LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to honor 12-year-old Cristofer Suarez with mariachi music and a community fundraiser.
Maria Verduzco and Roberto Jimenez offered up their home to host the emotional celebration.
“It’s not the happiest moment. It’s a sad moment but we’re really happy we could help. That we could help at least with our place,” Verduzco said.
Kara Barry organized Saturday’s event, she told FOX 5 she was shocked by the hundreds of people coming to support the cause.
“I just feel really overwhelmed that just throwing this out just a little bit, it was just a big turnout and it’s such a good turnout, a celebration of life for Cristofer,” Barry said
“I know he’s looking down on us right now and he’s just saying, wow, from all of the beautiful music that we’ve heard throughout the day.”
School bands perform in Cristofer’s memory
Bands from schools across the Las Vegas valley entertained attendees, including Los Bravos, the band Cristofer played in.
Thomas Garibay, the band’s director, reflected on how Cristofer was developing as a musician.
“He was in the thick of it all, just starting to, on his second year of playing, really developing as a strong player,” Garibay said.
Garibay told FOX 5, the loss of Cristofer has taken its toll on his students, but that they have leaned on each other to overcome the emotions to perform for the public in Cris’s honor.
“For a lot of the students, this was their first experience with loss, personally, and it was incredible to see how resilient they were through all this,” Garibay said.
Community support draws families together
Mario Torres attended the event, touched by the sense of community he’s all too familiar with.
Torres reflected on the support his family received a couple years ago, after just moving to Las Vegas, when his daughter came under bad health.
The unsolicited help the community gave him has left Torres with a desire to pay forward that kindness.
“I don’t know the family personally, but you know, just I knew I had to come by and stop by and do our part, even if it was just a donation and just be here,” Torres said.
Barry said the event demonstrated Cristofer’s impact on the community.
She described the boy, who her daughter was close with, as a kind boy who loved to make people laugh.
“This just goes to show you that one person, even if it’s just a 12-year-old boy, it goes to show you that he’s important and that he matters and that the community is here to support in any way,” Barry said.
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