YORK, Pa. — Pastor Alexander Alvarado knows all too well the pain of losing a loved one.
“A person killed my sister," said Pastor Alvarado from The House of Reconciliation Church.
Alvarado’s sister died from gun violence two decades ago. She was only 19 years old.
“She was the baby of the house. we called her the baby, that was her nickname. she was the youngest and we were very close," said Pastor Alvarado
He says during this very difficult time, he was able to hold onto his faith tighter than he had before and find his life purpose in the face of tragedy.
“I promised god in her memory, that I would do events like this, not only to honor her memory, but also because we live in this city, god put us in this city, my daughters were born in this city, my sons were born here, my grandsons are going to be born here, and we need to raise our voice and tell the community please stop the violence," said Pastor Alvarado.
Alvarado decided to create an event that would provide spiritual support to all of those in the community who have lost a loved one to gun violence.
“That we can live in peace. that we can live respecting one another," said Pastor Alvarado.
The event had food, music, and activities for all age groups.
It also had guest speakers like the mayor of York and The York City Police Department.
“Without the community without the non-profit organizations, without the businesses for profit, without the individuals that are committed to our community, this event wouldn’t have been able to happen," said Pastor Alvarado.