By Aiden Murillo ‘26
When junior Julian Jimenez was younger, he unfortunately lost his father, who was a police officer, in the line of duty on Nov. 19, 2018. Losing a parent can take a huge toll on anyone, especially a young child. Fortunately for Julian, there were many people to comfort him through this hard time.
As time went on, the Gary Foundation found him. The Gary Foundation is a foundation that helps not only the military, but also police and fire families. After Julian lost his father in 2018, he was devastated and never thought that he would be able to continue strong in life. But when he found out about the foundation, they helped him and his family with their trauma.
There are other kids that are the same age as Julian, and they went through the same thing; the Gary Foundation made them all grow closer together through their traumatic experiences. Julian said, “I never felt so grateful to become the man I am today thanks to the help of the foundation.”
The Gary Foundation offers a trip to Disney World for all those that had similar experiences. Julian was happy to meet others that went through the same thing. They got to connect in ways they didn’t think they could.
“It is a foundation for those in pain to find joy and push through,” said Julian. “The Gary Foundation is a place with sadness, kindness, and hope.”
Like most kids, Julian loved all of the Disney parks. He loved having fun with the others, while also thinking about his dad, knowing that he is still with him in his heart.
