Local Business Owners Raise Money and Establish the Newtown Strong Scholarship Award

Scott and Carla Johnson founded the Newtown Strong Fund to support members of the Newtown community following the tragedy of December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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Newtown Scholarship Association President, Glenn Nanavaty (center), accepts a donation in the amount $22,239.52 from Scott and Carla Johnson, owners of Mack Media Group and founders of the Newtown Strong Fund.

As the parents of two young children, the Johnsons, residents of Bethel, CT, shared the grief of those families directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy. They felt a profound desire to support families in neighboring Newtown.

The Johnsons decided to establish scholarships for college-bound high-school students in Newtown. To raise money for the scholarship fund, the Johnsons—owners of www.Myvisiontees.com in Brookfield—created and sold t-shirts. The company, which creates customized apparel for businesses, donated the shirts, labor, and related costs.

To help the Newtown Fund reach potential scholarship recipients and distribute the awards, the Johnsons chose as their partner the Newtown Scholarship Association www.newtownscholarship.org , which has more than 75 years of experience providing need-based scholarships to college-bound high school graduates. To be eligible for a scholarship, students must reside in Newtown and have a demonstrated financial need.

Newtown Strong sold more than 600 shirts and raised over $22,000. In March 2016, Newtown Strong presented a check for $22,239.52 to the Newtown Scholarship Association.

Many local businesses supported the Newtown Strong team’s efforts, including Famous Pizza, Bethel; Bobbi Jo Beers, Bethel Chamber of Commerce; graphic designer Dan Hollander; and Danbury attorney Joe Romanello.

Scott Johnson is also the owner of Mack Media Group in Brookfield, CT, a full-service marketing company that specializes in online marketing. Through targeted marketing efforts, Mack Media strives to help businesses and individuals establish an online business presence.

Among its services, Mack Media creates mobile-responsive web sites, provides social-media branding services, and develops search marketing campaigns, giving clients visibility at the top of various search engines and driving customers to their web sites.