Maria Barreda-Alvarado fights back tears as she admits she’ll never fully heal from losing her son, Corporal Rick Barreda. The 26-year-old SWAT motor officer for DFW Airport was killed in the line of duty on Valentine’s Day, 1997, while chasing a speeding motorist. The pain from that tragic day still lingers, and it would be easy for Maria to let grief and resentment consume her.
Instead, she has embraced a lifelong mission—one that keeps her son’s memory alive and honors him every day.
That mission is the Peace Officers Angels Foundation (POAF), a volunteer-driven non-profit committed to providing emotional and short-term financial support to Texas law enforcement officers critically injured in the line of duty. Maria, who recently moved from Grapevine and is now an Argyle resident, founded POAF in 2013 in memory of Rick and boldly pledged to serve officers and their families in all 254 Texas counties. Not only has she fulfilled that promise, but the foundation’s impact has grown significantly, featuring numerous fundraising events and a burgeoning partnership with the Texas Rangers.
“We’ve always been grassroots. We’re not big, but I can tell you that when we assist, we don’t write a check and forget about them. They become our family, so much that we’ve even sat at hospitals with spouses while the officer is in surgery. That’s a time when no one should feel alone,” said Maria, who added that POAF supports city, state, and county law enforcement. “We’ve assisted around 27 officers in Houston alone and 14 in San Antonio. We’ve assisted as far as Laredo when three officers were shot while serving a warrant.”
She added, “When you lose a son or daughter, the pain and grief never leave. It’s easy to get stuck, but I wanted to experience joy and peace in my heart. I know my son would want that for me, too. My dream was to give this everything I possibly could.”
Maria’s servant heart for police officers and their families predates POAF. Almost immediately after Rick’s sudden passing, she began volunteering with a similar organization that worked closely with the families of fallen officers. She did that for the next 15 years, all the while noticing not much was available to injured officers.
The reality was that there weren’t enough organizations available to assist critically injured officers statewide.
This was particularly true in rural areas with limited resources.
“There were a lot of uncovered areas, and that concerned me,” she said. “Besides the physical pain after a severe injury, officers also struggle with emotional and financial challenges. On top of that, the psychological injuries they experience can hurt more than their physical injuries. An officer is an officer no matter what agency they work for, from the big city to small rural communities, and we should always be there for them. All the research told me I should create something of my own, and I was brave enough to say we’d cover all 254 counties.
“Sometimes, we have three or four volunteers. Other times, we have 20. To me, one plus one is an army. We make it work.”
The Peace Officers Angels Foundation has a five-member board, including Maria, her daughter Kristina Reynoso, Lieutenant Dadra Bundick, and Melanie Waybourn. Maria’s husband, Fil Alvarado, is the current president. After 33 years at Fox 4 News, he retired and works full-time with POAF. Elisha Bradford is the liaison officer, helping to communicate and connect POAF with law enforcement agencies around the state. Zhivonni Cook is the organization’s social media specialist.
Along with its partnership with the Texas Rangers, POAF also has relationships with various police departments, the Department of Public Safety, and sheriff’s offices. A few of its events include the First Responders Appreciation Day with the Texas Rangers, Christmas Angels Program, Coins for Cops, POAF scholarships, and the Dining for Heroes Program.
“Unfortunately, we have a lot of injured officers, and that’s something that won’t go away,” Maria said. “But neither will our organization. We want our officers statewide to know a community is here to support them. They want to get well and get back to supporting their families, and we are here to ensure they can do that someday.”
To learn more about the Police Officers Angels Foundation, including who they serve, how you can donate, and how to get involved as a volunteer, please visit www.poaf.org.
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