Carnival raises funds for ill student

COSTA MESA — Friends, classmates, neighbors, school and Sunday school teachers came out Saturday afternoon to Adams Elementary School to show their support, both in spirit and in dollars, for Anthony Marco Perez, 9, a fourth-grader at the school who was diagnosed last year with an inoperable brain tumor.

In celebration of Marco, who usually goes by his middle name, Suzanne Hughes, mother of another student at Adams, set up the fundraiser in 12 days with the help of teachers, parents and students.

The fundraiser was kid-friendly — the silent auction items included lunch with a teacher, a picnic lunch with the librarian and a manicure with the teacher — and the beauty was, everything but the pizza was donated, which means all the money can go straight to the Perez family.

“They need money. They need to be at home with their child and not have to work,” Hughes said.

The day’s events included dancers, a magic show, food, water bowling — kids lined up to try to knock down water bottle pins — a ring toss, and other carnival-style games.

Kids also wrote messages to Marco on a poster near the school’s office. Laura Griffin and Elizabeth Flores, both 9, wrote messages of encouragement to Marco and said they hope he can come back to school soon.

“We came here to donate money because he’s in the hospital … and that way he can get better, and it’ll be easier for his family,” said Laura, a fourth-grader at Adams.

And although Elizabeth said she didn’t know Marco well, she said she hoped he would feel better soon.

What struck many of the people who attended was how well the community banded together to help Marco and his family.

“This is what a community is supposed to be,” Tracey Cook, another mom, said. Hughes “did a phenomenal job.”

Donations were also being accepted and will continue to be accepted through the church the Perezes attend, Palm Harvest Church in Costa Mesa. Jeanie Graubner is Marco’s Sunday school teacher and said Marco was an exemplary student.

“He’s a special boy, absolutely a sweetheart…. He’s always thinking of other people,” Graubner said as she accepted donations Saturday. “He was an unusually encouraging child, always looking for the good in people and thinking positively.”

And he’s a fighter. When he was originally diagnosed, doctors did not know if he’d make it through Christmas, but he’s proven them wrong by continuing his fight.

“He’s always happy, always has a big smile,” said Tracy Brown, whose husband was Marco’s baseball coach. “He’s just a good kid.”

To donate or to find out more about Marco’s condition, go to Palm Harvest Church’s website, www.palmharvest.net.