In three hours Wednesday morning, the Community Foundation of the Hill Country raised $100,000 to support the victims of those killed in Tuesday's Uvalde elementary school shooting.
The shooting at Robb Elementary School left 19 children and two teachers dead. The Texas Department of Public Safety said all of the children and teachers were in the same class. Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District said the current class size ratio is 17 students to one teacher.
The Kerrville-based Community Foundation serves 10 Hill Country counties, including Uvalde. Community Foundation Director Austin Dickson put the fund together on Tuesday night. Even Dickson was overwhelmed by the response.
"Companies, foundations, and people from all over the US are calling and donating," Dickson said. "We have heard from Marathon Petroleum, Texas Instruments, and Apple just in the past hour. A college in Chicago is doing a fundraiser for our fund, and a youth group in Pittsburgh is doing a car wash for the fund. It's overwhelming the love and support for Uvalde."
To donate via the community foundation: www.communityfoundation.net/uvaldestrong
Kerrville Fire Department's role in the crisis came into a more precise focus. The department answered a mutual-aid call by sending an ambulance, and that crew took one of the children from Uvalde Medical Center to University Hospital in San Antonio. Kerrville Fire Department Chief Eric Maloney said the child was in fair condition.
The Kerrville ambulance crew returned home on Tuesday evening after completing its mission.
