Uvalde families celebrate with NASCAR in Fort Worth four months after mass shooting

FORT WORTH — Annabell Rodriguez loved going fast. No toy, whether it was a drifter car or an electric scooter, was fast enough for the 10-year-old.

This weekend, Annabell’s mother, Monica Gallegos, was treated, along with 61 other Uvalde residents, to a weekend at the races at Texas Motor Speedway — four months after Annabell and 18 of her classmates and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America CEO Artis Stevens said that as the nonprofit builds relationships in Uvalde, it also wants families to experience joy, which many haven’t been able to do in a while.

“The amount of laughter that we’ve heard this weekend. It’s just been awesome. It’s been out of this world, but it’s also something else,” Stevens said. “It’s the idea that these families, these young people, know that they’re not in this journey, they’re not in this walk, alone.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters hopes to increase its presence in Uvalde and is in the early stages of partnering with schools, community centers and other organizations. Stevens said this weekend is indicative of what is to come.

“We’re bringing these families, for a moment, to be able to celebrate,” Stevens said. “To celebrate their resiliency, to celebrate their strength, their courage, but also symbolic of the sense of building a stronger connection and partnership about services beyond this.”