He'll Always Be in Their Hearts

Monday it will be a year to the day since the slogan "JC Forever" was seen all around Peabody.

To commemorate this emotional anniversary, family and friends of Joncarlos "JC" Perez will hold a one-mile walk-a-thon in South Peabody this Sunday in honor of Perez, with family in the Dominican Republic just days after his high school graduation last June.

"While my son is not here specifically, he is alive in the hearts, lives and minds [of] everyone who knew him," Joanna Pena, Perez' mother, told Peabody Patch. " -- he's a special kid. We can express ourselves Sunday, talk of things we miss about him, and that he's still with us spiritually."

The walk will also benefit the JC Perez Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is now awarded annually to an athlete at who demonstrates the same skills and qualities Perez had: integrity, leadership and a strong work ethic. This year, DJ Henrick, who was on the wrestling team with Perez and just graduated last week, received the $3,000 scholarship.

Allyson Wallace, Perez' cousin, spoke at the PVMHS Athletic Awards Night on Wednesday. Pena and Perez' other cousins handed the scholarship award to Henrick. 

"I talked about how hard this year has been, that we appreciate the support and donations to make this scholarship happen, and how the scholarship winner embodied his characteristics and is close to the family," said Wallace.

Perez joined the wrestling team when it first formed during his junior year, played football as a freshman football and ran a few seasons of track. Outside of school, he did mixed martial arts. He was headed for the military after graduation.

"That's JC in nutshell," said Andreina Reyes of Lawrence, a former girlfriend of Perez' during his freshman year. "He's such a leader. His work ethic was strong at such a young age. He was a manager at McDonald's in the Northshore Mall food court at only 16. Everything he did was impeccable."

"He had influence on the wrestling team -- if he had to lose or gain weight to better the team, he did that without complaining," she added.

Reyes and Perez met at a freshman football game and the two remained close even after they stopped dating; Perez was her date to her senior prom. Reyes said she plans to help out with cooking and food preparation on Sunday for the walk.

Walkers will travel a mile Sunday morning. The route loops around Brown Pond, up Lynn Street, and walkers with then gather again at Perez' home at 2 Murdock Dr. for brunch. The meal will be a Dominican style potluck; guests are invited to bring a dish to share as well as their memories of Perez and how life has been since his death.

Those who cannot make the walk are invited to pay their respects at Perez' burial site between 3 and 4 p.m. -- in the Starling Section at Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn, near the Boston Street entrance. There, they will release hundreds of balloons, all bearing the words "JC Forever."

"I want to stress that if people can't make it to the walk, come to my house," Pena said. "Between upstairs, downstairs, and outside, I can fit 50 to 75 people. They'll be a banner outside for people who haven't been before."

To raise money for the scholarship fund, walkers can choose to pledge an amount and have people sponsor them or support by buying memorial items, such as T-shirts for $10, cinch bags for $5, bumper stickers for $2 and rubber wristbands for $3. Each item has Nov. 15, 1992 to June 11, 2011 inscribed on them.

Since there won't be a traditional registration fee, checks and/or money can be mailed to 2 Murdock Dr. or paid up front on Sunday. Check in at the registration table as early as 9 a.m.

Thus far, the weather looks perfect for a walk on Sunday with the forecast in the low 70s. Reyes says she'll be updating her Facebook status for anyone who wants to meet up with the group later. As of Friday afternoon, 63 people signed up for the walk via a Facebook event page.

Pena also held a yard sale at her house last August, which raised $600 for the scholarship fund, and she plans to do it again in July. Pena, who is in the process of moving down to Florida, said that if the walk-a-thon turns out to be successul, it will become an annual event.

She also established a $1,000 scholarship for a Lynn student who is part of the Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Foundation and will continue onto college. Since Perez grew up in Lynn on Chatham Street, the award will be presented at the Franco America Veteran Club on June 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Pena said she puts on these events because they make her feel good emotionally by keeping her son's memory alive. 

"A year ago today [Wednesday], he left for DR. He was so happy that he was graduating and going on vacation. I helped him pack at 1 a.m., and that's probably why I couldn't sleep last night. We were going to have a going away party when he went off to boot camp for the Marines. It's sad that we had that kind of going away party," she said.

Pena's son Alex Rosario came up with the slogan "JC Forever" and it just stuck.