Thank you for visiting the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, Inc. website. Vicki lost her life tragically in the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012 protecting her first grade students. Many of those students are alive today because of her heroic efforts.

The mission of The Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, Inc. is to promote a love of education by honoring Vicki’s passion for life and commitment to teaching. In carrying on with Vicki’s legacy, all donations and money raised goes to the fund and is used to support many important and vital educational initiatives and fulfill the literacy needs of the Stratford, CT community. For more information, please click on each one below.

The Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship is a four year renewable $5,026 scholarship awarded once a year to graduating seniors from Stratford High School and Bunnell High School. In addition to awarding these two local scholarships, we have expanded The Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship to be awarded state-wide and nationally. One recipient from the state of Connecticut and one recipient from around the country will receive a one-time $5,026 scholarship as well.  All recipients of the scholarship must demonstrate excellence in academics, extracurricular activities and leadership skills and must be pursuing a college degree in the field of education. Additionally, the recipients must also demonstrate the spirit to Live, Laugh, and Love both life and education the way Vicki did. To date (2018), the VSMF has awarded $125,000 in educational scholarships to 16 recipients.

“Miss Soto Literacy Legacy Project” provides over 250 classrooms and teachers across the Stratford K-6 school district with five selected books over the course of each academic school year. These books are a reflection of the creative and innovative learning that Miss Soto would encourage in her classroom and promote love, kindness, acceptance and self-worth. Teachers also receive mentor texts that correspond with the given books and spread a message of compassion and support.

In 2018, “Miss Soto Literacy Legacy Project” provided 1,300 books to Stratford teachers in the 2017-2018 academic school year and purchased and donated over 2,500 new books for summer reading for Stratford students. Additionally, MSLLP has provided other support for town-wide literacy and library efforts.

MSLLP partnered with Scholastic in 2017 to donate 6,000 books throughout the Stratford school district and 2,000 books in 2018 as well. VSMF hosts book drives throughout the year and supports the creation of classroom libraries.

The Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, Inc. has donated $40,000 to date (2016 donation of $20,000; 2017 donation of $20,000) in financial support to the Stratford Board of Education to enhance literacy programming, bridge the gap in literacy funding and, provide resources to support programming that impacts students directly.

Donation of $10,000 over the course of two years to fund Stratford K-2 after school tutoring programs and Stratford Library Association programing for the arts, music, theater and creative classes.

Continuous funding of individual local and national teachers “Donors Choose” projects that public education budgets cannot support. In 2018 alone, VSMF contributed $8,500 to over 30 classes. In 2017, the fund contributed $5,000 to over 20 classrooms as well.

Participated in Stratford-based Sterling House Community Center “Back 2 School” drive and other charitable efforts which total in over $2,500 of support in the last three years. 

In 2017, VSMF provided over 100 cases of water to the Hurricane Harvey relief effort, donated $800 worth of turkeys to St. James church for a Thanksgiving turkey drive and collected/donated winter hats, gloves and scarves to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission for the 12/14 vigil. In addition, the fund donated over $1,000 worth of toys to the Connecticut Mental Health Affiliates during the Christmas season.

Ongoing financial sponsorship of academically gifted students in summer learning experiences. In 2018, the VSMF provided $5,000 in scholarships to the Stratford YMCA so that low income children otherwise unable to afford preschool enrichment programming could have access to education.

Support of other nonprofit educational organizations that promote education including thousands of dollars donated to the Fairfield Police Association Scholarship Fund.

The VSMF continues to pride itself on being 100% volunteer driven — thank you to all of our volunteer for their tireless efforts!

The Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, Inc. is an official 501c(3) public charity organization. Thank you so much for your continued support and generous donations.