Sage Hill School will be collecting donations for the family of 17 year-old Douglas Uselton, a basketball and baseball player at Oxford Academy. Douglas and his father Steven were tragically killed last month in a drunk driving accident. Douglas was a beloved senior at Oxford Academy who was active in the school paper and speech and debate club in addition to his athletic commitments. Just prior to his death Douglas had received a nomination to the U.S. Naval Academy.

The surviving family members are not only dealing with their grief but also significant financial hardship. Mr. Uselton worked for an environmental state agency and had recently canceled his life insurance policy to compensate for the loss in income due to the furlough days imposed on all state employees. The agency has provided income to the family through the end of February. Mrs. Uselton has been a “stay-at-home” mom with the family living very conservatively on one income. Clearly her life has radically changed and she is struggling to make major financial decisions at this time.

Athletic Director J.R. Tolver will be coordinating efforts to raise funds to help the family. Donations will be accepted at upcoming basketball games or contact Coach Tolver directly for details on how to help.

For more details about Douglas’ impact as a member of the Oxford Academy community, see the OC Register: http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-280919-uselton-higger.html.