Catherine's Rescue Barn

Help build a rescue sanctuary to honor Catherine Violet Hubbard, a first grader who tragically lost her life at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012.

Catherine is remembered for her beautiful smile, compassionate spirit, and love of all creatures. Even at her young age, Catherine dreamed of opening a rescue sanctuary to help animals in need. In her honor, Rescue Rebuild is partnering with the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation (CVHF) to make her dream a reality. The sanctuary will fulfill an innocent and pure dream of a child who would whisper to every animal, "Tell all your friends that I am kind."

The state of Connecticut donated 34 acres of abandoned land with an existing barn to CVHF to help make the project a reality, and - with your help - in May of 2016, Rescue Rebuild officially broke ground, completing the first of two phases necessary to open a functional sanctuary. After two weeks of hard work, the overgrown land was cleared, the old barn was gutted, asbestos removed, roof repaired, new paint applied, and more - the barn was transformed.

The second phase of this project will complete the project so the sanctuary can begin to rescue animals of all types. The final renovation is slated for early 2017, but can only happen with your support. With your help, we will be able to bring water and electricity to the barn, construct pasture fencing, build stalls for the animals, and install a new sliding barn door for animal access.

There are over 4,900 family farms in Connecticut today. In the next 20 years, it is estimated that more farmland will go up for sale than ever in Connecticut's history, a transition that will displace hundreds of animals. The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary will not be a working farm, but a safe haven for those animals in need, providing them with a home where they can live the remainder of their days in a peaceful community.

"Catherine and I had read Charlotte's Web together," recalls Jenny Hubbard, Catherine's mother. "She loved the fact that all the animals lived together in community in the barn. Our hope is that the rescue barn will accomplish the same -- a place where farm animals find safe haven and community. We are fortunate to have a place on our property to accomplish this function of our mission and grateful to have the support that we have in helping to realize Catherine's dream."

You can help. Just $10 will pay for one square foot of Catherine's Rescue Barn to finish this amazing project.

About Catherine:

Catherine's passion was animals. Stuffed or real, slimy or scaly, she loved them all, and she told everyone she met that one day she would care for all the animals. She would ride her bike full speed to see the new cat at the bus stop. She'd run to the top of the yard to see the dogs being walked down the street. She would stroll through the barn to gently rub the nose of each horse reaching out of its stall. Each spring she would squeal when she would see a small nest tucked in the tree by her bedroom. She would open her window and sit until she saw the Mama bird fly back to its babies. She would lay a caterpillar on a low branch after she spent the day carrying it around in a Mason jar. She would tell everyone that the caterpillar was going to tell its friends she was kind and they would come back to visit.

When she was in kindergarten, she made business cards for "Catherine's Animal Shelter" (seen below). She asked her brother what a "title" was, and when he explained that it's what you want to be or what people will call you, she began calling herself "Care Taker." With the building of Catherine's Rescue Barn, her commitment to animal welfare will be lovingly put into action.