"Unless someone like you, Cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better
It’s not."
The quote above rang clear as crystal on Saturday June 25th 2011 as friends, family, local musicians and hundreds of individuals who heard the clarion call of someone in need, turned out to raise money for a family that had suffered a terrible tragedy just one month earlier.
On May 25th, 10 year old Cameron Koehler was killed when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed on his way home from school. The five other occupants in the truck were all his cousins, each of whom sustained serious injuries. Reeling from the massive blow of losing such a young child and facing massive medical bills far in excess of anything insurance would cover, the family was left devastated.
This well loved and respected family wont be left alone to deal with their tragedy. In a showing of traditional rural southern lifestyle and values, friends banded together to support them in their deepest time of need. Just one short month after the fatal accident, organizers in the community pulled off a successful two day benefit to raise money for the family.
Many Local Musicians gladly offered their voices and talent during a 12 hour festival on the grounds of the Creekbottom ATV PARK
Attendance was light during the the early afternoon as temperatures soared into the upper 90s and the sun beat down incessantly. If you’ve ever heard the saying ‘Hotter than Georgia Asphalt”, thats the kind of day it was. As evening fell and the heat became more tolerable crowds began growing at a steady rate. More and more members of the SWGA area came out, bringing their families and loved ones to join together in a show of true brotherly love and compassion for the grieving families. As the sun set, hundreds of people were enjoying the music of Faith Jackson and after darkness fell, local favorites Highway 55 took the stage in front of an impressive crowd.
The way the community came together for this event was truly moving. An estimated 100 people volunteered their time, their sweat and their personal savings to ensure this event happened. In our modern society of ”me centered” values, watching a community come together in such a manner gives this writer a little hope that during these trying times, we as a society have not totally lost our humanity and empathy for our fellow man.