Fundraiser will support Habitat home in honor of late University of Alabama graduate

Jasmine Hollie, Tuscaloosa News
·3 min read

Organizers of the Dan Nielsen Memorial Fundraiser, scheduled for Friday, say the event was created to continue the legacy of Daniel Nielsen, a University of Alabama graduate who died in 2021 at the age of 24.

While he was a student at the University of Alabama, Nielsen participated in the building of 17 Habitat for Humanity homes and helped raise more than $200,000 for the nonprofit group.

More: Tuscaloosa business leaders unite to build Habitat for Humanity home

The goal of the annual fundraiser is to generate enough money to build a Habitat home in Tuscaloosa in Nielsen's memory.

"It was clearly a big loss when we unfortunately lost him back in 2021. And It's important that we rally around each other in order to try to continue to make that impact that he is no longer here to make," said Carsen Piacsek a UA graduate student who is one of the fundraiser's organizers.

The third annual Dan Nielsen Memorial Fundraiser will be held from 2-6 p.m. Friday at The Rabbit Hole, 1407 University Blvd. The event is open to the public.

The fundraiser will include a day of fun, live music and more. Guests will be able purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes with the grand prize being a football signed by former University of Alabama coach Nick Saban.

UA Alumnus Daniel Nielson
UA Alumnus Daniel Nielson

Organizers said that guests are encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts because Nielsen loved wearing them.

All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Daniel Nielsen Memorial Habitat Home.

Piacsek said the goal is to raise $100,000 for the building of a Habitat home in Nielsen's name. Piasec serves as one of the two lead organizers of this year's fundraiser along with Clara Gibbs, who is also a UA graduate student.

Piacsek said although he didn't know Nielsen personally, he was inspired by Nielsen's story and the work he did with Habitat for Humanity.

"Everyone who knew him when he was at the University of Alabama said how contagious his attitude was and how fun he was to be around," Piacsek said.

Nielsen served with UA's Habitat for Humanity chapter from 2016 to 2019, first as the chapter's treasurer and then as president.

One of Nielsen's more notable achievements was the campaign to build a new home for Sonya Kemp, whose house had been severely damaged in the April 27, 2011, tornado that struck Tuscaloosa.

Sonya Kemp holds the key to her new Habitat for Humanity Home on Oct. 12, 2018. Daniel Nielsen, a late University of Alabama graduate, spearheaded the "Raise the Roof for Sonya" campaign that helped build her a new home on the site of her old house, which had been damaged by the April 27, 2011, tornado. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Sonya Kemp holds the key to her new Habitat for Humanity Home on Oct. 12, 2018. Daniel Nielsen, a late University of Alabama graduate, spearheaded the "Raise the Roof for Sonya" campaign that helped build her a new home on the site of her old house, which had been damaged by the April 27, 2011, tornado. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]

Nielsen spearheaded the “Raise the Roof for Sonya” campaign, which raised enough money to tear down Kemp's old house and build a brand-new home in the same location in 2018.

Born in Rockford, Illinois, Nielsen accepted a full-ride scholarship to the University of Alabama in 2015, according to information from his obituary.

Nielsen graduated summa cum laude from UA in 2019 with a bachelor of science in degree in electrical and computer engineering. In 2020, he earned his master's degree in business administration from UA.

During his academic career at the Capstone, Nielsen was the 2019 recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award from UA's National Alumni Association.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Fundraiser designed to carry on late UA student's Habitat work