Local organization honored as nonprofit of the year
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Brawley resident Yulil Alonso-Garza told us she remembers very well the pain of losing her 17-year-old son Martin Alberto Garza to gang violence four years ago in January.
“Waking up a Sunday morning before going out to church everyone woke up to the news that our son had been murdered,” Alonso-Garza said.
Instead of crumbling under that tragedy, Alonso-Garza founded MAG (Mothers and Men Against Gangs), organizing year-round events to raise awareness of the problem of gang violence.
“We go and we partner up with our law enforcement, our school districts and we pride ourselves in trying to help our youth find a different path,” Alonso-Garza said.
Her work was reward on Monday when state officials named her organization nonprofit of the year.
She told us she “became overwhelmingly emotional. I immediately called my daughter and my husband and sat in disbelief.”
Alonso-Garza is invited to Sacramento to receive the recognition in a formal ceremony on June 28 th .
“Sometimes you doubt yourself and you doubt whether you’re on the right track. I do a lot of praying and ask god for that guidance and this was the big, big sign that we are on the right track,” Alonso-Garza said.
She explained that she’s also collaborating with 56 th District Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia and Senator Ben Hueso in the creation of a bill to designate January as anti-gang awareness month.
“This year we will be organizing and planning more events towards the initiation of this state-wide bill,” Alonso-Garza said.
Her eyes mist for a moment when she shares with us how her family accepted her son’s high school diploma four years ago, to a standing ovation from everyone at the assembly. She told use her son will be there in spirit with her when she goes to the state capitol.
“Every year we celebrate his life on his anniversary on January 6 th ,” Alonso-Garza said with a smile.
