Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

HARTFORD, Conn. - The parents of an autistic girl who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., have set up a memorial fund to benefit other families raising children with autism.

The family of 7-year-old Josephine Gay says her personal aide wrapped her arms and body around her and other children to shield them from the horror of a rampaging gunman on Dec. 14.

Bob and Michele Gay said in an interview that their daughter's aides had shown extreme devotion before the tragedy, but the family was constantly searching for resources to keep up the level of care and therapy they wanted for their daughter.

"Joey's Fund" is being administered by the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. It has collected more than $80,000 from nearly 1,000 donors.