Girl Scouts Awards Uvalde Victim Rare ‘Bronze Cross’ for Her Bravery: ‘Her Heroism Hasn’t Gone Unnoticed’

Ten-year-old Amerie Jo Garza — a first-year Girl Scout — was fatally shot at Robb Elementary School while calling 911 on the gunman

On Friday, 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza was posthumously awarded the Bronze Cross by the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, her grandmother, Berlinda Arreola, tells PEOPLE.

The national award is reserved for Girl Scouts who show “extraordinary heroism” or risk their lives to save another’s.

Amerie was one of the first children shot to death at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday as she tried to dial 911 on her cell phone, according to Arreola. With the Bronze Cross, she says, “her heroism has not gone unnoticed.”

This was Amerie’s first year in the Girl Scouts, as a Brownie. At noon on Friday, representatives from the Girl Scouts presented the family with a new, green Girl Scouts sash for Troop 7000 with the bronze medallion pinned to it and a framed declaration signed by the CEO of Girl Scouts.

“We were so proud of her,” Arreola says of the small awards ceremony. “It was so emotional, them reading this declaration to us for her, it was just — it’s amazing. The words that they put into this thing was all Amerie, it was her and we are just so ecstatic about this.”

Arreola continues: “She deserved it. Our baby gave up her life for this, but she deserved it.”

Amerie loved pizza, Chick-fil-A and swimming. She kissed her 3-year-old baby brother every morning before she left for school. Last year, she was given the school’s “Heart of Gold” award — and this year, she made honor roll.

“I just want people to know how brave she was, and unfortunately, it took her life, but she tried to save everyone,” Arreola says. “That was just the way she was. She tried to save everyone.”

The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the “Robb School Memorial Fund”) or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.

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