Alex Olsen and Martyn Pearson Memorial Fund

Alexandra Olsen and Martyn Pearson were dear friends to so many in Silver City. Their loss has deeply affected us, and we will feel their absence forever going forward. 

This memorial fund is one way we can work together to keep their memories with us and to continue their excellent work and play. The vision of this fund is to support Recreational Infrastructure and Programming – to serve as a “Yes, we can” fund when we hear that something isn’t possible in Silver City. We’d like to be able to say, “Yes, it is possible, and here’s how.”

Alex and Martyn were instrumental in so many facets of Silver City life, sometimes together and sometimes individually. Martyn was a musician, a writer, an outdoorsman, a local trails advocate. Alex was a swimmer, a chef, a teacher, a coach, and such a capable organizer. Together they were cyclists, hikers, parents, business owners, event organizers, and advocates for all kinds of recreational development in Silver City. They both joyfully worked for all of us, and whether or not you knew them personally, you benefitted from their enthusiasm and commitment to our community.

This memorial fund will be open at the Community Foundation going forward in perpetuity. There will be three advisors to the Fund, all of whom will need to agree on expenditures. If one advisor leaves, the other two will appoint a third. We envision accumulating funds for a while in the beginning, in the hopes that we can participate with the Town in building the Alex Olsen memorial aquatic facility. Maybe we’ll subsidize swim lessons, help pay for additional staff, even fund additional features. Beyond that, the sky is the limit! This fund can support any recreational opportunities in Grant County. What would Martyn and Alex do?

Please consider a memorial gift, either a one-time gift or a recurring gift. Yes, the Community Foundation uses a tiny percentage of the funds for administrative purposes, and that’s OK. This allows the fund to exist with minimal administrative cost and headaches, and allows your contributions to be tax-deductible. The Community Foundation provides the framework for this fund to be a permanent, sustainable source of funding in our community, and that’s something that Alex and Martyn would appreciate.