BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A local family who this year lost a beloved daughter, sister and friend, said a nonprofit launched in her memory now is fully up and running, with its website going online this month.
The organization, called Carly’s Cause, aims to provide college students and their families with knowledge about tenants’ rights and the risks associated with off-campus housing, among other goals.
Carly Grozier, a Bethlehem native, sustained life-threatening injuries in a September 2023 gas explosion at her off-campus residence near West Virginia University.
She died from those injuries Jan. 17 in the Intensive Burn Care Unit at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh.
The organization has been founded to honor her legacy and prevent similar tragedies, members of her family said Friday.
The nonprofit marked its official debut with the launch of a website in early December. It still awaits an IRS determination letter, which notifies a nonprofit that its application for federal tax exemption has been approved.
Education, advocacy, support
The family received money from the West Virginia Crime Victims Compensation Fund it later contributed to Carly's Cause to help grow the charity and continue to do the work of educating students and help burn victims and their families.
The fund provides reimbursement to innocent victims of crime who have suffered personal injury and who have incurred out-of-pocket losses as a result of criminal conduct.
A handyman faces charges in the explosion, and Carly’s family also has filed a civil suit against the property owners.
Both cases are working their way through the legal system.
“In Carly's case, sometimes it's easy to think about her as a victim of burn injuries," Carley's brother, Ken Grozier, said.
"But what she really is, is a victim of a negligent landlord who caused burn injuries.
“I think sometimes these injuries and these accidents get viewed as a different type of accident. We don't always look at the root cause.”
The funding will help bolster initial efforts by Carly’s Cause in tackling several key initiatives.
“I think one of the first things students should be introduced to when they get on campus is student legal services."Vance Grozier, Carly's dad
“I think one of the first things students should be introduced to when they get on campus is student legal services,” Carly’s dad, Vance Grozier, said.
“I just think if a lot of kids knew that was available to them, they could pick up the phone and call if something looked shady.”
Through education, advocacy and compassionate support, Carly’s Cause will seek to foster safe environments for students, prevent off-campus housing accidents and provide vital support to burn survivors, as well as families of students hospitalized as the result of off-campus housing incidents.
“I think over the next six to 12 months, [we’ll be working to] compile stories of other people who have been impacted in a similar way by a negligent landlord,” Ken Grozier said.
“We want to continue to understand how these things occur, so that we can continue to educate and evolve the way that we're educating people and the content of what we're trying to educate people on.
“We really want to be a voice for people who have found themselves in this situation.”
'If it saves a life, mission accomplished'
After Carly’s death, the Freedom High School women’s lacrosse team held a game in her honor, which is something the family hopes will become an annual event.
“We really want to use that again to target a high school audience and make sure that we’re getting our message in front of people that can use it early on and throughout their entire four years at a university,” Vance Grozier said.
And they know they have a chance to make a significant impact with their messaging both on and off the field.
“I think we want to do a lot more with outreach," Vance Grozier said. "I think we want to use our social media moreso not just to promote Carly’s Cause, but to educate.
"You know, it’s getting cold. You’re turning your heater on. Here’s gas safety tips and just putting it out so people see it and bring it to the forefront of their minds.”
Carly’s Cause hopes to have a presence at high school graduations and “anywhere people are gathering en route to college,” Vance Grozier said.
“You know, here’s a few things to check before you move into your apartment.
“We’re still kind of going back and forth on what we’re going to do with that, but I think that’s going to be a critical piece of what we do.
“If just one person reads one thing that makes an impression on them and it saves a life, mission accomplished.”
