Benefit raffle to help Millingport teenager injured in car accident
A benefit raffle will be held June 3 at Open Door Baptist Church in Richfield from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to raise money for 13-year-old Kaidyn Parks, who was injured in a car accident in late March. All proceeds will go to help Parks’ parents with medical expenses.
Individual tickets cost $20, though people can purchase six for $100, according to Erica Tyson, Parks’ aunt who is organizing the benefit.
The first prize is an AR-15 rifle, the second prize is a $500 Visa gift card, the third prize is a propane grill and the fourth prize is an outdoor fire pit. People do not have to be present to win.
Tickets can be purchased through the event page, by contacting Tyson (980-205-5985) or at the church on June 3.
There will also be a silent auction that day featuring 22 gift baskets, along with a bounce house and face painting for kids and food plates people can purchase.
As of Wednesday morning, 34 people are planning on attending while 79 people are interested, according to the Facebook page.
Tyson helped organize a benefit ride in April at Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes and Fries in Albemarle that raised about $6,000, she said. She also created a GoFundMe page, which has raised $5,500 to help Parks and her family.
Parks, who lives in the Millingport area, has already had multiple surgeries and her family is facing more than $200,000 in medical expenses, according to Tyson. She had six fractures in her pelvis and a moderate liver laceration, Tyson said.
Parks was injured in a March 24 accident along N.C. Highway 73. Her older sister Kaylee was turning right onto NC 73 from Nelson Mountain Road with the intention of then turning left onto Cane Drive when another vehicle T-boned the car.
Kaylee sustained no major injuries, but Parks’ cousin 7-year-old Elise Lowrance died from her injuries a few days later.
After being in a wheelchair for eight weeks, Parks has started walking with the use of a walker, Tyson said, noting she should start physical therapy next week.
“The continued support has been such a blessing to us, we are blown away by everyone that has reached out and offered to help in various way and we are just so very grateful for all that has been done for us,” Tyson said.