Kansas high school basketball player Ava Jones, mother moved to rehab center after car accident

Ava Jones, a star basketball player from Nickerson and Iowa women's basketball commit, and Amy Jones, Ava's mother and Nickerson assistant superintendent, will be moved out of the intensive care unit at University of Louisville Hospital to the Frazier Rehab Center sometime this week. 

According to a update on a Facebook group, Ava Jones is out of the intensive care unit, and her mother Amy Jones is expected to be out of the ICU this week. Both will be put in the same room at the rehab facility. 

"Ava has shown a lot of improvement," Mary Jones said, Ava's grandmother and Trey Jones' mother. "We want the girls close together for now but intend to find placement closer to home."

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Both Ava and Amy Jones came off ventilators last Thursday and were able to breathe on their own. Trey Jones, husband to Amy Jones and father to Ava, died last week after succumbing to his injuries from the July 5 crash on a sidewalk in downtown Louisville when in town for an AAU basketball tournament. On Sunday, July 10, the hospital did an honor walk for Trey where family was able to see him for the last time before being operated on to donate his organs. 

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Fundraisers for Jones family

A field day fundraiser will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. S, Aug. 13 at Hutchinson High School's Don Michael Field, hosted by Hutchinson High School DECA.

The field day will have yard games, food trucks and other fun activities with all proceeds going toward the Jones Family. Entry into the field day will be $5. Nickerson students and community members are also encouraged to attend and volunteer. 

The event is similar to last summer's field day when the event was put on by Hutchinson DECA students to show support for the Evans family when softball coach and teacher Clayton Evans suffered a severe spinal cord injury. 

"It lifted my spirits up to see everyone helping and supporting my family," Evans said. "Fast forward almost a year, and we'd love to do the same for the Jones family."

More:Here's how you can help Ava Jones and her family, from donations to fundraisers

Buhler volleyball will also be hosting a sand volleyball tournament on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31. Another location has been added because of the number of teams registered. Games will be played at the Carey Park volleyball courts by Salt City Splash and the Fun Valley sand volleyball courts. 

Gold Nutrition in Winfield will offer a specialty tea, "The Jones Tea," on Friday, July 29, which will be blue and purple to represent Amy and Trey Jones' time at Southwestern College. Amy and Trey Jones were Southwestern graduates and educators at Winfield and Arkansas City before returning to Nickerson. All profits from "The Jones Tea" will be donated to the Jones Family Fund account at the People's Bank and Trust in Hutchinson. 

Community members can also donate to the Jones fund directly to the People's Bank and Trust in Hutchinson and Nickerson. The Jones Family GoFundMe page registers more than $125,000.

There are also shirts available to purchase to show support for the Jones family. The link can be found on the Jones Family Updates Facebook group and are $20. 

Billy Watson is the sports reporter for The Hutchinson News and has been in Kansas since March 2021. To reach out about story ideas, you can send an email to wwatson@gannett.com or send a direct message on Twitter @hutchsports or @billywatson4l.