When you enter the lobby of Aviva Children’s Services, the first thing you will probably see is the smiling face of our executive assistant, Catherine. But if you glance over to the left, you will see a wall full of stars honoring Aviva’s biggest supporters. Today, Aviva staff were honored to invite the Torres-Shelby family to gather with them before that wall to honor the memory of their son, brother, grandson, and cousin, Baby Gabriel.

Baby Gabriel lost his life on April 10, 2018 after he and his father were involved in a car accident. Unable to celebrate their son’s first birthday that August 25th, they chose to celebrate his life by holding a toy drive in his honor. With a desire to bring smiles to children who might not otherwise receive gifts of their own, Baby Gabriel’s mother Clarissa donated those toys to us here at Aviva.

The Torres-Shelby friends and family did not let these uncertain times prevent them from celebrating Baby Gabriel and the joy he brought to their lives. And as she has since 2018, Clarissa arrived at Aviva’s doorstep on a warm August day; her SUV laden with smiles in the form of gifts for foster children. Engraving Baby Gabriel’s name on a star and hanging it on our wall for all to see is the least we could do for a family who bring so much joy to our community.

Skip to content