Sandy Hook Tragedy: “Blossom” Star Jenna Von Oy Writes Tribute to Her Newtown, Conn., Hometown

Actress said her "heart hurts" for the families affected by the shooting tragedy, which took place in the town where she grew up.

The Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting tragedy hit close to home for Jenna Von Oy.

The "Blossom" star grew up in Newtown, Conn. where the shootings took place, and said the massacre, which took the lives of 20 children and six school employees, affected her in a "profoundly personal way."

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"My family still lives in Newtown and, in my heart of hearts, I still consider myself one of its residents," Von Oy wrote in a blog for People. "My attachment is deep-rooted. We are mourning the loss of some of our own this week, and it is a sobering reminder that violence does not discriminate. It can hit close to home."

"I am fiercely proud to say I was born and raised in Newtown," Von Oy went on. "It is where I was brought home from the hospital, attended my first day of kindergarten, learned to ride my bike and climbed my first tree."

The actress married Brad Bratcher in the small town in 2010 in a bed and breakfast on its Main Street, and had her 6-month-old daughter, Gray Audrey, christened at St. Rose Church, the same place where the community's vigil was held Friday evening.

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"I grieve for the parents who lost their beautiful, innocent babies; some of them were friends from high school," Von Oy wrote. "My heart hurts for the families who have to explain this loss to the frightened children they brought home.

"I know, with absolute certainty, the residents of Newtown will rise up with love and strength in the face of their suffering. When you think of my hometown, I hope you'll think beyond this moment in its history."

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