A steady stream of vehicles pulled into the parking lot and the volunteers got to work, spraying and scrubbing. Off to the side a DJ was spinning records while under a canopy a couple of women sold homemade brownies and other baked goods.
The friends of Annalisa Santana came together Saturday for an effort none of them wanted to be part of — a car wash to raise money to help with funeral expenses for the Moreno Valley resident and mother of four who died tragically in the Big Four Ice Caves collapse Monday.
Daniella Chavez and Liz Reynosa, friends of Santana, organized the event held at Taco Joe’s Mexican Restaurant in Colton, California. The owner, Paul Sandoval, said he was donating 20 percent of the day’s proceeds to the cause.
Chavez and Santana were neighbors growing up and classmates in elementary school and junior high.
“She was amazing,” Chavez said. “She was an amazing person, but an even more amazing mom.”
Santana, 34, left behind two girls and two boys, ages 14, 12, 8 and 1. She was on a vacation in Washington with her brother, David Santana, and her boyfriend, Dustin Wilson, who were also caught in the cave collapse.
A nursing supervisor at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle said Saturday afternoon that David Santana remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit and Wilson was in stable condition. Previous reports said he suffered a leg injury.
A total of five people were injured in the collapse. U.S. Forest Service officials closed the trail to the path Friday, which had signs warning hikers about the dangers of entering the cave.
At the fundraiser, Jacob Lopez, of Colton, arranged a makeshift set-up with a couple of turntables and some audio equipment in a shaded corner, playing mostly R&B that carried through the parking lot. And he did it with a heavy heart.
He is a friend of Wilson, who he said was also from Colton.
“It’s a sad story,” said Lopez, 36. “Hopefully he’s doing better. It’s bad. I feel sorry for his girlfriend’s family.
“It sucks that we have to get together like this, in this way. But it’s a good thing that we’re all together for them.”
Chavez said when she initially posted information on the car wash to her Facebook page, it got more than 300 shares. By the middle of the afternoon Saturday, she estimated they had washed more than 150 cars.
Supporters also arranged to set up a page at gofundme.com to help with funeral expenses. More than 70 people had donated nearly $5,000.
“We’re a small city with big hearts,” Chavez said.
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