SAN ANTONIO – For Brizzo Torres, December has been nothing short of unimaginable.
“We had a lot of plans for the holidays,” Torres said. “It’s really challenging.”
Torres is a Chicana artist and a San Antonio art teacher. She said during the holidays, she’s often with her students. But this year is different.
“I’m lucky to be alive, and my students are lucky to be alive,” Torres said. My students “were just so excited. And that’s the last thing really that I remember.”
Torres said she was in Tulum, Mexico cheering on marathon runners with a group of students when she was hit by a state police vehicle on a sidewalk. A local newspaper, Tulum en Línea, reported accounts of what happened.
Though she did not break any bones, Torres said she is far from being “okay.”
“It’s a life-altering injury,” she said. “It feels like I’m not able to communicate the way that I used to. And as a teacher, that’s really challenging. That’s really tough.”
Torres said she has a long road of recovery ahead. That’s why she’s leading fundraising efforts to keep her nonprofit, The Good Good Collective, afloat.
The group offers free performing arts education to underrepresented children. With her injuries, Torres said she initially planned to cancel the group’s annual Chicano Cheer fundraiser.
But, with community support, they were able to hold it on Dec. 22.
“We brought it back on a much smaller scale,” Torres said.
Now, her sights are set on saving their winter arts camp. The camp starts on Dec. 30, but Torres said on Monday, that she’s still fundraising for Jan. 2 and Jan. 3 in hopes of hiring help and paying for rent space.
“The children really gave me a sense of purpose,” Torres said. “I’m trying to find the resources to make that happen.”
Torres said the road ahead may be difficult, but her journey is far from over.
