Edder Diaz loved running.
After tragedy struck and Diaz lost his life, students and staff at Parkside Junior High decided to rally with a fundraiser for his family.
“Redder for Edder,” the name of the fundraiser was a massive success, raising $20,810, which is $10,000 more than the original goal.
The Run/Walk took place on November 22 at Maxwell Park at 8 am.
“Edder ran on our boys’ open team and qualified for the first alternate spot for our Sectional team. He was a runner, so it was fitting to honor him with a run on the same course he ran on for two years” Paul Bliss, a cross country coach and teaching assistant at PJHS, said.
Diaz was killed in a mobile-home fire in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Everything in the house was destroyed.
It was important for the group to not only honor Edder but his entire family for all that they lost.
“Making the run a fundraiser was a way we could offer support to help his family replace those things lost,” Bliss stated.
In addition to the fundraiser, Bliss orchestrated other things to live out Diaz’s memory.
“There will be a ceremonial tree planted along the cross-country course to honor Edder’s memory,” Bliss noted.
As students and staff mourn the death of one of their own, Bliss wants his team and students to not only remember Diaz but to also appreciate those around them.
“My message to my team and our community is to be grateful for those who are present here today, and that because Edder is in our hearts, he too is present with us today,” Bliss noted.
