Thank you all so much! We’ve raised MORE than what we need to pay the attorney — I’m going to close this campaign and we’ll use the extra money to help Marco get settled for the next phase of his life after he comes home.
At Niños del Sol, we are a family, and Marco — although he’s 20 now — is forever our child. While we want our kids to be held accountable for their actions, we also want to make sure they have access to good lawyers and the opportunity for a fair trial.
The legal bills to ensure he gets a fair trial are staggering for us, but we will support Marco every way we can. We feel the sentence he is facing is much too harsh and we want to make sure a judge looks fairly at all the information around his case.
Meanwhile, Marco is in a penitentiary where he fills his time creating art and learning traditional weaving techniques. He’s also using everything he’s learned about yoga, meditation, and Breema to survive the stress and use this time for personal growth.
I’m sorry we can’t give you more details, for legal reasons, and we completely understand that you might choose not to give without more information.
I know that many of you have met Marco and care about him, and I wanted to create space for you to offer your support to him during this difficult time if you choose to do so.
Marco has been studying to become a tour guide, and he hosted many tours, hikes, and activities with our guests over the years.Please resist the temptation to contact Viviana or Avishai for details.
All of their emotional energy and time are invested in Marco and the other Niños. A flood of e-mails asking about this painful situation would be hard to deal with.
Thank you for your understanding and restraint.
For teenagers (and almost teenagers) the line between being stupid and irrevocably altering one’s future is such a thin line. I have worried about that with my children, and their friends many a time. Best wishes to Marco – I hope he will come through this experience ok. Best wishes to him and greetings to all of the ninos.
You are so right. It seems money — in this case, the ability to hire a good attorney — has a lot to do with where that line lies. I think Marco has learned a lot from this experience, and with (all of) your help, hopefully he will come through it. Thank you!
Wishing you better days. We all do stupid things from time to time. Hope you can bounce back better off soon! Love to you all.
In this situation, I cannot judge or deem what is right, wrong, truth or lies. I know that the world is hurting and healing from the stupidity and cruelty of others. I feel grateful for the love, teachings and opportunities that Avishai and Viviana have given Marco since he has been under their wings. Perhaps this challenging, difficult experience will be sufficiently intense to truly teach this young man a lesson in living, and perhaps through him, other young people will learn too, and perhaps through this all, the world will be one increment closer to being a better, safer, more loving place to live. My prayers are with you Marco!!
Love you Marco and believe in you: keep your dreams fed, your heart clear, and your character aglow!! Sometimes we fall into holes, and like the Biblical Joseph or the great legendary Phoenix, we rise again, stronger than before !!!
Best to you, Michael Gelbart, CA
This is for Marco :
Hi Marco,
You wil be okay becourse you ,and thousend others, belive in yourself. And you have so many real Friends !!
Friends are like stars: You can’t always see them. But they are always there!
Take care,big hugh,
Sabine & Jean Pierre {whith the motorbikes} from Holland
We all make mistakes. May Mama Kia’s spirit guide you through this uneasy time of growth.