Raffaele Mitrugno Family Trust
Donation protected
A little over a year ago, my youngest son started Kindergarten in a brand new school, not knowing a single child. I picked him up after a long day of my anticipating his tears and he told me he made a best friend. I laughed, asked his name, and he answered, “I don’t know.” The next day he happily went back, played with his new best friend, and once again came home with no name. The days passed by and I started to get to know Massimo and I could instantly see why they became best friends right off the bat. They were similar yet different. Strong but soft on the inside. Both loved to giggle A LOT. Both loved sports and healthy competition. Each morning they would wait for each other to walk into school together. A rare friendship was blooming.
Over the months, I got to know Massi’s family pretty well. His parents were some of the most grounded, kind, interesting people. They were great parents to Massi and his sweet one-year-old baby brother, Matteo. They gave their all to their children and were a great example of people working so hard to make a better life for their children. We had family dinners from time to time and they became an extended part of our family. We even convinced Massi’s dad, Raffaele, to allow Massi his first sleepover at our house. This was not something a part of Raffaele’s culture growing up, but like I said, we were becoming like a family, and he trusted us with his beloved son.
A new school year started and we began a kind of new tradition. Massi and Raffaele would ride his moped to school in the morning and they would wait for Jordan and me to arrive. Sometimes we’d even take the same route and I could see them in my rearview mirror. The boys would catch sight of each other with so much excitement like they hadn’t seen each other in days! Some days, as I would turn the corner to get to school, I would see Massi proudly sitting on the front of Raffaele’s bike pointing at our car with a big smile. I could even see him mouth “There’s Jordy”. The boys would walk into school like brothers, helping each other when some mornings were rougher than others, or laughing and teasing about girls they liked. And Raffaele would give me the same greeting every morning, the two cheek Italian kiss, and we would laugh about how cute the boys were and talk about work, plans or what's new.
Until last night. We waited, and waited and waited for him to show up at our home to trick-or-treat with the boys, his greatest joy, those boys. He never came. He was on his moped and was hit by a car a mere blocks from our home. He didn’t make it.
I humbly ask you to help me support these boys. They have become like my own. There will be so many needs in the coming days, months and years. They will need their village to rise up and band together to nurture them and love them.
With a broken heart,
Tara
Over the months, I got to know Massi’s family pretty well. His parents were some of the most grounded, kind, interesting people. They were great parents to Massi and his sweet one-year-old baby brother, Matteo. They gave their all to their children and were a great example of people working so hard to make a better life for their children. We had family dinners from time to time and they became an extended part of our family. We even convinced Massi’s dad, Raffaele, to allow Massi his first sleepover at our house. This was not something a part of Raffaele’s culture growing up, but like I said, we were becoming like a family, and he trusted us with his beloved son.
A new school year started and we began a kind of new tradition. Massi and Raffaele would ride his moped to school in the morning and they would wait for Jordan and me to arrive. Sometimes we’d even take the same route and I could see them in my rearview mirror. The boys would catch sight of each other with so much excitement like they hadn’t seen each other in days! Some days, as I would turn the corner to get to school, I would see Massi proudly sitting on the front of Raffaele’s bike pointing at our car with a big smile. I could even see him mouth “There’s Jordy”. The boys would walk into school like brothers, helping each other when some mornings were rougher than others, or laughing and teasing about girls they liked. And Raffaele would give me the same greeting every morning, the two cheek Italian kiss, and we would laugh about how cute the boys were and talk about work, plans or what's new.
Until last night. We waited, and waited and waited for him to show up at our home to trick-or-treat with the boys, his greatest joy, those boys. He never came. He was on his moped and was hit by a car a mere blocks from our home. He didn’t make it.
I humbly ask you to help me support these boys. They have become like my own. There will be so many needs in the coming days, months and years. They will need their village to rise up and band together to nurture them and love them.
With a broken heart,
Tara
Organizer and beneficiary
Tara Harrison Katz
Organizer
Miami, FL
Maria Trujillo
Beneficiary