Photo courtesy of ABC News.

Instead of having their annual holiday celebration, students at the University of Maryland School of Social Work made a banner and sympathy cards for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and their families, according to this ABC News article and video segment.

The holiday party is traditionally a time for students to unwind after finals, but students deciding reaching out to others during this tragedy is more important.

“We will send them up there to those folks to express our sympathies for what they are going through. It is a tough time for them, especially during this holiday season,” social work student Dwayne Haley said.

The National Association of Social Workers has released a statement on the Newtown tragedy. You can also learn more about how social workers help clients deal with death and trauma by visiting NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss website.