LANCASTER – A memorial fundraiser to support a scholarship in Destiny Tennison’s name will be held this coming Sunday (April 7) in Lancaster.
Tennison, a 22-year-old single mother of two, was killed in a DUI crash on February 25 on Avenue I, near 15th Street East, in Lancaster.
Tennison was a passenger in a vehicle that was traveling eastbound on Avenue I, when it skidded through an intersection and crashed into a traffic signal pole. Tennison was pronounced dead at the scene.
Andres Rubidoux, the 24-year-old father of Tennison’s children, was charged with murder, driving without a license and three felony DUI charges in connection with the crash. He pleaded no contest last week to lesser charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony DUI causing injury. Rubidoux is currently jailed without bail and is due back in court on April 16 for sentencing.
About a month after the fatal crash, Tennison’s relatives joined local activists and law enforcement officials in a press conference to warn the community about the dangers of drinking and driving.
At the time, Rosa Tennison said her family was working to create a scholarship that would carry on her daughter’s name in a positive way.
Sunday’s event is the first in a series of fundraisers aimed at supporting the Destiny Tennison scholarship, which would help an economically disadvantaged single mother pursue a nursing degree at Antelope Valley College. Tennison wanted to become a nurse and she was taking steps to pursue her goal before she passed away, her mother said.
The Destiny Tennison memorial scholarship fundraiser will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (April 7) at the Underground Bowling Lounge at BeX, located at 706 Lancaster Boulevard.
Dr. Miguel Suarez Coronado and his organization, Agents of Change, along with the Tennison family are hosting the fundraiser. Fifteen percent of whatever is spent at the bowling lounge during the event will be donated to the scholarship, Coronado said. The group will also be accepting personal donations for the scholarship during the event.
Coronado said he is working with Antelope Valley College to identify a student to benefit from the scholarship, which could be presented as early as this summer.
“We want to keep Destiny’s memory alive and also to bring awareness to the community about the dangers of drinking and driving and texting and driving,” Coronado said, adding that the event is also in recognition of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
The Tennison family has created a separate online fundraiser with the goal of raising $3,000 to assist the two young children that Tennison left behind. To donate to this cause, visit http://www.gofundme.com/destinysbabys.
Previous related stories:
Drivers pleads no contest in fatal DUI crash
Officers, activists join mourning family in message against drunk driving
ryneshia jackson says
such a GREAT DAD A he wanted to take his mother of his kids to wal mart drunk
so how to explain to kids that both parents messed up and now they have no parents
Tam says
She will have them back. And when she does those kids will know about their mother. They will know that their mother loved them very much.
kandie says
ohhhhhh, well im pretty sure they know that, sense their grandma speaks about destiny and andrew to them all the time and by that i mean she tells them how much they are loved not about the accident or how it happened kids shouldnt hear that it messes up their liddo head!anyway,she even put a picture of destiny in their room ahhh shes such a good women with a big heart thank god for ppl like andrews mom god bless you for all the love your giving those babys and rasing them on your own with no help seriously just god bless her heart…good day to everyone :)
Tam says
No one can tell those kids about their mother other then the family of the mother. Do u know what she did when she was growing up don’t think so. Does andrew mother know any of that don’t think so. So you tell me how in the world is she going to tell them about her? She can’t you can’t and his family sure in the hell can’t. Unless you all were there. I really don’t care what u all say. You all keep bad mouthing my family andyou think that is ok will it not. My niece is never coming home. And her kids should be with destiny mother. Fighting over them going to hurt them both more. People need to just back off. She doing it on her? Oh so I guess we all should feel sorry for her because she doing it on her own. Well I don’t. And I won’t she made the choice to take those babys no one told her to. So don’t complain about it. If it so hard then give them back to destiny mother. She will be more then happy to do it own her own and NOT complain about. You can reply but guess what I don’t care what u have to say about anything. I’m done with all this BS.
time for truth says
first of all no one is complaining in putting if out there because i admire her doing all this for her son and by no help i mean u don’t see her asking for $3000 to take care of them
kandie says
Exactly sis thank u ,u got my point …(call me again my phone won’t let me make outgoing calls right now)
Tam says
It just he said she said but you know I’m not bad mouthing anyone just making a statement here like I said if she having a hard time with doing it on her own then she can always give the kids to destiny mother. I’m not going to bad mouth her meaning andrew mother I don’t know her To do that. No one is getting hurt more then those babies. All this fighting is hurting the babies no one else. I don’t care about the adult here all I care about is those babies. And them not getting hurt more then they already are. If you have ever lost a parent. And grew up without one then you would know the pain these babies are going through will always go through. Fighting is not helping anyone. Most of all it not helping the little ones in this now is it?.
carrie says
@ tam Very true completly says on the web page is to bring the babies home omg is it hard to read that or do you like to just think your better then anyone else well i think your just as low as a pile of you know what all i have to say not worth arguing with childish people that think there better then anyone. Those babies are way more important then listening to you to taking up space here shows how much respect you two have for children and there mother and dont say you do either if you did you would leave the family alone and shut up not worth my day arguing to your level so have a wonderful day
Tam says
@ carrie I am part of the family destiny was my nice.
carrie says
ok but i was talking about the other too sorry if i sounded like it was toward you but it wasnt
Tam says
@ carrie I am part of the family destiny was my nice. I do not think I am better then anyone else. I am human. And make mistakes like anyone else. I just don’t want my niece kids to be hurt anymore then they are. And I’m not saying that andrew mother would hurt them. She can’t tell them about my niece not the way my family can. And we can’t tell them about andrew not the way his family could. Destiny mother does not want to keep them away from his family she just want to be apart of their lives. Everyone need to come together for the babies. All for the babies.
Tam says
Oh ok thank you Carrie
carrie says
Im just sick of them putting the family down when they have the kids and all its hurting is the children and they think they know everything it really makes me pist only god decides were those babies go ive been ready all the pages and this certain person here comments and puts her to sence on and its very irratating there disrespecting those babies and there mom when they disrespect you guys but apparently they dont care about those kids and you guys are the bad ones well i got news for them there the bad ones going on and on and on its disrespectful let her family morn with out idiots like them putting nonsense on here
kandie says
what?! why do they need $3000 dollars for the kids when the kids arent with them ?????
James says
Andres Rubidoux = You do the crime, you have to do the time!
carrie says
Because they will be
rudy says
@KANDIE THAT VEARY TRUE Y DO THEY NEED THAT MONEY THE KIDS NEED IT,IT SHOULD GO TO A BANK IN THE KIDS NAME SO WHO EVER HAS THEM (MY TIA) SHOULD GET THEM WHAT EVER THEY NEED, SO THE MONEY SHOULD GO TO THE KIDS IN THER NAME AND WHO THE KIDS WITH!!!!!!!
selfish people says
Omg people still being disrespectful leave it be dang
kandie says
Yea i know rudy i was just at ur tias the other day and the babys seem to be doing pretty good and she just let them go out with their grandma rosa ..im not arguing with her family i agree that everyone should get along..it just trips me out cuz one day they say they are ok and they forgive Andrew and the next u see all these bad things being said about him thats just confusing ..just drop this crap on the web Andrew friends ad family don’t have nothing bad to say but we come on here and we see him being called a murderer and ppl asking for so much money when the babys are with his mom so ofcourse we get irritated and stand up for him if these articles would stop updating and these lies of him being a bad dad and a beater and a murderer would stop and ppl would concentrate on no hate just healing and loving the babys none of all these comments would be getting posted and if ur hurting the last thing u should do is be on the web why do u think Andrews mom stopped reading this website because it hurt her to see all the insults thrown at her son she could’ve easly came in here and give a piece of her mind but no shes grown so what did she do just clicked out nd not read thats what ur supposed to do so u don’t get hurt with comments or fall under the [removed] pile and talk smack too idk im just done honestly ppl argue and take comments too personal its an opinion everyone has one just seriously god bless everyone and hopefully this hate and arguing can just stop
carrie says
For your information they atent asking for money if you clicked the page like i did its for roraise money to HELP THEM GET THE KIFSyou apparently only read what tou want to you guys are the ones going on and on her family has stopped accept one and she hasnt said anything bad about andrew or his mom theres to much hurt already there going through to have hate there is some hate but thats exspected if someone intenially or unenintenually killed ur child would you be hurt or angry yes you would if it was me and was my child weither she was in the wrong to get in the car i wouldnt be calm as her mother is so until u bury your child stay out of peoples situation you guys go on there facebooks wth is that if you arent being disrespectful god will decide were the kids go so STOP THE BS
Tam says
The more they post the more I will keep posting. Until they get it in there heads that. I will not stand for someone who talks bad about my family. the ones who keeping saying that my family is bad mouthing andrew and his family you show me anywere on my sister fb page or mine for that matter where we have bad mouth andrew. Yes at first I did bad mouth him only because I was mad and hurt that my niece is gone. I had that right. I had a right to be mad and upset. I do forgive andrew. Not only did those babies lose their mother they lost their father for how ever long he will be in prison.
kandie says
Do me a favor [REMOVED] like i said i keep my respect to her family u obviously don’t even know either side of the family so ima put it like this i give 1 dam 2 sh**s and 3 fu**s what u got to say im not trying to hurt anyone or disrespect anyone im ust saying what me his mom brothers and the rest of his family think ok we feel all the insults to him are unnecessary so we speak on it have u seen me insult her family no ur lacking on brain cells homie if u think it gonna come in here and talk shi u don’t even know Andrew or destiny so why are u speaking esa and why don’t u try double reading and very slow ..it says they’ve made a different donating page to raise and i quote”$ 3000 to attend the two children tennison left behind ” so whos the one not reading right lmao this hyna see what i mean i come in here trying to post what we think and i end up having to explain what a dumb ass is reading seriously just stfu cuz i ain’t trying to disrespect the rest of the ppl here with my language just u need to read better and don’t speak unless u know who the ppl involved are. And for the record none of us care about the money they can come up with 1 million dollars for all we care, if anything good for them ..we care when Andrew is being trashes on the internet with lies and the fact that his case is all over the web being fn updated like really just drop it he’s in, what else are u getting out of it ? Shows how much they want ppl to think he’s a murderer when hes not !!
lillian/aunt says
@carrie idk who u r but thank u for sticking up for our family very well appreciated but enough is enough the kids r hurting here too not just us @kandie ik ur mad but all this fighting has to stop we all just need to try to get along for the kids please ik ur sticking up for what everyone and myself said about Andrew but we were hurting and still are none of this will bring her back and I wanna thank ruth for letting my sister see the grand babies it made her day to see them and hold them and love them @ everyone but with everyone fighting its not gonna do any good all it is is everyone going back and forth im not here to say anything bad im just saying why cant we all just get along for the kids just childish fighting if u ask me my sister told me not to say anymore but its getting sick and ridiculous now all the name calling on destinys memorial pages there is a time and place to call people names and this isn’t it we miss her so much and for the fund raiser on the gofund me it was for her mom to help raise money to get the kids back the newspaper didn’t word it right that’s were that mistake was but all im saying is please stop fighting its a lot on both familes and we both are going through a lot and god has his hands on those babies and will lead them were they r suppose to go im sorry if I sound like a b**** but im not trying to be or act like im perfect cause im not I admit I said bad things about Andrew and im gonna be a women and apologize im SORRY I was hurt we lost a beautiful person in our life all because she got in the car and he drank and drove but nothing will bring her back all I wanna say is thank u all for reading this and I wont repost to argue thanks again and sorry to everyone love u my beautiful niece may u rest in peace and watch over ur babies and ur family miss u so dang much and love u sis
kandie says
@lilian/aunt thank you for apologizing now thats what is supposed to happen be grown ups and getting along with no crab talking thanks u for that well wrote message shows u got heart and in sorry for ur loss and yes it is in gods hands what happens :) good day to u ma’am
douglas wade says
the article states, “and three felony DUI charges in connection with the crash”. Is that correct, he is charged with 3 felony DUI or it is his third (two prior) DUI charges.
The AV Times Staff says
It should have said “three felony DUI-related charges in connection with the crash.” Those three other charges were gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, D.U.I. causing injury and driving with .08% blood alcohol level and causing injury. Thanks for reading!