Fred Guttenberg On-Demand Event Recording

THIS IS THE RECORDING OF THE ORIGINAL EVENT (recorded on Wed., September 15, 2020).

After getting your free ticket, you will receive the link in your confirmation email from ShowClix.

Book Fest In Your Living Room Presents

OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH!

FRED GUTTENBERG, Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me About Recovery, Purpose, and Hope

In Conversation with Holly Firfer, CNN Journalist

“Always look for the helpers. There will always be helpers. Because if you look for the helpers, you’ll know there’s hope.” —Fred Rogers, interview with Television Academy, 1999

This is a story about rising up from the pains of tragedy and stepping into a new role in what Fred Guttenberg calls his crazy new life. It is about answering the call to be a helper and seek out the help of others. Mr. Rogers was a favorite amongst the Guttenbergs, and their favorite bit of wisdom was this piece of advice: “Find the helpers.” Fred found himself leaning upon these words as he navigated the void of grief and personal loss that he experienced.

On February 14, 2018, Fred Guttenberg’s daughter Jaime Taylor Guttenberg was shot and murdered in the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida,at the young age of fourteen. While the loss of their daughter seems to be enough tragedy for anyone to endure in a lifetime, unfortunately Fred was no stranger to feeling the pain of personal loss from a national tragedy. Fred’s brother, Michael, was one of the original first responders during 9/11 at the World Trade Center and passed away in 2017 due to pancreatic cancer caused by the rubble of Ground Zero. Following the passing of his brother Michael and the murder of his daughter Jaime along with sixteen others, Fred was determined to find new meaning in life. It was the words of former Vice President Biden that gave him guidance as he pursued his mission. He found his passion for advocating for public safety and gun reform and continues to fight for common sense gun laws and legislation. Fred’s story inspires the idea that through the darkness of pain, grief, and loss, there is a chance to create light, to produce a positive change that was not possible before.

With a foreword by Emmy Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford, Find the Helpers is an unforgettable story that reminds us that we can work towards a better world, find others who will join in to help, and leave the world a better place than when we entered into it. Filled with never before heard stories and encounters with national figures such as Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and many more, Find the Helpers reminds us that we are, indeed, better together.

About the Author

Prior to his loss, Fred Guttenberg’s professional life included over a decade in sales and management with Johnson & Johnson, followed by almost fifteen years as an entrepreneur, having built a business including 19 Dunkin Donuts franchises. Now, Fred and his wife Jennifer spend time challenging our elected officials to do more and are aggressively pursuing strategies to enhance public safety, enact common sense gun safety,and turn out the vote.He created a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jaime’s life called “Orange Ribbons for Jaime,” from which he can assist charities that Jaime was passionate about, as well as prevent a death like Jaime’s from ever happening again. The nonprofit is now his full-time mission. He has been a regular on TV news programs and myriad online and print media.

Fred’s leadership and perseverance in spite of these dual tragedies is and his ability to turn the worst possible grief into action and to attain ongoing results are now nationally known.

Presented in partnership with the National JCC Literary Consortium