How do you honor the victims of such a tragedy? As the anniversary of last December’s Sandy Hook shooting nears, the families said they would light candles for the 26 lives lost at the elementary school that day.

It has been a year of painful remembrance. In the last 12 months, the families and others — some friends, many strangers —  established memorials, charities and other tributes to honor their loved ones. Take a moment to read their stories in a special series by our partners at The Hartford Courant.

• A Place for Joy: Throughout the year, volunteers in 26 cities and towns around the area built playgrounds in honor of each of the victims. Part of a project called The Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play, which was conceived in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, these parks are dedicated to the victims of the massacre. You can see pictures of all the parks here.
• Worldwide Wishes: The scope of the tragedy moved countless others to reach out and remember, too.  The Hartford Courant tells the story of a project to document the cards, letters and momentos sent from around the world to console the survivors of the tragedy. The project launched this week at EmbracingNewtown.com.
• Honoring Their Lives: The Hartford Courant launched a project to celebrate the “joys and passions” of the victims. The families, who asked the media to leave them to their grief on Saturday, have also set up a website with images and memories of the ones they lost, MySandyHookFamily.Org. On the page, they ask that well-wishers consider performing an act of kindness or volunteering on Dec. 14 this year. “In this way,” they wrote, “we hope that some small measure of good may be returned to the world.”

Sarah Childress, Former Series Senior Editor, FRONTLINE