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Vigil For Newtown Victims To Be Held At Washington National Cathedral Ahead Of Anniversary

NEWTOWN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - Organizers are preparing for a vigil and day of remembrance in honor of the victims of the Newtown school shooting.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, many members of the Newtown community are involved in the planning of the remembrance to be held at Washington National Cathedral later this month.

The World Children's Choir, Carole King and others will take part in the vigil on Dec. 12, two days before the first anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 20 first graders and six educators dead.

Vigil For Newtown Victims To Be Held At Washington National Cathedral Ahead Of Anniversary

"It's difficult, it's almost as difficult today as it was that day almost a year ago for people in the community of Newtown," Dave Ackert, head of the Newtown Foundation, told Schneidau.

Ackert said the event was purposely planned for a site far from Newtown.

"We're asking the media to sort of stand down and let us have a quiet, solemn day in our own way," he told Schneidau.

Ackert and others are bracing for Wednesday's release of the 911 tapes as Newtown police responded to the school shooting.

Ackert said he has no interest in hearing the tapes and is confident that police did the very best they could in responding to the rampage, Schneidau reported.

The Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence will also honor the more than 30,000 Americans who have died from a gunshot since the Newtown massacre, according to the National Cathedral.

For more information on the vigil or to make a donation, visit rally.org/vigil.

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