Arizona Teen Sends Message to America in ITunes Song; Tribute to Sandy Hook Tragedy and Call-to-Action to End Gun Violence

Online, December 8, 2013 (Newswire.com) - An Arizona teenager, Carly Jade Lenniger, released a single "The Day the Children Cried" on iTunes as a tribute to the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and as a call-to-action to end violence in America. Lenniger, a 17 year old junior at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona, says she was saddened and angry last year when she came home from school to learn 20 elementary school children and 6 faculty members had been gunned down in a Connecticut school. December 14th marks the one year anniversary of the tragedy. Lenniger wrote the song the evening of the tragedy and released it on iTunes this November. "I was shocked and upset but also mad because this just keeps happening," says Lenniger. "I thought, what is going on when we have to think twice about going to a mall, grocery store, theater, or even school?! This needs to stop." Proceeds from the song are being donated to the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

"It was important for me to find an organization that was promoting the same message as the song," said Lenniger. "Their focus is not on the polarizing issue of gun control but more on the problems of the individual and our society. It is exactly what I wrote about a year ago and it still isn't being addressed." Sandy Hook Promise Foundation recently launched a new initiative 'Parent Together' which is focusing on all aspects of the issue including mental wellness, community connectedness, as well as gun safety. According to Lenniger, this is exactly what she was singing about in her song. "We need to stop debating the politics of gun control and look at the whole problem. Why do individuals in my generation feel so lost, depressed, or detached that they turn to these acts of violence in the first place?"

Since its release, "The Day the Children Cried" has been selling online, linked in social media, and will be broadcast in a local high school on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. "As a musician I know how people listen and react to music so it was important for me to put my message in a song," added Lenniger. "My hope is that people listen to the message and make the promise to change. Hopefully 2014 will be the year that we all see this through."

"The Day the Children Cried" by Carly Jade is available on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital media outlets. Proceeds from the song are being donated to Sandy Hook Promise Foundation and their efforts in preventing gun violence in America. For more information about Sandy Hook Promise visit www.SandyHookPromise.org and for information on Carly Jade visit www.CarlyJadeMusic.com.

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/day-children-cried-single/id757616500