Innocent children who sustained injuries from the horrific mass shooting, witnessed their classmates being murdered or huddled in fear waiting for someone to come to their rescue at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, will bear lifelong scars. For some, these scars are physical. For many others, they are invisible to the naked eye but deep and significant, nonetheless.
Along with the many ways available to help victims and survivors of the Uvalde school shooting, many families are seeking help to cover the costs of mental health and medical expenses.GoFundMe has created a page highlighting fundraisers for these children and their families. The site shared a link to the dedicated page on Twitter.
“To support those affected by the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, GoFundMe has created a centralized hub to house every verified fundraiser,” tweeted GoFundMe. “Our Trust & Safety team will continue to update this hub with more fundraisers as they are verified.”
To support those affected by the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, GoFundMe has created a centralized hub to house every verified fundraiser.
Our Trust & Safety team will continue to update this hub with more fundraisers as they are verified. https://t.co/5zAu4wpq0S
— GoFundMe
(@gofundme) May 24, 2022
There are currently more than 25 verified fundraisers for people affected in some way by the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde —including victims’ families and survivors. In addition, numerous fundraisers are listed that support the community, multiple individuals, or families in some way. You can send money directly to fundraisers working for victims, donate to a group that wants to put up a mural to uplift the community, or help a volunteer canine crisis team deploy therapy dogs in Uvalde.
Gabriella Coleman created a fundraiser for her 10-year-old nephew, Lucas, stating that no child should go through what Lucas experienced that day.
“That day he lost his teachers, friends and his sense of safety,” Coleman wrote. “This fundraiser will give the parents the ability to stay home with him, replace his favorite LeBron James shoes he lost during his escape and provide him with the counseling he needs as he works thru this horrible massacre and attempts to piece together his life without his friends.”
Nine-year-old Kendall Olivarez was shot in the left shoulder while bullet fragments hit her right leg and tailbone, resulting in severe injuries. One account states that she only survived because her teacher, who was shot, fell on Kendall, shielding her from more harm. Her aunt, who created a GoFundMe page for her, says Kendall will require multiple surgeries.
The mother of Miah Cerrillo, 11, also started a GoFundMe to benefit her daughter. Miah was one of the children who called 911 for help after the gunman shot some of her classmates. Terrified he would return, she dipped her hands in the blood of a dead classmate lying next to her, smeared it all over herself, and pretended to be dead.
“She will need a lot of help with all the trauma that she is going through,” wrote her mother.
Noah Orona, 10, was shot in the back and pretended to be dead, watching his teacher fall on top of another child and die.
“Dad, I’m sorry,” he told his father at the hospital. “I got blood all over my clothes.”
Noah’s older sister created a GoFundMe page to help with his physical and motor therapy, and long-term mental and emotional recovery.
“Your donation will be gratefully used to help him recover from the mental trauma that has left our little guy with trying to comprehend not only his wounds, but witnessing the suffering of his friends, classmates, and his beloved teachers,” she wrote.
Other emergency funds have been started for those affected by the shooting, including one by the League of United Latin American Citizens and two that will be managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation. The Uvalde Strong Survivors fund will provide long-term financial assistance to families and survivors, while the Uvalde Strong fund will support nonprofits that provide mental health and counseling services to the community.
“Many of the victims were rushed to our trauma centers in San Antonio and we also will be reaching out to them to provide whatever support they need while they are here, but I know that won’t be enough,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said during a news conference at the Children’s Bereavement Center of San Antonio.
Gonzales also announced that United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County have created the United with Uvalde fund to support the victims’ families and the community. Donations to the fund can be made on the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County website.
“We will make these funds available to nonprofit organizations with experience and expertise in providing direct mental health services for communities impacted by trauma,” United Way wrote in a statement to the San Antonio Report.
Here are some other ways to help, too.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
