By Scarlett Lewis, Chief Movement Officer, Choose Love Movement™
The “Hearts Open Wide Summit“ is more than a gathering — it’s a tribute, a movement, and a call to action for educators and parents alike. Honoring my son, Jesse Lewis, who would be turning 19 on June 30th, this summit is our annual June fundraiser. All proceeds will be supporting our no-cost programs, and enable me to continue my life quest of giving every person access to our essential life skills, creating a safer and more loving world.
The name “Hearts Open Wide” reflects the very heart of Jesse’s legacy: approaching life with courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion— the pillars of the Choose Love Formula™. Jesse bravely yelled “Run” saving nine classmates before being killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting at the age of 6. Days later I discover a message that Jesse had written on our kitchen chalkboard, ‘Norturting Helinn Love’ (Nurturing Healing Love). I knew this was a message he left for me, and I knew I had to share it with the world.
I decided Jesse’s message was the key to preventing more school shootings. I knew that I needed to spend the rest of my life spreading this message to anyone who would listen to me. I believe that if the shooter had been able to give and receive ‘Nurturing Healing Love’ like Jesse did, the tragedy never would have happened. With the help of scientific researchers, educators, partners, the Choose Love team, board members, and ambassadors, Choose Love programs are being used all over the world. Over 10 million children and adults in all 50 states and 132 countries are Choosing Love.
Whether you’re a parent seeking to raise resilient children, an educator looking for tools that actually work, or simply someone who believes love can change the world, please join us on June 28th to learn practical tools and inspiration to help build emotional intelligence, deepen compassion, and strengthen human connection in classrooms, homes, and beyond. With insights from globally-recognized experts in education, mental health, and child development, you will walk away with strategies that you can apply immediately to support your children’s/student’s well-being, and foster a more connected school community. This inspiring summit unites globally-recognized leaders in education, mental health, and child development to explore powerful ways to:
- Cultivate deeper compassion in professional practice
- Build meaningful, lasting connections with students and colleagues
- Model transformative approaches to life’s challenges resulting in growth and resilience
- Discover classroom management techniques based in connection rather than control
- Create learning environments where students feel safe to take risks
- Improve student engagement through authentic relationship-building
- Develop strategies for working with challenging behaviors
- Build classroom communities that support social-emotional development
Learn more and register. It’s a pay what you can and pay it forward ticketing price.
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