June 10: This story has been updated to reflect that volunteers may do research on mental wellness, according to Sandy Hook Promise.

As Sandy Hook Promise reaches out beyond the borders of Newtown and even Connecticut, more volunteers will be needed, said office and volunteer coordinator Betsy Gaier.

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national, nonprofit organization founded by community members, as well as parents and spouses who lost loved ones on 12/14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The organization is devoted to honoring all gun violence victims, as it works to turn “tragedy into a moment of transformation,” according to SandyHookPromise.org.

Since its formation in January 2013, volunteers have provided support and staffed the office.

“We have had as many as 40 volunteers working with us,” said Ms Gaier. Lifestyle and job situation changes have created a drop in the number of volunteers available to assist the organization, though.

Additional volunteers will be needed within the next four to six weeks, she said, as the new Promise Communities program begins to open across the country. Eight to ten volunteers, some local and some willing to travel, will assist the self-led Promise Communities formed to promote gun responsibility, Ms Gaier said.

Promise Communities are scheduled to take root in Connecticut and in the Midwest at a date to be announced later this summer. Organizers will assist volunteers in those communities, as well as in other communities, as the program expands.

Web-based, self-led groups will also need volunteers for support, Ms Gaier said, as they learn how to run a Promise Community.

There are other volunteer opportunities available at the Newtown office located at the corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street. Office duties and volunteers to support speakers who go out into the community are needed.

“We need volunteers to do research in a variety of areas, such as researching other organizations that can support SHP," Ms Gaier said, as well as research on mental wellness.

Volunteers can staff information booths and tables at events in town and regionwide, she said, or spend time stuffing envelopes in the office.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age. Complete training will be provided, and any hours volunteered are appreciated. Hours are flexible, Ms Gaier said.

To find out more about volunteering for Sandy Hook Promise, contact Ms Gaier at betsy.gaier@sandyhookpromise.org or 203-304-9780.