Emotional Development programming, with consistent messaging for parents and caregivers as well as for communities and businesses.[6][7][8]
The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement was founded in 2013 in honor of Jesse McCord Lewis, a six-year-old killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012.[9][10] Nine of Jesse's classmates survived by fleeing when Jesse told them to run.[11][12][13] Jesse's mother, Scarlett Lewis, set out to be part of the solution to violence and other "diseases of despair" that are escalating in schools, homes, and communities, and advocates for Social-emotional learning, character education, and mental health.[14]
Three days after Jesse's murder, Scarlett returned to the family's farmhouse and found a message on their kitchen chalkboard that Jesse had written shortly before he died: "Norurting Helinn Love" (Nurturing Healing Love). These three words are not in the vernacular of someone Jesse's age and were phonetically spelled because Jesse was still learning to write. These three words are the foundational values of the movement, with their individual meaning forming a formula for choosing love. "Nurturing" means loving, kindness and gratitude; "Healing" means forgiveness; and "Love" means compassion-in-action.[15]