In 2015, Viola Holman lifted her head from the depths of grief over her daughter’s death to a vision of her Ethosha swinging her legs on the back on an 18-wheeler truck and giving out backpack donations.
Ethosha Lynn, who had battled declining health for years, had described that image of herself on that trailer as a fervent wish if and when her daddy, Jonel Holman, won the lottery. Mrs. Holman said after her daughter’s death people all over the region kept telling her of times that Ethosha had helped them.
“It explained why she never had money herself,” Holman said. “But she never told us.” Eight years earlier, Tosha and her two sons had moved in with her parents after her diagnosis of kidney failure. She helped her mother organize the Tour of South Texas, which introduced disadvantaged children to worlds outside of their own. Two such tours included the Moody Gardens Rainforest and the San Antonio Jazz Festival.
They also helped the foster parent community with a holiday party in the Chisholm Trail Museum, followed by hot chocolate and a ride through the Christmas in the Park light show.
Unbekno wnst to her mother, Tosha filed a 501C application that described all the community work they were doing. The vision was related to churches in Cuero, Victoria and Port Lavaca who visited and supported each others’ community service. Thus the Tri-City Empowerment Council was formalized.
This group is now working to renovate the old Duale High School that educated Black students before integration in 1965. The refurbished building will house the Duale Resource Center, which will offer enrichment, education and workskill development to overlooked populations.
Mrs. Holman said that though her daughter was on disability, she prioritized her sons having quality backpacks and supplies for school. Tosha wanted all children to have quality tools of education.
After Tosha’s funeral, Mrs. Holman felt guided to ask the community for support to make that vision a reality. At the end of her first day of visiting possible donors, she had $13,000 and her friend Drosto Montgomery’s help in organizing it. Thus began the first Ethosha Lynn Back to School Bash.
Ten years later, Mr. Holman still has not won the lottery, but Tosha's dream continues, giving away 1,000 backpacks, full of school supplies by grade, to any student who needs one. Haircuts and more school supplies as well as entertainment and other community outreach are on offer also. It starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Cuero Municipal Park Pavilion and ends at noon.
