A community in Texas is coming together to support a 14-year-old boy after his entire family was killed in a crash.
A GoFundMe account set up for him raised more than $500,000 in just one day. As of Friday night, the total surpassed $730,000.
It was supposed to be an exciting day for the Arvind family, as they were moving their 17-year-old daughter, Andril, to the University of Texas at Dallas.
That all changed in an instant when, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a blown tire caused a vehicle to skid into their lane and hit their car in Lampasas on Wednesday.
Andril and her parents, Mani and Pradeepa, were all killed, along with 31-year-old Jacinto Gudino Duran, who was driving the car, and his 23-year-old passenger.
The Arvinds’ 14-year-old son, Adiryan, was reportedly starting high school in Leander and couldn’t join his family on the trip.
Majeida Harvey-Guyton, who lives in Texas, said she believes that fact that everyone is rallying around the teen says a lot about their community.
“We’re all here from the same community, and we need to work together and support each other because it takes a village,” Harvey-Guyton said.
Andril was a recent graduate of Rouse High School. In a letter to parents, Principal Vincent Hawkins said the “news has brought great sorrow to our campus and has impacted many in our community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andril’s family and friends.”
Harvey-Guyton said her own children graduated from Rouse, adding that the news is painful.
“I’m a mother of seven. I have seven children, and I couldn’t imagine losing one,” Harvey-Guyton said.
Petro Haida is new to Leander, but said he’s seen a lot of kindness in the few years he’s been here.
“I think that’s a very great example of the community of Leander, how they treat people, how they want to support,” Haida said.
He hopes the support for Adiryan continues not just financially, but in the holistic way he needs to heal.
“They are with him. The new family for him is the community,” Haida said.
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