San Diego’s American Little League is raising money for the four kids whose parents were shot and killed in an ambush in Little Italy last week.

One of the children plays on the White Sox baseball team. The boys’ coach and members of the league organized a fundraiser Friday night at Memorial Community Park in Logan Heights.

A few Mexican comfort food favorites add a little comfort to the lives of the four children who have survived their parent’s deaths.

“You don’t expect these things to happen,” Coach Johnny Banuelos said.

Banuelos coaches the White Sox little league baseball team. He had to adjust his own emotional compass.

One of his players, 12-year-old Nathan, is the son of Jose Medina and Rachael Martinez. The couple was shot and killed while waiting in their car downtown for a court hearing.      

“I hope he is able to move on in life and realize there is still good out there,“ Coach Banuelos said.

Coach Banuelos struggled with what to say but did not struggle with what to do. He organized a team of league volunteers and parents to sell food and raffle tickets. The proceeds will go to Nathan and his three siblings.

“My heart drops for them. I don’t know from here or another day. Maybe, I won’t be here. I would want somebody to reach out to my family as well,“ Estrella Flores said.

Flores’ daughter plays on the White Sox. She also runs the league concessions.

“These kids right now they have this hope that, they have all this love coming out from outside, not just their home,“ Flores.

The fundraiser is being held next to the White Sox home field. The night before the shooting the team had a scrimmage. The coach says Nathan had his first big hit and his parents got to see it.

The idea that their parents will miss the rest of their children’s accomplishments is unsettling to those supporting these fundraising efforts.

Daniel Paz is a classmate.

“It is really difficult to go through, especially at a young age. I really feel bad for him but I hope he is doing good,“ Paz said.

Dina Chan and Fiancée Matthew Rosenberg are friends of another player on the team.

“We didn’t believe what we were hearing on the news. I think it was like a shock factor,“ Chan said.

“It’s the holidays. These kids are now without their parents at the best time of the year. Now it’s the worst time of the year for them,“ Rosenberg said.

More than 200 people donated food, time, or money to make this a success. There was no goal set and no expectations to meet. Only the hope that some day these four orphaned children find peace in their lives.

“There is a God even though it might feel like, Where is God in this situation? We have to keep pushing forward,” Banuelos said.

The kids’ classmates from Logan Memorial Educational Campus also participated and donated to the fundraiser.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The state of California recently released data showing how well schools around the San Diego area are doing, including San Diego Unified, the largest district in San Diego County.

“San Diego Unified continues to make progress in some areas,” San Diego Unified School Board President Shana Hazan said. “Progress is really significant.”

That’s the takeaway, as Hazan explained, the district’s latest report card from the state.

A positive: the district saw a 3% improvement in their college and career readiness numbers.

Currently, the district is almost 63%, while other comparable-sized districts like Los Angeles Unified sit at 45%.

“It’s not just about how kids are doing- sitting in the classrooms here,” Hazan said. “But how are they doing when they leave our system? Are our kids set up for success for the long term?”

An area the district needs to continue to improve in is absenteeism. Last school year, 21% of students struggled with attendance.

While that number has declined from the year before, it’s still a problem the district needs to tackle.

This year, they’ve tried different incentives for students, such as partnering up with the San Diego Padres to reward the school with the best attendance.

ABC 10News was there when Padres Superstar Manny Machado surprised Paradise Hills Elementary School students.

Another area the district is paying close attention to is graduation rates. They saw a slight decrease compared to the year before. The district connects that to changes to the state’s graduation waivers.

During the pandemic, the requirements to qualify for a waiver were loosened. Now, the restrictions are back.

So, now the question is, what happens next?

“As to how it relates to what’s happening in the classroom, our teachers receive information; they can see how they’re doing,” Hazan said. “Principals can see at the site level how students are doing, [they] use that data to really improve instruction based on the area of growth in their schools.”

The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

In a memo the NBA sent to its team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the league revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.”

Conley’s home was broken into on Sept. 15 when he was at a Minnesota Vikings game and jewelry was taken, officials told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Portis said his home was broken into on Nov. 2 and has offered a $40,000 reward for information related to the incident. The homes of Mahomes and Kelce were broken into within days of each other last month, according to law enforcement reports, and the NFL issued a similar warning memo to its teams this week.

The NBA memo, relaying information from the FBI, said the theft rings “are primarily focused on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches, and luxury bags.”

The NBA, which has also been giving guidance to team security personnel, recommended that players install updated alarm systems with cameras and utilize them whenever leaving the home, keeping valuables in locked and secured safes, remove online real estate listings that may show interior photos of a home, “utilize protective guard services” during extended trips from the home and even suggested having dogs assist with home protection.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating, disappointing, but I can’t get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing,” Mahomes recently said. “But, obviously, something you don’t want to happen to anybody, but obviously yourself.”

One of the break-ins involving the Chiefs players happened on a game day — Oct. 7 — and Portis was also playing a game when his home was robbed.

“They took most of my prized possessions,” Portis said.