Back-to-school celebration at Uvalde library honors victims

UVALDE, Texas - The public library in Uvalde will host a back-to-school celebration Saturday. 

At the event, the families of the 21 victims killed in the Robb Elementary shooting will get a special delivery from a local artist: 21 handmade, wooden figures of each victim to be gifted to the families.

Exactly 21 figures sit ready to be delivered to El Progresso Memorial Library in Uvalde. One figure for each of the 19 children and 2 teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School Shooting.

"These pieces have touched me in a tremendous way," said Kimberly Morgan with Giggli Creations.

Morgan is the artist behind the figures. She says it took her about two weeks to make each of them. She says she wanted to create a lasting memory of the victims in the Uvalde shooting for the families to take home.

"My goal is to soften the sadness, to present them to the kids going back to school this year so that they can see their friends with dignity again," she said.

Saturday, the figures will be delivered to Uvalde’s public library during its back-to-school event.

"She said somebody was going to take [the figures] to Uvalde. I said, You know what? I'll take it to Uvalde," said Eddie M. Garcia, delivering figures.

Eddie Garcia is a former Uvalde resident who actually attended Robb Elementary back in the day. He teamed up with Morgan on this project and will be the one to deliver the figures.

He says the art project touched his heart even if he did not know any of the victims personally.

"There are murals all over the place. It's a blessing, but you can't take them home. These little cutouts, they can use them. They can look at them and cherish them," he said.

Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., El Progreso Memorial Library will host a free back-to-school event with food and games. The figures will be delivered and displayed at that event.