Zachary Cruz Pedestrian Safety Month: Berkeley, CA (March 2011)
Zachary Cruz Pedestrian Safety Month Begins in Berkeley (From ZMCFoundation.org)
The Soft White Sixties to Co-Headline Benefit on 3/31 at the New Parish (From ZMCFoundation.org)
Single Mom Wins the Zachary Cruz Memorial Scholarship at Cal
Daniela is an incredible person who has overcome unbelievable odds to be where she is today—working on a BA in Hispanic Languages and Bilingual Issues at Cal. I’m so proud that our foundation can help support her educational journey. And I want to especially thank our friends at the Transfer, Re-entry, and Student Parent Center at Cal for their dedication to this project and for helping us honor Zachary’s memory by helping others. Check out the link above to read the full story at the foundation’s website. [FC]
IMAGINE…
31 years ago today, John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City. He died before I was born, but the positive impact his music had on my son Zachary, and thereafter on me, is powerful. I’m grateful you were here and for what you left behind, John. We miss you and we’ll try to keep on imagining… [FC]
Happy 8th Birthday Zachary! Today we are going to celebrate your life with your brother, your cousins, and your aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas. We will go to your favorite places and remember the love we shared. We love you so much. [Dad]
December 19, 2010
1 note
Berkeley “Street” Named for Zachary
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/12/08/street-named-for-boy-killed-by-car/comment-page-1/#comment-16
I discovered that a sign reading “Zachary’s Corner” had been posted at the corner of Derby and Warring in early in December, when I went to the intersection where Zach was killed to leave a potted poinsettia for the holiday. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and wonder that someone (it is still unclear to my family and I exactly who put this sign up) had gone to such lengths to remember my son in this way.
One reader remarked that the sign struck him as a little “morbid.” Personally, I don’t consider it morbid anymore than it was morbid to place Zachary’s name on a marker at his grave in Ventura, California, where our family has roots. I do, however, respect this sentiment and I agree with his remarks about there being other, potentially more “positive” ways to honor a life. Which is partially why I’m reposting this here. (You can read the comments to the original story by following the link above to the blog at Berkeleyside.com.)
Please visit http://www.zacharycruzfoundation.org to learn more about one type of positive memorial that I’ve been engaged in since my son passed away. Our organization, launched just this past fall, supports pedestrian safety and educational giving, primarily in the East Bay, both as a way to preserve Zachary’s legacy and as a way to say thank you to those in our community who have offered us love, compassion, and support since we lost our son on February 27th, 2009.
I’m truly sorry if the new sign or the evolving memorial at Derby and Warring are offensive in any way to anyone in the community. I have always tried to respect the fact that while my son died there, many, many people live there each and every day. My family and I lived just around the corner (at Dwight and Fernwald) on the day of the accident, and so we were a part of that community as well.
I appreciate the sign because it helps me worry a little less that my son will be forgotten. His untimely death, at just 5 years old, changed a regular intersection into an almost spiritual place for me. That is the place where his beautiful little heart stopped and the nature of his being was changed forever right there on that street. That spot marks the place where my life was changed forever as well… The corner of Derby and Warring is now a permanent part of me and it will be an important place for me for as long as I live. The sign that reads “Zachary’s Corner” will remind me that what happened there has not been forgotten and that it is important to others as well. Above all, it reminds me that I AM NOT ALONE.
I wish you all a happy and safe holiday with your friends and family. Please, remember to prioritize pedestrians as you celebrate this holiday season: reduce speed, end distractions, and obey the existing laws that were designed to protect us all.
Yours in gratitude,
Frank Cruz
