Reporter
A Baylor co-ed professional business fraternity reached out to students and the Waco community to help raise money for one of its own. Delta Sigma Pi hosted a fundraiser Tuesday and Wednesday to help Baylor graduate, Kelsey Warren. Warren was involved in a bad car accident on March 14. The fundraiser was hosted for Warren and her family to help out with travel and accommodation expenses. Warren’s parents live and work in Hanford, Calif.
It was early in the morning on March 14, when Warren’s parents received a phone call from the Pearland Police Department. Warren’s parents were informed that their daughter had been involved in a serious car accident, according to Woodlands Senior, Kat Davis, a close friend of Warren’s, in an initial, public Facebook post by the Warren family. She was airlifted to the Shock and Trauma ICU of Hermann Memorial Hospital in Houston. She suffered many injuries including but not limited to severe neck fractures, broken ribs, and a punctured lung.
The first night of the fundraiser Tuesday was at Katie’s Custard in Waco. The restaurant gave 20 percent of sales from 5 to 8 p.m. if Warren’s name was mentioned. On Wednesday, the fundraiser moved to Baris Italian Restaurant off Valley Mills Drive. From 5 to 10 p.m., Baris Italian Restaurant gave 10 percent of their sales if Warren’s name was mentioned during checkout. At the time of publication, the total fundraising amount was not known.
Woodlands Senior Kenzie Anderson, president of Delta Sigma Pi and marketing major, said that there was a successful turnout for the fundraiser.
“It was great to see so many Baylor students coming together two nights in a row to help support Kelsey and her family. We couldn’t have been successful without the support of the Waco community and all the lives Kelsey has touched,” Anderson said. “Her love is infectious and you can see how many people love her that are coming together for her and her family in this challenging time.”
Other online efforts to support the Warren family during this time are under way. Currently there is a page for the Warren family at gofundme.com to help with travel and other related expenses. In the last 9 days, $2,775 has been raised from 25 individual donors on that website.
“The outreach from the community, both here at Baylor and elsewhere has been wonderful.” Davis said. “Kelsey’s slowly getting better now and I can’t wait to see her and her family as soon as possible.”
Davis was one of the first people to hear of the accident.
Davis said Warren’s father notified her of the accident on the night of Friday, March 15. She was asked to call Warren’s friends to tell them the news before it was posted on Facebook.
“He asked that if I thought anyone should be told in person, could I call them,” Davis said. “I can honestly say I’ve never had to make so many calls and tell so many people Kelsey cared about that I didn’t have the answers to their questions.”
For the last few weeks, Warren has had a series of ups and downs in her recovery process, according to Davis. More detailed information on the current condition of Warren can be found on a public Facebook page titled Kelsey Warren, Train Master. The page, which has garnered nearly 600 likes from friends, acquaintances and family members, features daily, lengthy update posts from Warren’s parents. Each post contains information on Warren’s condition and ends with their top five blessings of the day.
