A Story of Remembrance and Rising Together
By Jack Merrick, Breakthrough Miami Changemaker; Ransom Everglades Student, Class of 2026
In a city where school rivalries run deep and water polo competition is fierce, a powerful act of unity rose from heartbreak. My name is Jack Merrick and I am a junior at Ransom Everglades and a Breakthrough Miami volunteer. A few weeks ago, I led an inspiring fundraiser that raised over $6,000 to fund a scholarship in honor of Lucas Osuna, a beloved Belen Jesuit student-athlete whose life was tragically cut short.
As the two-month anniversary of Lucas’s passing approached, I felt compelled to act. Together with my teammates, I wanted to honor Lucas’s legacy in a way that would bring people together, not as rivals, but as a community.
The spark came during a conversation with Breakthrough Miami’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction Gia Maxwell, who mentioned the launch of a new Breakthrough Miami site at Belen this summer. The idea clicked; I would organize a car wash to raise funds for a Breakthrough scholarship in Lucas’s name, serving future students at Belen.
I took the lead, walked into a local McDonald’s, and asked if they’d donate space for the event. Not only did McDonald’s say yes, but they also donated water and full use of their parking lot. I rallied his Ransom Everglades water polo teammates, and the Belen team, hearing of the effort, joined in as well. The turnout was extraordinary.
More than just clean cars, the event brought clean starts. The players and I raised over $6,000, enough to fully Support-A-Scholar attending Breakthrough programming at the Belen site. For Lucas’s parents, this act of kindness and togetherness was deeply moving. His father noted there were 89 individual donors: 89 was his football number. He saw it as a sign.
“This is the kind of story Breakthrough was built on,” said a member of the Breakthrough Miami team. “A young person leading with compassion, stepping forward in the face of loss to bring others along with him.”
My teammates and I hope to make the car wash an annual tradition, with my younger brother Hunter continuing the legacy once I graduate. A ceremonial check presentation is planned for June 6–7 during the Belen Jesuit Lucas Osuna Memorial water polo tournament. This day will be a full-circle moment of sportsmanship, service, and remembrance. I hope this story is one that will inspire other young people to lead with heart, honor friendships, and take action to build something beautiful out of grief. This is a reminder that even in the most difficult moments, young people can light the way forward. ♦
