ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools has established a memorial fund in honor of the 6-year-old boy who was hit and killed while riding his bicycle in an Apopka mobile home park on Saturday.
According to the foundation’s page the “Emiliano Memorial Fund” would help with funeral arrangements and aid in transporting the boy’s remains back to Guatemala.
The establishment of the page comes as the man implicated in Emiliano’s death sits inside a jail cell. Francisco Rosillo Arriola, 53, faces several charges including DUI manslaughter and DUI 3rd violation.
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“How dare he,” said Peyton Vickers, standing near a memorial set up for Emiliano. “It’s just awful.”
News 6 met Vickers Monday evening, when she showed up to the Rock Springs Mobile Home Park with her daughter, Alia, who was in a kindergarten class with Emiliano at Lovell Elementary.
“I would be more than happy to donate to help however I can,” Vickers said.
The fund’s page described Emiliano as a child who enjoyed going to school, going on to say that he “loved his mother and couldn’t wait to share all he learned at school with her.”
The page also revealed that Emiliano’s mother experienced the loss of her one-year-old child three months before Emiliano’s death.
While Emiliano’s classmates struggle to process his death, residents of the mobile home park are mobilizing in hopes of enacting change.
Neighbors told News 6 that concerns about a lack of safety measures on the roads fueled the idea of residents and neighbors marching to the park’s management office. An original plan slated for Tuesday has since been pushed back, organzers said.
News 6′s Mike Valente approached the management office Monday evening, but a sales representative said she was not authorized to speak on the issue. She also said no one else was available to speak to us.
More information about the memorial fund and how to donate can be found here.
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