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KENNEWICK When the Tri-City military and police community heard a terminally ill Kennewick High teen won't grow up to realize his dream of wearing a uniform, they mobilized.
They collected a camouflage military uniform, a variety of military hats, pins and coins, a banner featuring his name, items from the police department, and an American flag to give Alfredo Barajas, 17, who suffers from an inoperable heart condition.
Two weeks ago, military service members visited him and during a military ceremony made Alfredo an honorary drill sergeant.
"That's the highest title the Army gives a civilian. They all wore their camo and helped him get dressed in his too," said radio show host Amy Raye of 94.9 The Wolf, who did her part to rally the community to help Alfredo.
"When Alfredo saw them in their uniforms he smiled -- no, he grinned. When his mom saw that she said, 'Oh my gosh! He's not smiled like that in weeks,' " Raye said.
Alfredo has fought a cardiac condition most of his life, relying on surgery and medication. But he's losing his final battle to an aortic aneurysm and is under hospice care.
Desperate to find money to bury her eldest son, Maria Barajas, a single parent of three other children, turned to Kamiakin counselor Maria Buxbaum for ideas.
What she received was an outpouring of support from Kamiakin students who organized a fundraiser to cover funeral expenses.
So far, the students have collected $5,176. Student Molly Walker of Kennewick, collected more than $1,000 at her church, Kennewick First Presbyterian.
Kamiakin students found out how ill Alfredo was just after Christmas break, and they immediately put donation cans at a handful of Tri-City businesses.
Students also passed cans among the spectators during halftime at two basketball games.
"The game on Jan. 13 was dedicated to Alfredo. We all dressed in camouflage," said Kylee Welch, senior class president at Kamiakin.
The camouflage was in honor of Alfredo's lifelong dream of being a soldier or a police officer.
To help spread the word of their fund drive, Kamiakin students contacted Raye at 94.9 The Wolf.
"They were asked for a public service announcement, and I just didn't feel it was enough," Raye said. "When I heard he always wanted to be a soldier, well, working at a country station, you get to feel the connection between the military and country music, country values."
On air, she talked about Alfredo, his illness and his dream. Calls and emails began coming in almost immediately from military personnel in the Tri-Cities offering their help.
Raye also contacted Washington Operation Thank You, a nonprofit support group that helps soldiers and their families.
An educator from Highlands Middle School, where Alfredo attended, contacted the Kennewick Police Department about Alfredo.
Kennewick police Cmdr. Craig Littrell recruited Sgt. Mark Weber and Chris Buroker, the school resource officer at Kamiakin, to go with him to visit the Barajas family.
Buroker, who alsois a major in the National Guard, gathered some handouts from the Guard. Littrell and Weber assembled items from the police department. The three visited with Alfredo and his family Jan. 13.
"We just talked to him for a while," Littrell said. "He was pretty quiet. I think he was overwhelmed we were there."
The visit made an impact on Littrell too.
"It's humbling to see someone who has a dream but will never be able to reach for it," Littrell said. "It makes you appreciate what you have."
The community's support and donations have helped the Barajas family tremendously, Buxbaum said.
"Costco donated some food, someone else offered to pay their electric bill," she said. "It's all very helpful because Maria doesn't need to worry about food, daily living, and can focus on her family."
All the money raised will go toward funeral expenses, expected to run about $8,000 with additional costs for the actual burial. The burial site will be free, said Blaze Titus, owner of Hillcrest Memorial Center in Kennewick.
"I'm impressed how much the community has rallied around," Titus said. "There has also been $750 donated (to Hillcrest) that's been placed in a memorial fund for him."
None of this would have happened without the caring students of Kamiakin, Buxbaum said.
"What the students are doing is awesome," she said. "Their rallying around the family, getting the community involved, is helping so much. Alfredo's mom is beyond grateful."
