Fundraiser for Needham Family Exceeds $200,000
January 7, 2026
• A GoFundMe campaign created to support a Needham family following a destructive house fire that resulted in the death of a family member reached $200,000, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Nearly 2,400 community members and collegiate organizations have donated since the fundraiser’s launch on Dec. 26.
Kayla Corrigan, a 21-year-old senior at Syracuse University, died in the Christmas Eve fire at her family’s home on 28 Woodsworth Rd. Corrigan, a marketing management major, planned to graduate in the spring, according to her obituary.
The fundraiser aims to help the family “cover funeral and memorial expenses, temporary housing, and basic necessities as they navigate this unimaginable time,” it states. The GoFundMe goal was set at $150,000.
“In addition to losing someone we all love dearly, the fire destroyed their home and their belongings, leaving them facing both emotional devastation and sudden financial hardship,” the fundraiser reads. “Their lives were changed in an instant.”
Several organizations at Syracuse contributed to the fundraiser, including campus sororities and fraternities. Corrigan was a member of Sigma Delta Tau, which posted a tribute to her on Instagram.
“Kayla shared the most beautiful presence and was such a kind and caring soul. Everyone who knew her recognized her kindness, her warmth, her humor and her selflessness,” Syracuse’s Sigma Delta Tau wrote in the post. “She touched the lives of so many and we are so incredibly grateful for the memories she shared throughout her time in Sigma Delta Tau.”
The Needham Police Department also separately raised more than $15,000 for the family and continues to accept gift cards to local stores. The department has verified the legitimacy of the GoFundMe, which was organized by a friend of the family.
Corrigan and her family moved to Needham in 2007, according to her obituary. In 2022, she graduated from Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, which held a prayer service for her on Sunday afternoon.
Her loved ones described her as “a beautiful paradox of seemingly incompatible qualities and character traits.”
“She was athletic and fiercely competitive, yet also a fashion savant ready to style friends preparing for a special event,” her obituary noted. “She was exceptionally sensitive and caring, but also tough, resilient, and fearless. Her emotional intelligence surpassed that of many adults, yet she had a child‑like silliness and playfulness that disguised her inner maturity. She dreamed big, but moved through life with humility and steady kindness.”
The cause of the fire was deemed it to be accidental following a preliminary investigation. The fire appears to have started in the back of an attached garage, a Dec. 26 press release from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services states. “In this area, [investigators] identified several potential heat sources that could have contributed to the fire, all of which were accidental.”
The Needham Fire Department arrived at the Woodsworth Road home before 5 a.m. on Dec. 24, and 75 firefighters from Needham and surrounding towns battled the four-alarm fire. Two other adults escaped from the residence.
The incident follows another devastating Needham house fire on Pinewood Road in October.
In the press release, Fire Chief Tom Conroy extended his condolences to the Corrigans.
“Our thoughts have been with the family since the early morning hours of December 24 and they remain with the family today,” Conroy said. “I want to recognize the outpouring of compassion from Needham residents who are sending their love and support.”
