BATON ROUGE – Thanks to the generous donations of fans, alumni, staff and the Tiger Athletic Foundation, the LSU Athletic Department has reached its goal for the “Nelson Fund” to assist former Lady Tiger basketball student-athlete Jasmine Nelson, whose mother passed away from ALS in late April.
Over the past six days, donors could contribute to the “Nelson Fund” online through TAF or by mailing a check. The response was an overwhelming success and all funds raised will go directly to the funeral home to pay for the funeral and burial services of Nelson’s mother, Fayetta.
“It means the world to me to see what my LSU family has done in helping me,” said Nelson. “I always knew I was going to be a Lady Tiger for life when I came to school here. The family atmosphere was what brought me here and this is a great example of that. Everything fell into place and really took a burden off of me. I am truly grateful and thankful for everyone’s support.”
Nelson, a native of New Orleans, lettered for the Lady Tigers from 2009-11. She played in 30 games and was a member of LSU’s 2010 NCAA Tournament team. She earned her degree from LSU in December 2011. Nelson prepped at McDonough 35 in New Orleans and led her team to back-to-back state championships in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Nelson and her mother lost their home during the storm and were forced to evacuate to three different states ranging from Tennessee, California and Texas. Nelson’s mother, Fayetta, passed away at the age of 53 early last week after battling ALS since 2010.
Under NCAA rules, LSU was allowed to accept financial gifts and manage an account to assist Nelson. Per NCAA rules, all contributions of any kind must go through this fund.