The Tennessee Eta Chapter at Middle Tennessee State University has developed a campaign to assist a local family in a great time of need this holiday season.

Following the economic recession, a Murfreesboro local, Vernon, and his family fell into hard times and lost nearly everything they had. To provide for his wife and three children, Vernon picked up two odd jobs in which he walked more than four miles to each day due to lack of transportation.

In a twisted turn of events, Vernon was struck by an SUV while walking to work earlier this month. As a result, he sustained injuries including: a shattered hip and pelvis, broken ankle and leg, hematoma of the right lung, thirteen broken ribs, depressed skull fracture and brain bleed. To allow for his injuries to heal, Vernon is unable to work for at least six months.

This accident comes at a trying time for the family. In addition to Vernon’s disabilities, his wife has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. One of their children also struggles with Asperger Syndrome and attends Special Kids whenever possible; however, the family’s lack of transportation often makes this difficult.

When Tennessee Eta heard of the family’s situation, the chapter acted quickly to develop a campaign and gain the support of the entire Fraternity and Sorority Life community at MTSU. The product of Tennessee Eta’s work is the MTSU Adopt A Family campaign. Hosted by GoFundMe, the campaign has gained a great deal of traction. In just five days, the chapter has raised $1,715 of its $10,000 goal.

In addition to donations given through the GoFundMe site, Tennessee Eta is also holding a giveback night. On December 2, Jefferson’s of Murfreesboro will be donating 10 percent of all sales to the campaign.

Donations to the family can be made on the campaign’s GoFundMe site.