By MARIA GONZALEZ, Vida Del Norte Coalition

On May 2, a tragic accident took away a beloved member of the Vida Del Norte Drug-Free Coalition and community. Enriquetta served in our parent sector and was also part of our evaluation team. She had been active with Vida Del Norte since 2017. All our coalition members have been impacted by the loss of Quetta, and we wanted to honor her in a way that would be meaningful to us, as well as doing something special that she would have liked.

So, on Monday May 10, Vida Del Norte held a candlelight vigil at Eagle Rock Lake for her. Pastor Kristi Gonzales from Harvest Questa Church facilitated a beautiful ceremony. Poems were read and words were spoken of her service to the community through Vida Del Norte, and memories of her life were shared through videos. Thirty-four balloons were released right before the candles were lit, to honor all the years of the beautiful life she lived. Enriquetta’s family was greeted with flowers and condolences after the ceremony, in honor of her great spirit.

Enriquetta was always willing to help out with any coalition activity. The majority of the time, her son Robert was right by her side joining in the activities as well. We will truly miss her, and the work that she fulfilled with the coalition. May God rest her soul and may her family be comforted in knowing that she was loved dearly.