The Bethany Markowski Foundation: Concept Summary
Why Our Organization Should Exist
When a child goes missing, families are often left to navigate a maze of law enforcement contacts, media inquiries, and emotional devastation — largely on their own. Over time, cases go cold, attention fades, and families shoulder the search without adequate support, training, or trauma-informed guidance.
The Bethany Markowski Project was created to fill that gap. Born from the two-decade fight to find 11-year-old Bethany Markowski — who disappeared in Tennessee in 2001 — our organization exists to make sure no family of a missing child ever has to do this alone.
We believe that every missing child’s case deserves sustained attention, and every family deserves access to verified information, community resources, and coordinated volunteer support.
What We’re Trying to Do
Our mission is to build and sustain coordinated, trauma-informed support for families of missing children while advancing public accountability and verified information-sharing.
We do this by:
- Developing digital and field volunteer search programs that connect trained citizens to safe, structured search and outreach efforts.
- Publishing verified case timelines and educational materials that counter misinformation and raise awareness.
- Creating a model for family-centered advocacy that can be replicated in other states.
- Partnering with agencies, law enforcement, and other nonprofits to close the gap between families and official systems.
Our long-term goal is to become a recognized, trusted nonprofit resource that can train and mobilize communities to respond quickly, compassionately, and effectively when a child goes missing.
How We Plan to Do It
We are currently building the infrastructure to transition from a grassroots awareness effort into a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Tennessee. Our approach includes:
- Formalizing Governance:
- File Articles of Incorporation and IRS 1023-EZ to obtain nonprofit status.
- Form a founding board of directors with expertise in law, communications, fundraising, and trauma support.
- Creating Sustainable Systems:
- Develop volunteer training programs (digital and field) with safety protocols and coordination tools.
- Build a public digital platform for verified information, volunteer management, and case mapping.
- Building Capacity & Partnerships:
- Collaborate with universities, community partners, and forensic or search organizations for specialized expertise.
- Secure grant funding and recurring donors to ensure long-term financial stability.
- Measuring Impact:
- Track metrics like volunteer hours, verified case updates, outreach reach, and family support delivered.
- Publish transparent reports and annual summaries to ensure public accountability.
Short-Term Goals (2025–2026)
- Become an incorporated nonprofit in Tennessee and file for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
- Raise $3,000 in seed funding to cover startup costs (legal fees, filing, insurance, initial web development).
- ✓ Publish our first strategic roadmap and one-year budget to guide operations and demonstrate transparency.
- Recruit and train 30 digital and 10 field volunteers for search coordination and verified data entry.
- Host our first fundraising campaign leading up to the 25th anniversary of Bethany’s disappearance in March 2026.
Long-Term Goals (2026–2028)
- Establish a permanent operations and training space — a small office and meeting area to coordinate volunteers, store search equipment, and host workshops.
- Build a resource hub for verified missing child case data and family support tools.
- Develop a grant-funded staff team (Executive Director, Volunteer Coordinator, Communications Lead).
- Form partnerships with law enforcement agencies, advocacy networks, and universities to expand reach and impact.
- Launch an annual Tennessee Missing Children Support Conference in Tennessee to connect families, experts, and community leaders.
Resources Needed to Meet These Goals
Financial Resources:
- $3,000 startup fund (filings, legal, insurance, setup).
- $25,000–$50,000 annual operating goal by Year 2 (covering rent, technology, training, and program delivery).
Human Resources:
- Founding board members with governance and nonprofit experience.
- Core volunteer team (digital researchers, mappers, search coordinators, fundraisers, communications).
- Advisory partners from universities, forensic programs, and nonprofit networks.
Physical Resources:
- A modest office or shared workspace to coordinate operations and training.
- Storage for search equipment and event materials.
- Access to meeting and training spaces (community centers, donated facilities, or partner campuses).
Our Call to Action
Bethany’s story is one of heartbreak, but also of hope and perseverance. For nearly 25 years, her family and community have refused to give up — and now, that same determination is shaping something lasting.
By supporting the Bethany Markowski Project, you’re helping to build a nonprofit that ensures no missing child’s case fades into silence and no family has to search alone.
Our ask: Help us raise our first $3,000, recruit volunteers, and lay the groundwork for a future where every family of a missing child has the resources, support, and community they need.
Together, we can turn loss into action, and action into lasting change.