SAN ANTONIO- A benefit was held Sunday afternoon for two little boys who died after suffering injuries in a devastating accident more than a week ago.
A community of friends and strangers came together to help the Maspero family with funeral and medical expenses. The volunteers at the barbeque plate fundraiser said they simply had to do something to help out. Many of the volunteers are parents whose kids attended school with the Maspero children at Southern Angels Day Care and across the street from there at the Good Shepherd Academy.
“You feel as a parent you feel the pain that they're going through and this is one of the things we could do as a community. We've had a wonderful turnout today to help them out,” said Monica Salazar Lopez who volunteered at the fundraiser.
Salazar Lopez explains they belong to a tight knit community of families bound by their children's day care. It's where 3-year old Walter Maspero and his younger brother 1-year old Wesley Maspero attended school before their young lives were taken in a tragic car accident. The news of the brothers' death is affecting everyone who had ties to the day care and to the catholic school just across the street.
“My son started crying. Just with the last name. He knew who it was and he cried for his friends,” said Salazar Lopez.
That's why dozens of parents came out to cook and prepare meals to help raise money for the funeral expenses of Walter and Wesley and for the medical expenses of their father, 30- year old Jimmy Aaron Leyba. He remains in stable condition at University Hospital recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.
Most of these volunteers, including Claudia Castoreno have not had a chance to speak to the family, but they have a loving message to send.
Claudia Castoreno said, “My heart and my family's heart goes out to them. I send out my deepest sympathies to the family and our prayers are with them also”.
Organizers of Sunday’s event were hoping to sell 800 plates. By two o'clock they had sold 700 and planned to keep going until six in the evening. Additional donations to help with funeral and medical expenses can be made to IBC Bank under the Good Shepherd Academy account. Organizers ask that “Maspero Family Benefit” be indicated in the subject line.
