Aveda Institute students in Jacksonville raise money to help family of classmate killed in car crash

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Chauna Branham said her daughter Autumn started doing hair and makeup as soon as she could walk and talk.

“When she was 3, she would play with Mary Kay cosmetics. She would do facials. She used to do our hair on long road trips. It was her passion. She lived it. She breathed it,” Branham told Action News Jax.

A career in cosmetology was the clear-cut choice for the 16-year-old student at the Aveda Institute in Jacksonville. A fatal car accident on Dec. 20 ended those aspirations. Troopers say Autumn Branham's car crossed the median, traveled into oncoming traffic on Interstate 10 and collided with a pickup truck. She died at the scene.

The teenager's classmates knew they wanted to honor their friend and help lighten the financial burden on her family, so they volunteered their time. The stylists spent Saturday doing hair and makeup, donating all money to the Branhams.

“This is our Christmas break and people are volunteering their time to come in and help us. That’s really amazing that people are willing to do that. Autumn touched a lot of us in many ways,” Diamond Ferrell said.

Autumn’s loved ones are touched by the kindness of her classmates. Her mother considers all of the students family.

“I want to support what Autumn loved. She loved her classmates, she loved her school and I want to support their futures and their dreams. If I can’t be there for her dreams I can be there for theirs,” the teen’s mother said.

Action News Jax has learned the stylists ended up raising $1,000 for Autumn's family. The stylists donated all of their tips as well.

Cox Media Group