Burnett Elementary School student Roberto Garcia Cortez’s
struggles with a debilitating birth defect have moved a group of
Britton Middle School students to raise money to help his family
pay for medical bills.
Morgan Hill – Burnett Elementary School student Roberto Garcia Cortez’s struggles with a debilitating birth defect have moved a group of Britton Middle School students to raise money to help his family pay for medical bills.
The students are members of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan Club. They came up with the idea to sell “Valentine-Grams” for $1 each at school.
“We really want to sell all 300 of them,” said Gloria Navarro, 12, who is in charge of public relations for MECHA.
Britton counselor Elena Hernandez said the club wants to help the 7-year-old boy, who was born with cystic hygroma, a birth defect that occurs as a baby grows in the womb. The result is a sac-like growth that most commonly occurs in the head and neck area.
Because of his condition, he is unable to participate in physical activities and needs a feeding tube. He is unable to completely close his mouth. His doctors in Mexico had “all but given up,” according to Brenda Joy, his second-grade teacher, so the family moved to the U.S. to find help.
“Though the future is uncertain, he is now receiving excellent medical care,” she said in December when Roberto and his family were honored at a Sobrato High football banquet. “Due to the severity of his illness, Roberto had never attended school before. He did not get to run and play with friends or explore the world around him.”
The family struggles to make ends meet while dealing with Roberto’s medical issues, according to Joy.
With the money raised by the club’s sale of Valentine-Grams, they will purchase either grocery store gift cards or Wal-Mart gift cards for the Cortez family.
The club’s officers – Karen Guevara, 14, president; Sandra Lustre, 12, secretary; Gladys Gonzalez, 12, treasurer; and Gloria – were working furiously Monday morning to prepare the cards for the Valentine-grams, which will be delivered, along with a special scented pencil, to the purchaser’s Valentine, on Valentine’s Day.
Roberto will visit the MECHA students at Britton after the money has been raised and the gift cards purchased, the students said.
Britton’s MECHA club has more than 30 members. They focus on Mexican traditions, such as planning Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and academic achievement, Gladys said. Any Britton student can join the club, which meets Thursdays at lunchtime.
HOW TO HELP
Donations can be dropped off or sent to Britton Middle School, 80 West Central Ave., Morgan Hill, in care of Elena Hernandez.
