Fundraisers planned to help families of car crash victims

Oct. 3, 2013 12 AM PT

A number of local businesses are hosting fundraisers this weekend to raise money for the families of the victims of a fatal car crash in Burbank on Saturday that claimed the lives of five young men and women, and left one injured.

Local sports bar The Hollywood Way will be donating 20% of its Saturday night proceeds to the victims’ families, according to owner Matt Ferrato.

PHOTOS: Memorial honoring five killed in car crash

“It kind of hit our place of business kind of hard that day, and affected us through the week,” Ferrato said, adding that a number of his employees had friends whose lives were taken. “We just wanted to do something for our employees and for the families.”

The business – located at 1333 North Hollywood Way – will donate 20% of its earnings between 5 and 10 p.m. Saturday to be divided equally among each victim’s family.

Also on Saturday, Fosters Freeze – located at 201 South Glenoaks Blvd. – will host a car wash in its parking lot in which all proceeds will be donated to the families of the six crash victims.

The fundraiser will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Carol Coelho, an event organizer whose daughter knew all of the victims.

“Us parents, we couldn’t imagine having something like this happen – these families need help,” Coelho said. “God forbid if it was one of ours, we would want everyone to do the same – they’re our Burbank kids, they’re our next generation.”

Angel Greco, a tattoo artist at the Electric Pen tattoo parlor, said he will also donate a portion of his Saturday proceeds to the families of crash victims. He will be available from noon to 10 p.m. at the studio, located at 10757 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood.

Friends of those killed, he said, are planning to come in to get tattoos of the victims’ initials or the date of the crash. He and his friend Annie McRae, who has mutual friends with the five who died, were putting together designs and patterns Thursday to offer to customers.

McRae said she’s also going to make “kandi bracelets” – made with colorful, plastic beads popular at electronic music festivals – including the victims’ initials and the letters “BA,” for “Burbank Angels,” and sell them for $2 each Saturday at the shop.

“I know all of the kids really were into going to festivals,” McRae said, adding that bracelet proceeds will also be donated to the families.

Marinello Schools of Beauty is collecting funds for one victim, Sugey Cuevas, who was a cosmetology student at the school, according to school director Maria Urban.

Separately, loved ones of the victims are collecting donations for memorial services on crowd-funding website GoFundMe. As of Thursday, the campaigns together had brought in more than $20,500. To donate to the victims’ memorial funds, visit:

- Stephen Stoll: www.gofundme.com/4lfq60
- Malak Hariri: www.gofundme.com/4mbg10
- Sugey Cuevas: www.gofundme.com/4kdnt4
- Sebastian Forero: www.gofundme.com/4mhgzo
- Sameer Nevarez: www.gofundme.com/4l3w18

-- Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

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