Under the awnings of a Walgreens store to avoid the hot summer sun, two Saugus High School students raised money on Saturday in order to memorialize Dominic Blackwell and Gracie Muehlberger, the two students killed in the Saugus High Shooting.
One of the two volunteers, Mia Tretta, 15, a sophomore at Saugus High School, said Dominic was her best friend, and that she wanted to do something that would help memorialize him, whether that be for Central Park to change its name, or have a statue or bench named after the two.
“He was always so inspiring and I think the fact that we don’t have something yet to honor them, these two amazing kids, it’s crazy,” said Tretta. “They need to be honored and they need to be known everywhere, and I think dedicating something like a park to them would be amazing.”
She and her next door neighbor, Derek Diaz, 16, had come up with the idea after a garage sale they held last weekend for the same cause. This weekend, they decided to set their table out in front of the Walgreens on Haskell Canyon Road and give out free lemonade and candy to those heading in to shop.
Those walking by are allowed to take a cool drink, donate to the table if they wish, or even talk with Tretta and Diaz about their experience during the shooting and what they knew about the two young people who were killed.
“I think it’s a great message and it’s a great cause,” said Diaz. “I mean, there’s so many people in this community and this affected everyone here. So I think just showing support for something like this can really benefit our community.”
Diaz and Tretta started early in the morning on Saturday, and said they would have their booth set up until they ran out of candy and lemonade to give out.
All those wishing to participate in the fundraiser can visit the table at the Walgreens located on 28460 N Haskell Canyon Road.
