Thousands gather for Braden Aboud Memorial walk and run

Thousands gathered at Zach White Elementary School on Sunday for the 12th Annual Braden Abound Memorial walk and run.

Braden was 14 years old when he died after a skiing accident.

“Snow skiing was one of the things that he loved and it was a very freak accident like anything that can happen in life,” Braden’s mother Cindi said. “So he was on an intermediate slope when he fell and had a head injury.”

Since that day, thousands have gathered every year to remember him.

“We always laugh because Braden was not the kind of kid to want his name to be the center of attention,” Cindi said.

The event has grown every year. Cindi says that’s because the family is now using it as an opportunity to help others. They created the Braden Aboud Memorial Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for schools and other organizations across El Paso.

“We knew that a memorial usually goes down in numbers so we decided to put it somewhere that it would grow and it would stay alive,” Cindi said. “It stayed alive for 12 years because schools all over El Paso come here every year to earn grant funding.”

To learn more about the foundation click here.