UK fraternity raises money for house mother displaced by fire

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Gamma Iota chapter of Sigma Nu on the University of Kentucky’s campus is asking the community for help, after their house mother lost her own home this holiday weekend.

UK senior Antonio Jones says he learned of the news on Sunday morning.

“I found our group chat blowing up, with like 50 messages and pictures, and her house looked in shambles,” said Jones.

Sigma Nu house mother Chasity Conley says a car hit her Bath County home Saturday night, sparking a fire.

“It burned down what looked like more than half the house,” Jones said. “Smoke damage, water damage, almost everything was gone.”

If you asked members of Greek life what a house mother does, they might say she cooks, cleans, or offers advice. But for the members of Sigma Nu at UK, they say Chasity Conley goes above and beyond to make sure they succeed.

“Chasity is my best friend, she’s my mother figure, and she thinks of all of us as family,” said Jones, who lived in the chapter house along Rose Lane last academic year.

For Jones, Conley also provided him with a mother’s comfort that he had missed.

“I’ve had traumatic experiences in my life which caused me to lose my mother, and she’s been there ever since,” Jones said. “Every step of the way, I never have to ask, she cares for me.”

Jones says she even brings him gifts on his birthday. So, he was devastated to wake up Sunday and learn that Conley suffered her own traumatic experience.

Conley is staying with the brothers of Sigma Nu for the time being. She doesn’t yet know the full extent of the damage or how long she’ll be displaced.

But they’ve also set up a GoFundMe to help her as best they can in this time of need - just as Jones know she would do for them.

“Whatever the house is worth, they’ve probably lost 90 percent of it,” said Jones. “It’s going to take a lot of time for her to recover, so that’s why we’re trying to raise this money for her. I wouldn’t care if somebody went on there and donated 50 cents, it helps.”

Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved.