Uvalde Shooting: GoFundMe for Orphans of Killed Teacher and Her Husband Reaches Over $2 Million

The GoFundMe page for the bereaved family of Irma Garcia, 46, one of the victims of the Uvalde shooting, and her husband, Joe, who died of heart attack days later, has reached over $2 Million. 

Irma Garcia, a fourth-grade teacher, was killed while trying to protect her students from the shooter Salvador Ramos on Tuesday. Ramos barricaded himself in a classroom and killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, as per Daily Mail.  

The untimely death of the couple left their four children - Cristian, 23; Jose, 19; Lyliana, 16; and Alysandra, 12, orphaned. John Martinez, Irma's nephew, wrote on his Twitter that the teacher died with her students in her arms to protect them.

Go Fund Me Page reaches Over $2 Million

As of Saturday, the crowdfunding effort for the children of Uvalde shooting hero teacher and her husband, raised $2.5 million, with more than 44,000 donors, as per a Washington Post report. The amount exceeds the initial target of $10,000 to cover the couple's funeral expenses. 

Key personalities who donated to the family were Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Porsha Williams, YouTuber Mona Kattan, writer Maureen Orth, and Billy Joel's daughter- singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel.

The crowdfunding was initiated by Irma's cousin, Debra Austin, who wrote on the page that she genuinely believes that Joe had died of a broken heart after losing the love of his life, Irma, for more than 25 years.

The top donation was from a separate GoFundMe created by Martinez, which received more than $500,000, with Bill Pulte, a philanthropist and CEO of the investment firm Pulte Capital, promoting the page.

In Detriot Free Press, Martinez said their family is grateful and elated with the outpouring of support.

Read Also: Uvalde Shooting: Family Says More Could Have Been Done to Save Lives

They are great people; they don't deserve this

 Austin described Garcia as a wife, a mother of four, an aunt, cousin, sister, and daughter who would "literally do anything for anybody."

The community remembers the family as great people, adding that they do not deserve what happened. Trinity Arriola, a resident and a teacher, described the Garcia children as "good kids."

On Thursday, Joe and the children visited Garcia's memorial two days after the massacre. Joe was filmed carrying a large vase of red roses to the memorial site.

However, hours after the memorial visit, Joe died of a heart attack. The relatives blamed it on anguish over his wife's death. They left four children behind. Cristian, the eldest, is in a military boot camp, while the second, Joe, is a student at Texas State University.

Father Eduardo Morales blessed the three siblings who attended the service at the memorial mass. He assured the bereaved children that the community is their family, and their mother and father would always find a way to care for them.

The shooting on May 24 at Robb Elementary school is the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

Related Article: Uvalde Shooting: Families, Parents Hail Two Texas Teachers Who Shielded Students from Gunman as Heroes

Related Article: Uvalde Shooting: Families, Parents Hail Two Texas Teachers Who Shielded Students from Gunman as Heroes