09/22/2016
Dear Friends of The Matthew Bellamy Project,
In July 2010, we began this organization as two grieving parents simply hoping to share our story and prevent accidents like the one that took our precious Matthew from us. Over the last six years, The Matthew Bellamy Project has grown far beyond what we ever dreamed or imagined. The support from our community has been overwhelming. We truly believe we have made a difference by sharing our story openly and honestly and by promoting common sense gun safety programs. However, in spite of our passion for what we are doing, it is challenging and often very difficult to do. Repeatedly telling the story of Matthew’s death has taken a toll on both of us emotionally and physically. During this time, we have also dealt with some very personal and often heartbreaking issues with our oldest son. Quite frankly, we're exhausted.
From the day we founded MBP we have trusted God to guide us in all that we do, including the timeline for how long we would continue this work. Over the past several months, we have sensed that it may be time for a change. After many hours of prayer and careful consideration, we have decided that it is indeed time for us to end formal operations of The Matthew Bellamy Project. This has not been an easy decision for us and there have been many tears shed over this. However, we are confident that it is the right choice for our family at this time.
While we have already given up traveling, we do still have several local events planned in September and October, including two more kid’s gun safety classes and distributing gun locks in NMB at the Irish Italian International Festival and the Endless Summer Festival. After that, we will continue to mail out gun locks as they are requested and will continue offering a scholarship (based on a gun safety essay) to a graduate of NMB High School. So while we will not be operating full time, The Matthew Bellamy Project will go on in a much smaller and simpler fashion for some time.
One of the things we will miss the most is meeting so many wonderful people. We have truly been blessed through the experience of The Matthew Bellamy Project. Our prayer continues to be that somewhere along the way, we have said or done something that has saved at least one family from the pain we continue to live with every day. Thank you for your many years of support and encouragement and thank you for your understanding and your prayers as we now shift our focus to our family and our marriage. We will forever be grateful for this experience.
Chip and Mylissa Bellamy