By rssfeeds-admin Pastor Dustin Maddox says 17-year-old Jezreel Ochoa-Valle, 15-year-old James Valle, and 6-year-old Serenity Valenzuela went to North Fresno Church along with their mom, Genevieve Ochoa.
“The family has been a part of our community for the last 10 years, and they’ve had some highs and lows and twists and turns in their life and their story. And it’s been a really beautiful relationship for the church,” he said with a smile.
He watched the kids grow up in the congregation and described each of their vibrant personalities:
“[Jezreel] was bright and friendly and funny and would make friends with almost anybody…. She’s incredibly resilient and mature beyond her years,” he said. “James was silent and spoke with an economy of words. And when he spoke, there was something behind what he was saying, and it was powerful.”
“Serenity had a just million-dollar smile. She loved to dance and sing around and play in our children’s ministry area, was a friend to everyone, had a cute little kid way of talking, and was just a bright light, as you know, as kids can be. But she was unique and special in her own way,” he said.
Officer Sergio Moreno with the California Highway Patrol says the three kids were traveling with their mom and grandma when the crash happened.
“A 48-year-old mother of three [was] driving a Honda Odyssey southbound on Road 24, approaching the intersection at Avenue 7, while at the same time, a gentleman driving a freightliner big rig in combination with two trailers was traveling westbound at the scene, approaching the intersection of Road 24 at the same time. For reasons still under investigation, the driver of the Honda failed to stop at the stop sign, entered the intersection, and was broadsided by the big rig,” he explained.
A few community members YourCentralValley.com spoke with say the rural roads in the area can be dangerous.
“These situations can often provoke really strong reactions within us. And we want to figure out who’s to blame and, and things like that. And there’s no point or purpose in doing that,” Maddox said. “A mother has just lost her children. And the only way through something as tragic as this is with the community, you can’t go through it alone.”
They are now asking for support to help the family.
“Here at the church, we have a fund called Social Action Response Team. We’re going to develop that into a memorial fund, and our aim is to be able to cover all of the funeral expenses for the three children and the ongoing expenses as Genevieve tries to put the broken pieces back together,” Maddox said.
If you’d like to donate, you can click here.
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