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Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Nancy Rodriguez, Vickie Valladares, Mary Rodriguez, and Josiah Rodriguez speak to reporters while standing behind two murals dedicated to the victims of the Uvalde shooting Wednesday before departing for south Texas. The women organized a caravan to deliver Uvalde donations from Killeen.
Nancy Rodriguez carries memorial donations to a truck before leaving Killeen for Uvalde where 19 students and 2 teachers were killed in Texas' deadliest school shooting to date.
Nancy Rodriguez, Vickie Valladares, Mary Rodriguez, and Josiah Rodriguez speak to reporters while standing behind two murals dedicated to the victims of the Uvalde shooting Wednesday before departing for south Texas. The women organized a caravan to deliver Uvalde donations from Killeen.
A Uvalde-bound caravan carrying donated memorial items departed from Killeen with a police escort Wednesday morning.
Three Killeen residents — Vickie Valladares, Nancy Rodriguez and Mary Rodriguez — organized the donation in memory of the 19 students and two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24 — Texas’ deadliest school shooting to date.
Standing with her 10-year-old son Wednesday, Mary Rodriguez said the news of the Uvalde shooting hit her particularly hard after losing one of her own children.
“I felt compelled as a mother that has also lost a child, maybe not in the same manner, but no parent should ever have to see their children go before them,” Rodriguez said Wednesday.
It was then, Rodriguez said, that she called her cousin Vickie Valladares and encouraged her to paint something in honor of the Uvalde victims.
“My cousin has done some beautiful healing art for my loss — she’s the artist behind it, I’m the one who was just kind of like, ‘We have to do something,’” Rodriguez said.
Killeen artist Valladares said she was touched by the community’s outpouring of support for their project and that she hopes her painting brings comfort to those in Uvalde.
“To me the only thing that was right was to show some type of hope,” Valladares said about her painting. “I pray this painting gives hope that these kids see heaven.”
The artist said she is donating the painting to the Uvalde Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, from there they will decide where it will go.
As part of the caravan that left Killeen Wednesday, another painting — done by a Jarrell resident — was donated to Uvalde plus dozens of cards and smaller memorial items.
Nancy Rodriguez carries memorial donations to a truck before leaving Killeen for Uvalde where 19 students and 2 teachers were killed in Texas' deadliest school shooting to date.
“When a child passes, it affects everyone,” organizer Nancy Rodriguez said. “You never know the potential of that child — in the family, the community, the state or our nation. Anytime a child passes it’s a loss for everyone and anytime a child passes it should connect all of us.”
The city of Killeen offered a driver and a vehicle to transport the items to south Texas as well as a police escort through the city.
Tony White, pastor of New Life Apostolic Church, 4712 East Rancier, blessed the women before their departure.
Those interested in staying up to date on Valladares’ trip to Uvalde may do so by following her Facebook page Artful Hands Artistry.
ldodd@kdhnews.com | 254-501-7567
What began as a painting has turned into a citywide effort to memorialize the 21 victims of the Uvalde shooting.
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