CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Several people gathered Saturday morning on Padre Island for a special beach clean-up in memory of Maite Rodriguez, one of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting.

Maite had dreams of attending Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi to become a marine biologist. Now, her family honors her each year with this event.

Among the volunteers were Jaiden and Marceline Thomas, who said keeping Maite’s memory alive is important, not just for the family, but for the community as a whole.

“It really means a lot, especially for me. Maite is my sister’s age, so it hits harder,” said Jaiden and Marceline Thomas. “I can imagine - that could have been my sister. But I love seeing everyone come together to honor Maite. It’s really heartwarming to see that these people care and wan

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