Fundraiser For The Four Orphaned Garcia Children in Uvalde Raises More The $2.6 Million

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $2.6 million for four children now living without their parents as a result of the Uvalde Massacre last Tuesday.

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School Tuesday while trying to protect her students. On Thursday, the family announced that her husband of nearly 25 years, Joe Garcia, had died from a heart attack.

The couple’s four children were left orphaned due to the tragic events of this last week.

However, through the generosity of so many, an online fundraiser managed by the crowdfunding site GoFundMe has raised millions to support the children.

Debra Austin, Irma’s cousin, apparently started the campaign, which has also been covered by other national outlets, including CNN and The Washington Post.

An instrumental component of the campaign’s success is the movement of Twitter philanthropy led by Bill Pulte, the grandson of the founder of Pulte Homes and lead of the Bill Pulte Foundation. Pulte has built a following and culture of giving through his Twitter presence, with over 3.2 million followers.

Our Teammate (@fuhknjo) Aunt, Irma Garcia, was The 4th Grade Teacher killed at #RobbElementary in Texas yesterday. Mom of 4. Irma died protecting her students. Her family needs help with her funeral.

GOAL: $30,000 (now $12k)

Can you help? Donate NOW:https://t.co/4OTx7ajqPc

— Pulte (@pulte) May 25, 2022

On May 25, Pulte called on his followers to help reach a goal of $30,000 for Garcia’s family. That goal was reached within hours, and by the following day, his “team,” as he calls it, had helped raise more than $550,000.

After Joe Garcia’s untimely death just a day later, the fundraiser skyrocketed to reach more than $2.6 million over the last week.

“Twitter Philanthropy is stronger than ever. We have record high approval ratings. We have record high numbers ($2.5 million, 4 days). And most importantly, we are impacting more peoples lives than ever before. Thank you for doing it,” said Pulte on Sunday.

USA Today has links to the many fundraising campaigns that have been organized for victims of the Uvalde massacre, which appear to be more than twenty campaigns. The outlet reports that more than $5.5 million had been raised as of Sunday night.

GoFundMe verifies the fundraisers to ensure scammers don’t take advantage of the situation.