7 Years Later, Maren Sanchez Home Foundation Starts New Chapter

MILFORD, CT — On Aug. 26, Maren Sanchez would have turned 24 years old, and this month, the foundation honoring her memory is moving to a new home.

The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation, founded by her mother, Donna Cimarelli, will move to the Boys & Girls Club of Milford, where it will continue its mission of educating and empowering "girls and young women to defend themselves against emotional, psychological and verbal manipulation and physical violence."

The former Jonathan Law High School student was murdered by another student seven years ago, forever changing the course of Cimarelli's life to one dedicated to saving the lives of girls.

Cimarelli recently read some text messages that friends of Maren's left her on her cell phone in the frantic hours and days after the murder. The FBI had the phone for a year after Maren's death, the New Haven Register reported, and Cimarelli then had the phone for six years before she could look at them.

But she could only bring herself to read a few of the messages, and enlisted friends to help download photos from it. All these years later, the emotions are still too raw for Cimarelli.

Although all the paperwork of moving the foundation is not quite complete, the foundation will celebrate the move with a fundraising event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 28 at Micalizzi's Italian Ice in Milford, where a lemon-flavored Italian ice treat will be named after Maren.

Additionally, two billboards will be erected in Milford showcasing photos of her with information about the move to the Boys & Girls Club of Milford.

The coronavirus pandemic played a role in the decision to move the foundation to the Boys & Girls Club, Cimarelli said, because it put a halt last year to the events and fundraising efforts the organization had planned. And it gave her and the board a chance to think about what was best to help the group's mission to continue to grow.

"It was a unanimous decision," Cimarelli told Patch, adding that the club will also launch a scholarship in Maren's name. "This way, the foundation's mission is evergreen, never ending. I'm really happy about it."

Cimarelli will no longer have a permanent role with the foundation, but will consult with the group when needed. In the meantime, she is launching a new endeavor, Speak Your Mind Value Your Voice, that will highlight conversations with people "who have found their passions through their voice and actions."

As anyone could imagine, the last seven years have been heartbreaking ones for Cimarelli, and she offered a big thank you to everyone involved in the foundation and in the community for their collective support.

"Milford was grieving along with me for years, and I'll never forget it. I will forever be grateful," she said.