Six-Year-Old Showed Love and Respect for Everyone, Including Animals
For
Immediate Release:
February
20, 2013
Contact:
Sophia
Charchuk 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. -- Six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard used to dote on her beloved rabbit and always helped her arthritis-stricken dog stand up when she wanted some food or water. She loved to watch baby birds in their nests and reveled when butterflies would land on her. According to news reports, she would even whisper to insects, "Tell your friends I'm kind." That ended when Catherine became one of 20 children and six educators who were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., in December.
To help honor Catherine's memory, PETA will add an inscribed golden leaf dedicated to her to its Tree of Life monument at PETA's national headquarters in Norfolk, as well as a rose bush to PETA's memorial garden, where Princess Diana, Lady Linda McCartney, and other compassionate souls are honored. PETA's Tree of Life is dedicated to individuals whose actions make a positive difference for animals. Catherine's leaf reads as follows:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
CATHERINE VIOLET HUBBARD
FRIEND TO ALL ANIMALS
"In her short six years, Catherine showed a capacity for compassion that inspired everyone around her, and we hope to do our part to make sure that her memory continues to encourage kindness toward others without regard to their species," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Most children instinctively love animals, and thanks in large part to her parents, Catherine was encouraged to foster that love. Had she been allowed to live, Catherine could have been a driving force in the effort to win for animals the respect that they deserve."
Catherine dreamed of running her own animal shelter one day, and her parents are intent on keeping her dream alive: The Hubbards have announced plans for the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown, where visitors can see and learn about animals rescued from abusive circumstances.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.