Here’s How You Can Help The Victims of the Uvalde, Texas Shooting
A school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that has left 19 children and 2 teachers dead, has devastated a small community of just over 15,000 people.
As the families of the victims work to find legal representation and mental health services in the coming weeks and months, Texas-based organizations have begun asking for help. So, too, are the survivors in desperate need of medical services and blood donations.
University Health in San Antonio was the first to put out a call for blood donations. Their needs were met almost immediately, but South Texas Blood and Tissue is still holding an emergency blood drive today from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., local time.
Although all the slots have been filled, they “urged people to visit DonateBloodToday.com to find available slots,” according to the Washington Post.
In terms of mental health support, Texas Representative Tony Gonzalez has asked mental health professionals to contact his office to “coordinate support” for those affected by the shooting.
Elsewhere, San Antonio Legal Services Association has put out a call for attorneys who are licensed in Texas to assist families in the weeks and months to come.
As far as financial support, there have been a flood of verified fundraising pages, including one for teacher Irma Garcia, a mother of four who was killed during the attack, as well as a more general Texas Elementary School Shooting Relief fundraiser run by VictimsFirst, “a network of survivors and family members of those lost in past mass shootings.”
Finally, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice project has released a “Dear Teacher” open letter with an accompanying “sign-up link to a webinar it says will provide watchers with an ‘understanding of trauma and how it affects both learning and relationships at school.'”