Tin Cup event to support stricken girl, 12

The Shafter Community Chest, with other local organizations, will be holding a special event on Sunday, Jan. 21, at the Tin Cup in Shafter to raise money for Italy Gonzalez, a Shafter girl who is battling leukemia. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Tin Cup parking lot.

Italy, 12, had been winning the fight against this disease after two years, only to have it resurface.

The daughter of Noe Gonzalez has undergone numerous tests, operations and procedures, leaving the family with substantial bills. A Community Chest raffle in June raised money to help then.

In May, Gonzalez underwent a successful bone marrow transplant. She was cleared just months afterward. She later suffered a relapse, and she and her family are now in Southern California for further treatment.

The event at the Tin Cup will include a bounce house, food provided by a family friend of the Gonzalez's, a DJ playing music and a raffle. Numerous individuals and organizations and clubs are donating items for the raffle. The event will feature over 20 vendors and will also include a car show.

Said Daniella Trujillo, one of the organizers of the previous raffle, "The support of the community has been overwhelming, and we are very touched by the show of love by the community."