What we know about a ‘Uvalde’ group raising concerns after W. Richland’s school shooting
A self-described “national nonviolence advocacy organization” has been trying to draw attention — and, possibly, donations — in the wake of last week’s shooting at a West Richland elementary school.
The Uvalde Foundation for Kids (UFK) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered with the IRS, but several news stories online have raised questions about its function and mission, as well as the impact of its founder and national director.
There’s little public information known about the organization, and other news outlets have had trouble finding out.
News agencies in the Tri-Cities received several emails and messes from the foundation after Elias Huizar, a former Yakima police officer, stabbed to death his 17-year-old girlfriend inside his home and shot and killed his ex-wife at William Wiley Elementary.
The April 22 murders attracted nationwide attention after the 39-year-old fled to Oregon with his 1-year-old son and then died by suicide following a police chase the next day along Interstate 5.
Huizar had worked as a substitute teacher and high school wrestling coach in Richland from February 2022 to June 2023.
NonStop Local KNDU TV in Kennewick aired a brief segment on the day of the shooting saying the Uvalde foundation was offering $1,000 for information leading to Huizar’s arrest and was deploying crisis support resources to West Richland.
Another foundation email on Friday, April 26, said it was “increasingly concerned” about the Richland School District’s hiring practices and that the group would “continue our support for both the school, the district and more so the immediate students and school community.”
Richland school officials have said they did not know of Huizar’s alleged history of inappropriate behavior toward female students and were not told of previous investigations into his time working as a school resource officer for the Yakima School District.
Shawna Dinh, Richland School District’s public information officer, told the Tri-City Herald she saw KNDU’s report but has received no communications from Uvalde Foundation for Kids offering any services.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have some fantastic local organizations that we have great working relationships with,” she wrote in an email. “The outpouring of regional support has been tremendous and provided the district with all the resources we need to care for our students and staff.”
Daniel “Bodhi” Chapin, the Uvalde Foundation for Kids’ founder and chief financial officer, did not return Herald calls Wednesday for more information about his organization.
Texas-based nonprofit
The foundation is registered in Temple, Texas, about a 4-hour drive from Uvalde, where a gunman opened fire in 2022 at Robb Elementary School.
Nineteen students and two teachers were killed, and more than a dozen others were injured.
The Uvalde Foundation for Kids website says it’s a small and new nonprofit group, aimed at “changing the cultural trajectory of violence impacting our nation’s schools, students and school communities” and “ending school violence in all its manifested forms through a variety of programs and services.”
It was formed in response to the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary and earned tax-exempt status about seven weeks later in July 2022, according to the IRS.
According to its website —theuvaldefoundation.com, which includes stock images, photos of gun reform protests, a Gmail address for contact information and vague biographies for its board of directors — the organization offers critical incident school crisis response teams, mental health support, chaplaincy care and independent school safety assessments, among other services.
It’s gained some media attention for its STOPNOW volunteer school patrol program, according to multiple news clips posted on its site, but little is known about its implementation or impact.
A comprehensive public records search of the organization shows no owned property, foreclosures or liens. Two of the group’s addresses trace back to a small apartment complex in Temple and an office owned by LegalZoom in Austin.
The organization’s staff and members are reportedly volunteers and all programs are offered for free.
A March 2023 column in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat noted that the foundation raised less than $10,000 and granted nearly $5,000 in aid after less than a year of being in operation.
The Santa Rosa area gained the attention of the organization following a stabbing at a high school, with the nonprofit promising to launch its own independent investigation into the incident.
The Press Democrat story says while those involved in the organization appeared to be friendly in interviews and committed to giving back to the communities, “there appeared to be little formal structure to programs offered; there is no set curriculum or trainings or a means of tracking success.”
Similarly, in East Lansing, Mich., a news organization looked into UFK’s story and the Chapin’s background in a story last year. That was after student protests erupted in the area over school safety concerns.
Many details and claims about the organization couldn’t be confirmed by East Lansing Info, including statements by Chapin that he was a first responder at the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The story said Chapin has organized several fundraisers throughout Temple, Texas, and online.
