OUR SPONSOR
Greater Sayville coverage is funded in part by The Shed, your scratch kitchen for brunch and dinner daily in West Sayville.
A memorial tree will be planted to honor the 18-year-old West Sayville woman, who police say was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in Nesconset three days ago, as part of a national initiative to commemorate young lives lost to gun violence.
The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, also known as The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, announced that Emily Finn will be honored through its Trees for Peace Youth Gun Violence Memorial program with a tree planted at the Finger Lakes National Forest in upstate New York.
“Emily Finn was more than a tragic statistic; she was a promise of brilliance, a passionate dancer whose grace on the stage represented the beautiful potential of youth, a potential cut short by a bullet,” said Daniel Chapin, founder of the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation. “Her senseless murder is a stark, agonizing reminder of the lethal intersection between youth dating violence and the easy accessibility of firearms.”
Chapin added that The Trees for Peace program is a vow that Finn’s memory will not fade, but “will grow into a powerful, living symbol in the Finger Lakes National Forest, urging every community, educator, and policymaker to advocate and act decisively to disarm the violence threatening our young people’s futures.”
Finn, a college freshman at SUNY Oneonta and passionate dancer, died Wednesday in a murder-suicide attempt by her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend inside his Nesconset home, police said. She had gone to the residence to return the boy’s belongings following their recent breakup, according to police.
Suffolk County homicide detectives said that after shooting Finn, the boy shot himself in the face. The teen, whose name is being withheld because of his age, survived and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical but stable condition. He is expected to be charged with second-degree murder.
The community also honoring Finn’s memory
Finn, who graduated from Sayville High School in June, had just started studying early childhood / elementary education with a minor in dance at SUNY Oneonta.
An avid dancer who loved ballet from a very young age, Finn spent six years at the American Ballet Studio in Bayport as both a student and teacher.
The ballet studio is honoring Finn’s memory by lining the studio with pink ribbons, establishing a scholarship in her name, and dedicating this year’s “Nutcracker” performance to her, News 12 Long Island reported.
Services for Finn are Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, with her family requesting that attendees wear a splash of pink in honor of her favorite color. The family has requested donations be made to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
A GoFundMe campaign established to support Finn’s family has raised more than $80,000.
The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation said its work continues to focus on turning grief into meaningful action and providing permanent recognition for each young life lost to gun violence.
Top: (left) Emily Finn (Instagram/@emily_finn105) and (right) rendering of a young tree planted in Finn’s honor (image courtesy of Youth Peace and Justice Foundation).
