- May 8, 2024
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Christian Romero's sister Victoria Evangelista, J.R. Proffitt and Christian's father Miguel Romero embrace at the The Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's sister Victoria Evangelista, J.R. Proffitt and Christian's father Miguel Romero hug at the The Mission for Christian musical benefit as Jordan Proffitt performs on stage. Photo by Michele Meyers
Flagler Strong co-founder Paul Chestnut, Christian Romero's mother Dawn Romero and Christian's sister Victoria Evangelista greet each other at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Friend of Victoria Evangelista, Jake Morrell, event sponsor Barwick Banking Company CEO Jim Bange and Flagler Beach resident Alan Wells volunteer to serve drinks at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's friends Gianna Araujo and Taylor Kraemer sell t-shirts at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. They said they will do anything to help his family. Photo by Michele Meyers
Taylor Kraemer and Ryan Baxter showoff Christian Romero's t-shirts at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's friends Gianna Araujo, Ryan Baxter and Richard Pham hydrate as they sell t-shirts at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Gianna Araujo and Taylor Kraemer show their tattoos honoring their friend Christian Romero. Photo by Michele Meyers
Gianna Araujo and Taylor Kraemer show their tattoos honoring their friend Christian Romero. Photo by Michele Meyers
Gianna Araujo and Taylor Kraemer show their tattoos honoring their friend Christian Romero. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's friends Ryan Baxter, Richard Pham and Myles Baker. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ryan Baxter and Richard Pham showoff their tattoos of friend Christian Romero. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mission for Christian musical benefit helps generate funds to assist the Romero family offset legal fees and supporting activities. Items were collected to sell in the silent auction. Photo by Michele Meyers
Flagler Foodie Groupies founder Karen Dion (left) who organized the Mission for Christian musical benefit with Florida Strong and Tortugas Florida Kitchen & Bar, records guitarist Vange Durst. Photo by Michele Meyers
Business owners Donna Sabatino, Candice Grady, Pamela Hull and Julie Leopard listen to musician Vange Durst at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ashley Estevez sings at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Seven musical acts performed at the event. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ashley Estevez sings at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Seven musical acts performed at the event. Photo by Michele Meyers
Owners of Flight Velocity, Tiger and Larisa Summers, are one of the sponsors of the Mission for Christian music benefit. Their company handles every aspect of flight simulation. Photo by Michele Meyers
Tortugas Florida Kitchen & Bar hosts the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Owners Scott Fox and Paul Chestnut helped organize the event. Photo by Michele Meyers
Darryl Boyer grew up with Christian Romero. Boyer said Christian always motivated him to be bold and do what's best for everybody. Photo by Michele Meyers
Musician Vange Durst plays a wide array of songs in her setlist including a smattering of heartfelt tunes at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Barwick Banking Company CEO Jim Bange (left) points out drink options to a patron at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Miguel Romero plays cornhole with his son Christian's girlfriend Savannah Castro. Photo by Michele Meyers
Miguel Romero high-fives his son Christian's girlfriend Savannah Castro during a serious series of cornhole games. Photo by Michele Meyers
Camryn Prince (left) smiles as her girlfriend Liz Evangelista plays a game of cornhole during the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Savannah Castro celebrates a win during a serious series of cornhole games at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's family and friends gather at the Mission for Christian musical benefit to remember and honor him. Photo by Michele Meyers
Christian Romero's sisters Victoria and Liz Evangelista. Photo by Michele Meyers
Event co-organizer Karen Dion (right) talks to locals at the Mission for Christian musical benefit. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Flagler Beach community showered Dawn and Miguel Romero with love and support at a musical benefit honoring their son, Christian Romero, on Sunday, June 9.
“Christian always wanted to be famous,” Dawn Romero said. “He was always trying to come up with some get-rich-quick scheme. He always said, 'One day, you and my dad aren’t going to have to work — I’m going to make millions and I’m going to be famous.' I think the community has made him famous.”
Christian Romero died at age 23 after a 15-year-old girl driving a stolen Hyundai ran a red light and struck his SUV on April 23 in Orlando.
The Romeros have been a part of the Flagler Beach community for 12 years and have owned three restaurants: The Tuscan Grille, Sweet Waters Smokehouse and Grill and their current business, Romero’s Tuscany by the Sea.
Local businesses organized the Mission for Christian to raise money for the family to pay future legal fees and expenses associated with traveling to Orange County, where the crash occurred.
After the crash, extended family members had traveled from New York to be with the Romeros.
Local restaurants and residents provided meals for them daily, shared cards, flower arrangements and plants and regularly checked in with them.
“It’s not enough to say 'thank you' to all the community, because it is a lot, what they’re doing,” Miguel Romero said. “All the businesses are a big family here. If anybody needs help, you can see, they are right there.”
Dawn credits the knowledge that Christian was proud of the family’s restaurant and the community’s support with helping them move forward. For those reasons, it was important for the family to keep the restaurant open.
Following the crash, Flagler Foodie Groupies owner Karen Dion put together a GoFundMe and collected restaurant-based donations to keep Romero’s Tuscany by the Sea employees paid when the restaurant had to temporarily close.
Christian’s sisters, Victoria and Elizabeth Evangelista, did not think it was possible for a community to come together at this level.
“It means a lot to have the community support us,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t think we’d be able to make it through. They’ve literally held our hands through all of this. It means more to us than we’d ever be able to explain to you guys. It’s really hard to put into words.”
The summer benefit was organized by Dion, Flagler Strong, Tortugas Florida Kitchen & Bar owners Scott Fox and Paul Chestnut, and real estate agent Tracy Hennessey and husband Pete Hennessey, who own Pompano’s 6th Street Deli. Sponsorship for the event was relatively easy to secure due to the Romeros' and the organizers’ connections to distributors and local businesses.
Christian always wanted to be famous. He was always trying to come up with some get-rich-quick scheme. He always said, 'One day you and my dad aren’t going to have to work — I’m going to make millions and I’m going to be famous.' I think the community has made him famous."
— DAWN ROMERO, Christian's mother
Dion coordinated with the musicians to provide entertainment all day. She represents most of the musicians in the area and books them regularly. Artists Jordan Proffitt, Vange Durst, Ashley Estevez, Full Circle, Muddy Marshall, Green Tree Brothers and Sesame Plexer all donated their time for the benefit.
A silent auction, a 50-50 raffle and event T-shirts designed by James Michael Lodise, owner of Lionheart Design Studio, generated funds for the Romeros. The T-shirt tent was manned by Christian’s friends, some of whom he had known since elementary school.
Friends Gianna Araujo and Taylor Kraemer were there selling shirts. They met Christian through a fiancé and a boyfriend on a road trip four years ago.
“He was an amazing person,” Kraemer said. “He was just literally sunshine.”
On that trip, six friends had piled into a Jeep Wrangler and headed out for their first snowboarding adventure. Richard Pham says it was the most memorable trip he had ever taken. In remembrance of Christian, the group members each got tattoos of him posing on a snowboard.
“Looking at it reminds us of that trip," Pham said. "We always wanted to do another one, and we never got the chance to. I think it reminds all of us of how creative a person he was. There are moments in time when you stop for a second, then you want to get lazy or complacent. For me, I think about the tattoo, and it helps me think, 'Hey, he would want you to keep going. He would want you to finish.'”
Myles Baker, Ryan Baxter and Darryl Boyer recalled riding bikes all over Palm Coast with Christian in middle school. Baxter said they were outdoorsmen — surfing, kayaking and fishing regularly.
Dawn Romero said she believes parents need to be vigilant about communicating with their children.
“I really think it goes back to us as parents,” she said. “You need to talk to your kids. You need to find out who their friends are and need to know where your kids are at. Don’t take their word for, “I’m spending the night at John’s house or going to hang out with Kate”. No. You need to call their parents and make sure this really is the case.”
