Family creates foundation to honor the legacy of Lafayette boy killed riding his bicycle
LAFYETTE, Calif. - 10-year-old Leo Cellura's life was cut short on July 28th. He was riding his bicycle in his Lafayette neighborhood along Merriewood Drive when he collided with a delivery truck.
In the days since the tragic accident, his parents started a memorial fund in his name - the Live Like Leo Memorial Foundation. In just a few short weeks, it already raised more than $200,000.
"Our goal with the Live Like Leo Foundation is, in its simplest form, to preserve Leo’s legacy and share his legacy with others,” wrote his parents, Michael and Dinasha Cellura, in an email. "Today, the foundation is still in its visionary status. We hope to drive two distinct visions within the foundation: to seek out like-minded charities and foundations to support, based on our guiding principles; and to provide tangible, life-changing experiences for underprivileged or underserved youth who seek to live their lives by these guiding principles."
This includes global experiences which they say shaped their son to be the special person he was.
"Our guiding principles are clear: kindness, empathy, compassion, selflessness, inclusion, and diversity. Above all, we hope to inspire awareness about how these principles play out in our daily society. We believe that varied experiences in the world—like those Leo had—can educate and spread awareness and ultimately, a greater understanding of each other," Leo's parents wrote in the email.
They want to work with other charitable organizations with the same goals and hope to reward candidates not based on their academics, but on their goodwill and compassion.
They say their son was raised as a global citizen. He was born in San Francisco but lived overseas for most of his life. His family only recently moved back to the Bay Area.
"He really was just a good kid always trying to do the right thing," wrote Leo's parents.
While loved ones grapple with the tragic loss, they say this foundation is a way for his legacy to live on.