In the midst of all the tragedy that has occurred in Uvalde, Texas, there is some positive information to share: more than $2.5 million was raised for four children who were left abandoned by the shooting. In addition, an anonymous donor has offered the cost of funeral expenses for all 21 victims who died. Texas governor Greg Abbott also said that free mental health services will be provided to all residents who request them.
A single of the more tragic stories of Uvalde is the story about the Garcia family. A teacher at the elementary school, Irma Garcia, was taken down by a gunman as she tried to shield children. Then, her husband Joe passed away two days after due to heart attacks. The family members of the deceased claimed that Joe “died of a broken heart.”
The couple is left with four children, ranging between 13 and 23.
The GoFundMe website was created by the cousin of Irma's Debra Austin, who hoped to fundraise $10,000 to help the children. It has already received over $2.4 million, showing that there's still love and compassion in the world. Although it's not going to make their parents come back or repair their heartbreak, it can aid them in their struggle without one more thing to think about.
Debra posts on her GoFundMe page:
“Hello, my name is Debra Austin. Irma Garcia was my sister, and was one of the educators who was killed in the massacre at Robb Elementary at Uvalde, Texas(5/24/2022). Irma was a wife, mother of four, and a cousin, as well as one of my sisters, and an aunt. She was an amazing person. She was willing to give anything to anyone ……no questions asked. She was very fond of her students in the classroom and was killed trying to keep them safe. Please consider donating whatever you can to support her family. 100% of the money will be donated directly to the Garcia family to pay for their various expenses. Thank you for your generosity and God bless you.”
“I am also devastated to learn that Irma's husband Joe has passed away tragically this morning(5/26/2022) in the course of an illness. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts. I am convinced Joe passed away from broken hearts and that losing the love of his life of nearly 25 years, was just too much for him to handle.”
A different donation site is the Robb School Memorial Fund, and is also available to those who wish to donate.
In the meantime, as we mentioned earlier, an anonymous donor gave $175,000 to pay for funeral expenses of the 21 people who died on the tragic day. Governor Abbott announced the donation during Friday's press conference:
“An anonymous donor who attended the meeting and provided $175,000 to ensure that every cost of every family concerning anything about funeral services is going to be taken care of,” the man said. “No family experiencing heartbreak that is unimaginable right now will need to worry about one cost related to this deplorable situation.”
Although none of this can bring the dead back or heal our broken hearts, it's still good to know that there is kindness, compassion and compassion everywhere. The bad deeds of a single individual do not determine us and neither will they determine our nation.
Hug your kids tightly over the Memorial Day weekend, and pray for those who aren't able to.
