June is Internet Safety Month. It is also Children's Awareness Month, a designation founded in memory of children who died violent deaths, on the belief that every child deserves to be truly valued and cherished.

That hits close to home for us. The Bethany Markowski Foundation was built on exactly that belief. That Bethany deserves to be remembered, and that every family in Tennessee deserves the tools to keep their children safe.

This is The Green Light, our monthly zine. Every issue: case updates, child safety education, advocacy news, and what we're building behind the scenes. We're glad you're here.

Bethany Leanne Markowski was reported missing on March 4, 2001. She was 11 years old. She was last heard from in Gleason, Tennessee, with her last known cell phone activity pinging near the Natchez Trace. She has never been found.

The last thing she said to her mama was "I love you."

Law enforcement tells us to be patient. We are. But patient does not mean silent.

Right now, a lot of our work isn't visible, because we're doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes everything else possible. This month we're entering our grant application season, pursuing the funding that will let us launch our free child safety programs, expand our resources for families of missing children, and keep Bethany's case in front of the people who need to see it.

We're also deep in project planning for the year ahead, mapping every program, every deliverable, every goal. We're doing most of it with a very small team.

Know of a grant we should apply for? Send it to the same address. Every lead matters.

Real fatherhood isn't the highlight moments. It's emotional presence. It's supporting the mother of your children so she can show up fully. It's being the one who stays and asks and makes your child feel like they are never alone in this world.

And it is generational. When you never have an example of what a good man looks like, you don't know how to find one, or how to recognize the danger when it's wearing his face.

Bethany Markowski disappeared on March 4, 2001. She was 11 years old. Her father, Larry Markowski, has been named a person of interest in her disappearance. His story has never added up.

She never got the father she deserved.

Bethany's name will not be forgotten. And the children who are still in danger will not be left without resources if we have anything to say about it.

Thank you for being here. Share this with someone who needs to read it.

The Bethany Markowski Foundation Team