ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Community members gathered Sunday to celebrate a 6-year-old girl who lost her home and belongings after an EF1 tornado hit a Perquimans County community.

What You Need To Know

  • A tornado destroyed three homes in Perquimans County in March

  • A community threw a birthday party for a 6-year-old girl who lost her home

  • The party was held March 30 at no cost to the family

After hearing how Laquasia Hughes and her 6-year-old daughter Leilani lost everything in the storm, including her birthday presents from the week prior, Jeannie Jones knew she wanted to help.

“I met Quay down there when I was helping with the cleanup efforts. And she was telling me about her daughter. And she had lost everything. She had just had a birthday… I went back and said, 'That's it. We're having a birthday party,'” Jones said.   “I met Quay down there when I was helping with the cleanup efforts. And she was telling me about her daughter. And she had lost everything. She had just had a birthday… I went back and said, 'That's it. We're having a birthday party,'” Jones said.   

After the storm Hughes said both she and her daughter were sleeping when the tornado hit their homes. Her daughter was thrown from the home into the back of a truck but wasn't seriously injured. When Jones met the family, she was stunned by the devastation.

"They lost everything from the memories that they had, the pictures, the yearbooks, anything gone, shattered," Jones said.

Jones contacted her brother and sister-in-law who own Kinfolk Axe Throwing in Elizabeth City and asked them to donate the space on March 30. 

Jones made a Facebook post hoping to get a few volunteers and vendors to help with the party and she got much more. 

“It just it got so many shares. I think it was over 300 shares. And the community really rallied together,” Jones said.  

With the help of posts from Soul Catching News and online shares, people started donating gifts and supplies, and Jones was able to get everything, including a live mermaid performer, donated. 

Jones said seeing the support for the family has been overwhelming.

“I’m overwhelmed just to see how much people care means the world to me. Especially for a little girl. I just want it to be a terrific day for her,” Jones said.