Maren Sanchez's Mother's Mission Is To Help Save Girls' Lives

MILFORD, CT — Not a day goes by that Donna Cimarelli doesn't think about the death of her precious daughter, Maren Sanchez, 16, who was stabbed to death at Jonathan Law High School by a fellow classmate nearly five years ago.

Instead of allowing tragedy to paralyze her from moving forward in life, the opposite has happened. Cimarelli has made it her life's work to do her part in ensuring what happened to Maren doesn't happen to anyone else.

Several years ago she created, The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation and she is busy traveling across the state giving lectures to students, both in high schools and in colleges. She's also spearheading self-defense classes where young women learn self-defense techniques and strategies to avoid being manipulated.

The non-profit organization is holding its annual major fundraiser this year on Saturday, April 13 at Vazzano's Four Seasons, 337 Kenyon Street in Stratford. The event is called 'A Magical Night in the 70s' and it will run from 6 to 11 p.m.

Cimarelli said she picked that theme because Maren loved the 70s, especially the music and fashion. The night will include 70s DJ, Louis Zayas, open bar all night, hors d'oeuvres and dinner, a live auction, a 70s themed booth, raffle, and Maren's magical mystery bracelet raffle.

Tickets are $150 per person and all of the money goes toward "empowering girls to defend themselves against emotional, psychological and verbal manipulation, and physical violence."

In 2018, The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation trained more than 500 girls in Her-Self Defense courses and hundreds of students through Her-Self Awareness Lectures. You can purchase tickets by contacting Cimarelli at donna@marensanchezhomefoundation.org or by buying them at Bohemian High at 156 Bridgeport Avenue in Milford.

Donors for the event are being sought at the $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 level. She said the goal is to sell 300 tickets this year. Last year, 150 tickets were sold for the event.

Cimarelli said it felt right to hold the event at Vazzano's Four Seasons because that is where Maren's junior class prom was scheduled to be held. Maren's baby shower was held at Vazzy's Restaurant in Bridgeport and the same owner owns both.

'Magical'

Cimarelli said every annual event/fundraiser begins with the word 'magical' because it was Maren's favorite word. "She would always say that it so magical."

"Maren could have been born in the 70s based on her actions and free spirit. She had the whole love and peace vibe which is what she gave out to everyone," her mother said.

Donna laughs when recalling how Maren would sing along and know every word to seemingly every 70s songs. She loved the Beatles. One teacher wrote in her yearbook that she would 'miss my 70s girl.'

The Money Raised

Cimarelli said all of the money raised through the fundraiser goes toward the foundation and continuing the work of protecting girls. The self-defense classes have been taught to girl scouts, cheerleaders and schools across the state.

The money is used to keep the courses at almost no cost as funds are used to pay instructors and t-shirts and bottles are given to the girls. Nick Newell, who runs the Fighting Arts Academy in West Haven, spearheads the self-defense courses.

An upcoming event will be held at the former Simon Lake School in Milford on March 23 and girls can register for the self-defense courses there. The United Way of Milford provided a $1,000 grant to help ensure the program could be offered to local girls. You can register for the Simon Lake event on The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation or by contacting Cimarelli.

Cimarelli's dream is to one day create an actual camp where girls can attend to help empower girls both physically and emotionally. The camp would teach girls "the truth about risks. They learn how to look for, avoid, and take action around bullying, manipulation, assault, and intimidation."

A Busy 2018

In 2018, Cimarelli gave lectures to students at the University of New Haven and at Yale University. The Wilton Police Department contacted Cimarelli and she gave a lecture to 600 Wilton High School students.

Cimarelli said each lecture is painful as "I go into details about what happened to Maren." But she said it needs to be done so the audience understands that this topic can truly be life and death.

"I talked to them about what led up to the tragedy and talk to the young people about being informed bystanders," Cimarelli said.

An Exciting 2019

The day after Thanksgiving 2019, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will honor Maren by hosting a fundraiser during the game. Posters will adorn the arena of Maren, and there will be a video tribute along with a beer tasting.

You can follow The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation on Facebook here.

You can visit The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation website here.