Community unites around family after loss of daughter in accident

• Wakulla County community unites to support family of 15-year-old Kyla Parker who died in car crash
• Community organizes fundraiser to help Kyla’s family cover medical expenses
• The Crawfordville Masonic Lodge will be serving meals on Saturday to raise money for Kyla’s family.

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE BROADCAST:
Wakulla County officials are remembering their daughter, sister, friend and teammate Kyla Parker, who passed away earlier this month.
My name is Kenzie Krueger from Crawfordville. Our community is coming together to celebrate.

“We spent 15 Christmases and Easters together and all those fun nights watching him grow up.”

Sally Wheeler was Kyla’s cousin and the softball coach.

She says Kyla had a strong faith and always looked out for those close to her.

“Her overall personality was that of a sweet, loving and caring young lady.”

Kyla Parker was in a car accident on Crawfordville Highway earlier this month and died several days later.

Kenzie Krueger: “How are you coping with everything that’s going on and the season coming up?”

“It’s hard because there are so many young people in our program and school who are grieving, many of them because this is the first time they’ve lost someone their own age and someone close to them.”

Wheeler says the school and community have been supporting her friends and loved ones during this difficult time.

“Her strength and faith in God help many students and her parents are extremely proud of her because she was an organ donor and thanks to that she was able to give to other people”

The Crawfordville Masonic Lodge will be hosting a meal on Saturday to raise money for Kyla’s family to help cover medical expenses related to her accident.

Matt Hepner is part of the group and will be raising money to help the family.

“We believe that caring for those in need and families definitely needs to be written four that we should do more often and we are very happy that we can do it.”

Hepner says it’s crucial in times like these to support each other.

“Supporting each other is such an important thing, you can’t just rely on other people to help you all the time, so Wakulla County is very well known for taking care of its own and helping each other in times of need.”

Neighbors are showing their support this weekend, but Wheeler says it won’t stop there.

“It’s not just this event that happened in their lives and they’re gone, we’re still here to support you, we love you and we’ll do everything we can to be there for their family.”

TAG: They will be serving meals Saturday at the Crawford Lodge right by Hudson Park starting at 11 a.m. until they run out of food. Kyla’s family is grateful for all the love and support from the community. In Crawfordville