With a smile and a bounce as she greets her customers at Cafe 222, Kerin Sovern tries to remain positive after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary.
"We'll get through this with the help of each other," says Sovern.
She is a Newtown native and moved to San Diego six years ago.
"I want to focus on the love for the town that I have as I do for San Diego," expresses Sovern, "San Diego is a lot like Newtown too in that we have a sense of camaraderie, family, values and we're a faithful group."
Sovern shares her thoughts on her hometown and how proud she is to be from there.
She doesn't want the shooting incident to define Newtown, but at the same time, Sovern feels that people should remember those families in a respectful way.
That's where her creativity kicks in.
She re-designed "I love Newtown" t-shirts that she had created 10 years ago to outline the state of Connecticut with a green line and with a green heart in the middle.
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The t-shirts are $20 each, and the money will go to the affected families from the shooting.
"I really hope that it makes a huge difference to these families," adds Sovern, "Even if it's not a million dollars. We've already raised $1000."
There have been over 100 orders of the t-shirts in just a day. She hopes to start shipping them before the holidays.
For more information on the t-shirts and to see how you can contribute, check out her website.
