June 2021
In 2009, as a shy youngster on her first Police Legacy camp, Grace Bartley remembers noticing a funny boy named Mitchell Marshall. Scroll forward twelve years and Grace & Mitch are planning their wedding! We love a good connection story, and we wanted to find out how it happened.
Grace’s pet-sitting business was the start of it. When Mitch noticed that Grace was looking after his sister’s pets, he sent her a message wondering if she’d like to catch up. The two went out to dinner; the rest is history.
“I knew as soon as I left our first dinner that there was something special about Mitch,” says Grace. “I’ve never met anyone who makes me feel the way that he does.” And Mitch? “On our second date I made her dinner and we stayed in and watched a movie. I knew right then I could’ve stayed in that moment forever.”
Love blossomed, and then Grace stumbled across a competition with a $10,000 engagement ring as a first prize. As she casually puts it, “All you had to do was run a 200m obstacle course with your partner on your back!” Mitch carried the day, and carried Grace across the finish line, collapsing at the end. While down on his knees (editor’s note: we suspect a set up) he proposed. “It was the easiest question I’ve ever had to answer!” says Grace.
The couple have a date in September 2023, with big plans for the future, including travelling as much as possible once everything opens up again, and one day having their own family. They are both extremely grateful for the impact that Police Legacy has had on their lives, from the camps they’ve been on to the mentors and friends they’ve made.
“Police Legacy is truly a light in a time where there can be so much darkness… Also, without police legacy we wouldn’t have found each other. For that we owe you the world.”
Congratulations and best wishes, Grace & Mitch!
