Holding Space in Uvalde: A Celebration of Teacher Resilience

Last week, our team returned to Uvalde for a special event honoring the educators who continue to show up for their community, day after day, in the long shadow of collective grief. This was our fifth gathering with the teachers — and something has shifted.

We brought trays of colorful beads, leather tassels, and crafting tools to create personalized bag charms — small, joyful expressions of creativity. Each teacher also received a thoughtfully curated summer tote filled with chapstick, beach towels, sunglasses, and Kendra Scott jewelry and hats — simple items, chosen with care, to brighten the days ahead. But the true gift wasn’t in the bags — it was in the atmosphere: a room filled with laughter, dancing, connection, and presence.

Clinically, we witnessed the group move into the working stage of group development — a place where familiarity, trust, and emotional regulation allow for deeper engagement. The teachers seemed more at ease: with each other, with us as facilitators, and perhaps even with the ongoing process of healing. Some of this, we believe, comes with time and distance from the initial trauma. But much of it is also due to the relational consistency and intentional care that has shaped these gatherings from the beginning.

Our approach is deeply rooted in Shawn Ginwright’s theory of Healing-Centered Engagement. Unlike trauma-informed care, which primarily asks “What happened to you?”, healing-centered engagement expands the question to “What’s right with you?” It is a strengths-based model that recognizes trauma is not just an individual experience — it is also collective, shaped by culture, community, and systems. Healing doesn’t only happen through treatment; it happens through joy, identity, spirituality, and agency.

As Ginwright reminds us, people are more than the worst thing that has happened to them. The teachers of Uvalde are not defined by tragedy — they are defined by their resilience, wisdom, laughter, and capacity to love their students fiercely in the face of loss. By co-creating moments of joy and celebration, we are not ignoring pain — we are transforming the environment where healing takes root.

💛 Help Us Keep Showing Up

We are committed to returning to Uvalde at the end of every school semester — to mark the passage of time, to honor the ongoing emotional labor of teaching, and to provide a healing-centered celebration that nurtures creativity and connection.

Our next event is scheduled for December 2025, and we’re planning a shift in materials — using paper and ink as a new artistic medium for reflection and expression. By rotating between mediums like beads, clay, and now drawing, we engage different neural pathways and offer teachers a diverse sensory experience that supports brain resilience and emotional processing.

If you’d like to be part of this journey — by donating, volunteering, or sharing our story — we welcome you with open arms. Your support helps us continue creating meaningful spaces for collective healing through art.

Acknowledgments

We could not do this work without the support, trust, and collaboration of our extended community.

To Elaine Valenzuela — your unwavering leadership and fierce love for Uvalde’s children is the heartbeat of this work. Thank you for allowing us to walk alongside you.

To Sister Dolores of St. Henry's — your open arms, sacred space, and nurturing spirit have grounded every gathering we’ve co-hosted in warmth and welcome.

To the Kendra Scott Foundation — your generosity and belief in this mission continues to uplift the elementary children of Uvalde through meaningful gifts and ongoing donations. Thank you for standing with us.

To Veronica Martinez — your laughter, creativity, and joyful presence bring light to every space you enter. Thank you for showing up, time and again.

To our generous donors, whose support makes each moment possible: Dacia Saenz, Amy Morran, Karen Aidman, Tressie Seagers, Lara Durbin, Jose and Dolores Montemayor, Theresa and David Varela, Rae Donovan, Leah Webb, Lewis Black, Michele Starkloff, The Bush Family, Communities Healing through Art (CHART) - Gaelynn Wolf Bordonaro & Baxter Garcia, Kimberly Harrington-Delgado, and Haley Owenson — thank you for believing in the power of art to heal.

Special thanks to Meagan Butler with Meet Lucero, Yadi Puentes with ArtVango Therapy, and Sarah Mathis — your healing spirits and loving energy are felt in every corner of our gatherings.

Together, we continue to grow a circle of care that ripples outward — carried by the quiet, powerful language of art.

Authored by

Ashley Schor

LPC Graduate Student | Community Engagement Partner

Learn more or support the work: www.uvaldelove.com

Wishlist donations of materials and gifts are always appreciated and help us bring creativity and care to each gathering.

Interested in becoming a business sponsor for our next event?Please contact Wanda Montemayor at: Wanda@comarts.us

Reference:

 Ginwright, S. (2018, May 31). The future of healing: Shifting from trauma-informed care to healing-centered engagement. Medium. https://ginwright.medium.com/the-future-of-healing-shifting-from-trauma-informed-care-to-healing-centered-engagement-634f557ce69c