On Thursday, 15 percent of the proceeds from Brick Oven's sales will go to help Molly Welch, a journalism student who was a junior in February 2008 when she was injured in a debilitating traffic accident.
"A few months ago Molly emailed me and said, 'My mom and I want to treat you guys to dinner to thank you for everything you've done,'" said Judy Sheppard, associate professor of journalism. "Then Dr. Carvalho arranged the fundraiser and we managed to merge that."
The journalism faculty have done a lot to help Molly graduate as she deals with the disabilities caused by her accident.
"I remember she did practicum in the summer of 2010, and she just insisted on going," said journalism professor John Carvalho. "Her mother would park and she'd get there early enough to walk, even though it took her an hour to walk from the parking lot. She'd walk slowly, and we'd talk and everything. It's been a long road for her."
Molly will be having dinner with the journalism staff and Aubie at the Brick Oven on Gay Street to thank them.
"They've done so many things," Welch said. "It's not easy, but they made it easier by making classes that weren't supposed to be online online, and they made classes that were two days a week only one. They've just been wonderful."
Molly worked at Brick Oven for a year before her accident, and her employer, Jeff Finkhauser, was happy to host the fundraiser.
Finkhauser has done philanthropy nights before, but said he's working on special student deals from 5-9 p.m. to bring more people in for Molly.
John Welch, Molly's dad, said the money will go to a special program in the Shepherd Center called Beyond Therapy.
"It's a need-based program that addresses the individual needs of the patient," John said. "It's somewhere around $90-100 an hour and she's been doing this program for 3 years now, so it's been a long, arduous road in terms of covering medical expenses."
Molly said the problems she faces are mostly physical, and, because her vocal chords were scarred when she was getting treatment, speech is an issue as well.
"I have to worry about my speech all the time and if people can hear me cause sometimes they have to just pretend that they can," Molly said. "Also, because my right side is so much more rigid than my left I have to worry about making sure there's something on the left to grab onto."
Molly will graduate this semester and hopes to work in public relations with the Shepherd Center or the Centers for Disease Control.
"I feel like a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders," Molly said. "It will just be so amazing to be done with school. I'm tired of being a student."
Molly will be continuing her therapy at the Shepherd Center and hopes to be able to drive a custom-made car by December.
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