Funds for the Family of Mario Lopez
Donation protected
[Photo, courtesy of Katherine Glass. Caption: This is from our 2nd period ELA class his sophomore year (Spring 2011). We were reading the play "Fences" and he got really into it.]
On the evening of July 6, 2013, 18-year old Mario Stevenson-Lopez was shot and killed in the Marcy projects in Brooklyn. He was attending a basketball tournament set up for the local youth when 12 shots were fired, injuring three other young, teenage boys, and fatally wounding Mario. For many, this will be just another newspaper story or meaningless tragedy, but for those of us who knew Mario, it is a deep loss.
I write this now as one of Mario's teachers. Life for Mario was not easy, but he never gave up on himself. The newspaper said that after he was shot, Mario held on for a long time, and having known Mario and his character, I believe nothing less: he was a fighter. In his last months, Mario was looking to a better future, planning for life after high school with thoughts of entering the military. Sadly, those plans will be left unfulfilled, and we will never have the opportunity to have Mario come back to his high school with tales of his successes.
Mario wasn't a perfect person or student - none of us are - but he was charismatic and good-hearted. In the aftermath of this tragedy, there are many unexpected expenses that his family is currently incurring. As his teachers, friends, family, or even well-meaning strangers, we want to come together to help the Lopez family give Mario the proper farewell and burial that we all know he deserves.
If you can donate ANYTHING - one dollar, five dollars, a hundred dollars - absolutely anything, it would be beyond appreciated. All of the proceeds from this page will be going directly to Mario's family and will be used to help pay for his funeral.
If you are interested in reading a more thorough account of the shooting, visit this link to the article in the NY Daily News.
On the evening of July 6, 2013, 18-year old Mario Stevenson-Lopez was shot and killed in the Marcy projects in Brooklyn. He was attending a basketball tournament set up for the local youth when 12 shots were fired, injuring three other young, teenage boys, and fatally wounding Mario. For many, this will be just another newspaper story or meaningless tragedy, but for those of us who knew Mario, it is a deep loss.
I write this now as one of Mario's teachers. Life for Mario was not easy, but he never gave up on himself. The newspaper said that after he was shot, Mario held on for a long time, and having known Mario and his character, I believe nothing less: he was a fighter. In his last months, Mario was looking to a better future, planning for life after high school with thoughts of entering the military. Sadly, those plans will be left unfulfilled, and we will never have the opportunity to have Mario come back to his high school with tales of his successes.
Mario wasn't a perfect person or student - none of us are - but he was charismatic and good-hearted. In the aftermath of this tragedy, there are many unexpected expenses that his family is currently incurring. As his teachers, friends, family, or even well-meaning strangers, we want to come together to help the Lopez family give Mario the proper farewell and burial that we all know he deserves.
If you can donate ANYTHING - one dollar, five dollars, a hundred dollars - absolutely anything, it would be beyond appreciated. All of the proceeds from this page will be going directly to Mario's family and will be used to help pay for his funeral.
If you are interested in reading a more thorough account of the shooting, visit this link to the article in the NY Daily News.
Organizer
Angela Meloni
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
