Medical expense fund is established to help Haerling family

A local fund has been set up to help with medical expenses for the family of Lewis-Clark State College women’s basketball player Nikki Haerling.

An account, called The Relief Fund for the Haerling Family, has been set up by LCSC and the Warrior women’s basketball team at FirstBank Northwest in Lewiston and Clarkston. Donations can be made at either Lewiston FirstBank Northwest branch, 921 F St. or 444 Thain Rd., or at the Clarkston branch, located at 1300 16^th Ave. Donations also can be made at the LCSC Athletic Department office, which is located inside the Activity Center, next to the main east-side entrance.

Members of Haerling’s family were en route from Chelan to Saturday’s game at the Activity Center when the Dodge Caravan they were riding in was involved in a serious automobile accident about 60 miles north of Moses Lake.

Haerling’s grandfather and younger sister died in the accident while her mother, father and grandmother were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where they remain hospitalized. The three are recovering and are expected to be released in the coming weeks. The relief fund will help the family with its medical bills.

Haerling left for Seattle Saturday, prior to LCSC’s game against Montana Tech. Given the choice, LCSC players opted to play the game and won 80-63.

Haerling, a 5-foot-7 junior point guard, started the first 22 games of the season for the Warriors and is averaging a team-best 15.5 points. She also leads the team with 37 3-pointers and a 35.2 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc. She’s also second on the team in assists and third in steals. She has been named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week three times, the latest on Monday after she scored 30 points in a win over University of Montana-Western last Thursday.

This is Haerling’s first year with the program after two years at Wenatchee Valley Community College. She was a four-year starter at Chelan High where she played for her father. She was the team’s MVP her junior and senior seasons.

Anyone wishing to send flowers can do so in care of Haerling’s older sister, Jennifer Collins, 70 Apple Acres Road, Chelan, WA 98816.

For more information on the fund, contact Jamie White, Director of Auxiliary Services at LCSC, at (208) 792-2863.