To the editor:

Thanks to the outpouring of support from this entire community, the Family Fun Day to benefit the Wilson Furtado Memorial Scholarship Fund was a great success! The day was filled with music, food, drinks, community, family and friendship — all of the things held most dear to Wilson. We are certainly hopeful to make this fun event an annual tradition. For those of you who have the beautiful Superman yard signs put together by the Ferreira family, please make sure to save them for next year to put out in advance of the event!

We would like to extend our gratitude to Mt. Hope Farm for the donation of the event space; to Studio A technologies, The DMB Project and Jon Tyler for providing the soundtrack to our day; to SS Dion, CPK catering, Bristol House of Pizza, Palagi’s and Gold Medal Bakery for keeping our bellies full; to 1776, Coors/Molson, Two Gals Cocktails, Empire Soda,Pivotal Brewing and the volunteer bartenders for keeping the drinks flowing; to the Bristol VFW for the grill and to Sunshine Oil for the propane; to Bill Dennis for his legal expertise in setting up this fund and to Murray Outdoor Communications, Sarah O’Neil, TAP printing and the Gob Shop for the signage, graphics and t-shirts. And, though she will hate being singled out, a special thank you to Michele Martins for being the point person to bring this all together. Please, please extend some forgiveness if I left someone out!

In addition to the businesses mentioned above, there were so many individuals who made sure that this went off without a hitch. Thank you so very much to all that donated raffle gifts, to those that volunteered their time to make this event all that it was and to those that attended and/or donated — there are certainly too many to name here, but please know that we are grateful to each and every one of you.

Wilson always made each person feel like the most important person in the room. The response to his passing has certainly made us understand the impact that one person can have on an entire community. The proceeds from this event will seed an annual scholarship for a Bristol/Warren high school graduating student who demonstrates the values of its namesake: love of community, kindness, selflessness, inclusion and generosity. Based on the kindness we have witnessed over the past few years, there are sure to be many qualified applicants!

Thank you all, again.

The Furtado Family
5 Casey Dr.