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Fundraising for the three men who died after scaffolding collapsed at a construction site in Charlotte on January 2 continued over the weekend. During his week of mourning, the family gathered for a friendly to honor the youngest victim, her 26-year-old Hose Kanaka.
On Saturday afternoon, the playground at Kanaka’s alma mater, Gallinger High School, was packed with his loved ones.
A soccer game day was organized to raise funds for his burial, which was held in Mint Hill on Monday morning.
Kanaka, from Honduras, was the first of the three victims to be buried. Funerals for Gilberto Mónico Fernández, 54, and Jesús “Chuy” Arévalo Olivares, 42, are scheduled for Wednesday.
Kayla Young
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WFAE/La Noticia
The atmosphere at Kanaka’s Memorial Match on Saturday felt like a family gathering.
“A lot of the football players here are his cousin Kanakas,” explained Wilson Mencia Costa, one of the game’s organizers and part of a large family.
Like Kanaka, most of the players and spectators have roots in Netapa, a small town in central Honduras.
“We are consanguineous,” said Mencia Costa, adding that one family invites another, and that family invites another.
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That family bond is one of the reasons why Netapa FC was able to stage Kanaka’s anniversary match so quickly.
“We all play football, so we decided to create four teams with our family and community,” said Mencia Costa.
Over 100 people attended the event, showed support, played football and made donations. During halftime, children competed for free soccer balls on the pitch to score goals.
Kayla Young
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WFAE/La Noticia
Mencia Costa said: “It’s great to have football here, because that’s how we were raised. That’s our culture and we show it today.”
Kanaka was a fan of skateboarding. But he also came out to watch Netapa FC games and support his family, Mencía Costa said.
Mencía Costa said, “He was a virtuous young man who was devoted to his work. He described Kanaka as a centered and humble person who was very close to his mother and believed in God.” Did.
Kanaka’s parents were on the sidelines during the game.
Kayla Young
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WFAE/La Noticia
Oscar Murido, one of the day’s commentators, said the fundraiser was a demonstration of solidarity between Latino families and the football community. But it also touched on a hard reality.
Many Hispanic families do not have insurance to cover workplace injuries or deaths, so they have to work together and seek help.
Families of all three victims used GoFundMe to cover funeral costs.
Maria Alcantara, sister-in-law of victim Monico Fernandez, said he lives with his family, who are having trouble explaining his sudden absence to his five-year-old niece. She said Monico Fernandez lived in the United States for 30 years and supported her family in Mexico by sending money for schooling.
Arévalo Olivares leaves behind four children and a wife, Marisol.
The North Carolina Department of Labor said it had not conducted an inspection of the Hanover RS East construction project that killed three men and injured two on East Morehead Street. The site is currently closed pending a state investigation that could take up to six months to complete.
State investigations included Old North State Masonry LLC, Hanover RS East Construction LLC, and Friends Masonry Construction LLC, and state records show that the deceased was employed.
According to North Carolina business records, Old North State Masonry’s annual report filings are in arrears.
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