Car Wash Raises Funds for Grieving Family

A fundraiser car wash was held Saturday to raise money for the four children of a Lake Elsinore woman that was recently killed in a car crash. 

The car wash took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Albertson’s parking lot and was staffed by friends and family of Cinthia Marily Cardozo Madrid, 33, who was killed Jan. 6 after the sedan she was driving went down an embankment along a ramp linking the southbound Long Beach Freeway to westbound Pacific Coast Highway.

“She was on her way to work that morning,” said Lake Elsinore resident Fernando Espinoza, 36, who was engaged to Cardozo Madrid after a 10-plus-year friendship. “It was confirmed that it was a deadly car accident.

“We were all in disbelief, I had to drive to the crash site to just get some kind of sense to what happened.”

Dozens of motorists had their cars washed, with some just donating money. All funds raised during the event will go to their children and anything they need, according to Espinoza, who is currently unemployed and actively looking for work.

No prices were set for the car wash. Instead, donations in any amount were being accepted.

The car wash was made possible by Albertson’s and city hall, according to Espinoza. 

“She was a good mom (and) she would do anything for her kids,” said Rosa Pozos, 37, of Lake Elsinore, who was a friend of Cardozo Madrid. “She laughed all the time (and) she worked hard.”

During the car wash, numerous people took a moment to stop and donate what change they had.

“This community has helped us a lot,” Espinoza said. “This is a beautiful city and this community has helped us through this.

“She was a wonderful person.”