LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Maria Garrett upon the occasion of her
designation for special recognition at the 4th Annual Salute to Women of
Valor on May 12, 2011

WHEREAS, The State of New York is home to countless women who have
contributed to the advancement of our culture through their traditional
and non-traditional roles in society; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to those Women of Valor within the Empire State who have made
strong contributions to their communities and who inspire others through
their model citizenship; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Maria Garrett upon the occasion of her designation for special recogni-
tion at the 4th Annual Salute to Women of Valor to be held at Brooklyn
College's Student Union on Thursday, May 12, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made
historic contributions to the growth and strength of New York State in
countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body has set aside time to recognize the
unique contributions that valiant women have made to this great Empire
State and its society; and
WHEREAS, Maria Garrett is a native New Yorker, born and raised in
Brooklyn; one of 13 children, she received an associate's degree in
Occupational Studies; and
WHEREAS, Maria Garrett is married to her devoted husband, Joseph, and
together they have three lovely daughters, and three wonderful grand-
children; Maria and her husband moved their family to Canarsie, New
York, in 1995, and with the beautiful backdrop of the Fresh Creek Nature
Preserve, they knew that this was the place for them; and
WHEREAS, As time passed, the quality of life and the aesthetics of the
area began to suffer in and around the Fresh Creek Nature Preserve;
maintenance of the Nature Preserve began to decline, while weeds and
other invasive species began to outnumber the plants and trees; Maria
Garrett began to question the reason for this deterioration; relentless-
ly she called the Parks Department, reached out to Community Board 18,
and attended 69th Precinct meetings; she made a name for herself with
Board Members and became a faithful attendant of the community events
surrounding neighborhood preservation efforts; and
WHEREAS, In April 2009, Maria Garrett organized a two-day clean-up of
the Nature Preserve; with the help of local elected officials, the 69th
Precinct Commander, and the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, she was
able to gather enough people to begin the first step in the process of
restoring the Preserve to what it once was, a beautiful sanctuary for
Canarsie residents to enjoy; and
WHEREAS, Her ultimate goal was to restore the Preserve to its natural
state, so Maria Garrett reached out to other organizations in an effort
to proceed with her plan, keeping Canarsie beautiful; and
WHEREAS, Maria Garrett became the Founder and President of the Fresh
Creek Nature Association, and continues to work tirelessly to make the
Nature Preserve a place of beauty and peace for all Canarsie residents;
and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
express its highest admiration for Maria Garrett, and to wish her
continued success in all of her future endeavors; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-

tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Maria Garrett upon the occasion of her designation for special
recognition at the 4th Annual Salute to Women of Valor; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Maria Garrett.