SAN ANTONIO — Families of Uvalde victims are hosting the Remember Their Names Festival this weekend to raise money for scholarships in honor of those who survived and those who died on May 24.
The nonprofit Remember Their Names is made up of parents who lost loved ones in the Robb Elementary shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.
“It’s like my brother Brett said: 'We’re a part of a club that no one wants to be a part of.' But with the people that we have around us, it’s just beautiful,” said Steve Garcia, father of Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia, one of the children who died in the shooting.
It’s been five months since the tragedy, and Garcia is keeping strong as possible, cherishing the nine years of memories he experienced with his daughter who loved basketball and wanted to become a teacher.
“Man, she was just the most loving. She was fun as can be and she was a hard worker and everything about her just shined,” Garcia said.
The Remember Their Names Festival will feature a variety of live entertainment, raffles and cooking contests.
A softball tournament will be held Saturday at Uvalde Little League Park and SWTJC softball field.
No tickets are required to attend the festival on Sunday, which will run from from noon to midnight at the Uvalde County Fairplex. Parking costs $10.
All proceeds from the festival will go toward a new scholarship program for Uvalde High School seniors. One of those scholarships will be awarded in honor of Robb Elementary survivors, while 21 others will be given in honor of the victims who lost their lives.
Garcia said the goal is to make the Remember Their Names Festival an annual community event. To learn more about the even, go here.