Fundraisers planned to help the family of CMPD officer who died due to COVID-19
Two fundraisers are planned next month for the family of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who died due to COVID-19 last fall.
Officer Julio Herrera died Oct. 4, four months shy of retirement. He was 54.
Herrera was the longest-tenured school resource officer in North Carolina. He spent 10 years at Providence High School, 15 at Ardrey Kell, and 28 total with CMPD, according to a news release from the Salute to Heroes Charlotte Foundation.
StickWithUs, a lacrosse organization, will host the inaugural Heroes Bowl on Friday, April 1, at Memorial Stadium near uptown Charlotte. The event will feature three high school lacrosse matches. Tickets are $10 and a portion of the proceeds will go to support Herrera’s family.
The schedule for Friday’s games:
▪ 4:30 p.m. — Weddington vs. Charlotte Catholic (girls)
▪ 6 p.m. — Myers Park vs. Greensboro Page (boys)
▪ 7:30 p.m. — Lake Norman vs. Fort Mill (boys)
On April 16, more than 20 Charlotte-area breweries will compete in the inaugural HoppThru Charlotte Neighborhood Brewery Challenge at Resident Culture in South End. Guests will receive a tasting glass to try the beers, then use their three “Hopp” coins to vote for their favorite. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at hoppthru.com.
During his career, Herrera received CMPD’s Student Resource Officer of the Year award twice. He also was chosen to visit Russia and Belarus to help implement SRO programs in those countries, according to Salute to Heroes.
Herrera is survived by his wife, Beth Gilbert Herrera, and sons Jordan, 23, and Christian, 19.
“We thank you for any support you can offer the family of Officer Herrera, as he did so much for the children of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community and beyond,” the Salute to Heroes Charlotte Foundation said.
A GoFundMe page has been created for Herrera’s family.
This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 4:27 PM.
