32nd annual UM fraternity event raised record $300,000 for paralysis victim, nonprofit organizations
OXFORD, Miss. – Devon Corbett was a normal teenager until a skiing accident left him paralyzed two years ago. This spring, he is the beneficiary of a record-setting charitable response from the 32nd Annual Sigma Nu Charity Bowl at the University of Mississippi.
The Charity Bowl pits members of Sigma Nu and Kappa Alpha fraternities against one another in a football game played in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. This year, the fraternity set a fundraising record, with more than $300,000 raised through ad sales and donations.
Fraternity members donated roughly $200,000 to the Devon Corbett Special Needs Trust for his medical expenses and rehabilitation.
During a school ski trip in 2020, Corbett lost control of his skis and struck a tree at high speed. The collision caused a diffuse axonal injury in the then-15-year-old’s brain. DAI occurs when the brain rapidly shifts inside the skull, causing the long connecting fibers in the brain, called axons, to shear.
“He was wearing a helmet – a brand new one bought that morning – which undoubtedly saved his life,” said Corbett’s family in a statement on the Charity Bowl website.
“Devon responds most to his three incredible siblings and his friends, and we are so thankful for the love and support Devon and our family continue to receive.”
