‘I feel like I’m letting them down,’ Mothers of Murdered Youth say tearful goodbye
Michael Logerwell
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – After 27 years, a Southern Colorado non-profit organization aimed at helping families through the tragedy of losing a loved one is closing its doors for good.
The final send-off for Mothers of Murdered Youth (MOMY) was a backyard barbeque that turned into a tearful goodbye.
“It’s just time to know when to quit. And unfortunately, this is the time for. So I’m so sorry to I’m sorry. I feel like I’m letting them down,” Jennifer Romero founded Mothers of Murdered Youth after her 13-year-old son, Geno, was killed in a drive-by shooting. Romero told KRDO13 she wanted to become the person she wished she had during the tough times after her son’s death.
“It still really needed that we have somebody out there that supports the victims not only through the court process like the victim’s advocate that’s taken care of, but when when the funeral’s over, that’s when it all begins, because all of the feelings and everything starts hitting you,” Romero said teary eyed.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mothers of Murdered Youth to close down nonprofit
Leaders of MOMY previously told KRDO13 that the cost of running the non-profit became too high, and they had to close down. While Saturday was a group said goodbye to MOMY, but they didn’t say goodbye to each other.
Romero encourages impacted families to find each other through online communities like Facebook, because while the pain of losing a loved one doesn’t go away, she says, communities—like the one that gathered on Saturday—will be the ones to keep you strong.