UPSON COUNTY, Ga. — After two volunteer firefighters in Upson County were injured when their fire truck flipped over, members of the community are coming together to help cover the costs of their treatment.
Logan Gordy and Trista Cheeks were responding to a call on July 17 when Gordy lost control and the two were ejected from the truck, Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore said.
Now they are in the ICU at Grady Health in Atlanta, but the Upson County community is coming together to help raise money for their recovery.
"It's amazing," Rock Hill Fire Chief Alan Yarbrough said. "You won't find a better couple than Logan and Trista. They have such a giving heart... to see the community out and supporting them is amazing."
According to Kilgore, Gordy was in a medically-induced coma when he arrived at the hospital, and Cheek had to be taken into surgery.
But in the days since the crash, the community has come together to support Gordy and Cheeks.
On Friday, a boot drive raised $8,000 for the couple, Yarbrough said.
Outside of businesses like Walmart, Ingles, and Tractor Supply Co., people stood outside with fire boots and as customers left the stores they were asked to put money into the boot.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg.
According to a Facebook post, the fundraiser on July 29 is hoping to "Light up Upson County" for Cheeks and Gordy.
They will be meeting at Rock Hill Volunteer Fire Department and then drive to Warm Springs in a processional of sorts. You can find more details here.
According to Yarbrough, they are allowing motorcycles, cars, and trucks. If you can drive it on the highway, he said, you can enter it. Plus, they've already had numerous people donate items to be raffled out.
Additionally, on July 29 a charity bike ride will be held outside of Boone's Outdoor Supply on Rock Hill School Road, Yarbrough said. It will be at 9:30 a.m.
There is also a T-shirt drive going on with "Logan and Trista Strong," and all the money raised from the T-shirt sales is going to the family.
On Saturday night, a candlelight vigil is taking place outside of Boone's Outdoor Supply on Rock Hill Road from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
"It is tough," Yarbrough said. "I've watched Logan grow. He's like a second son. It's just hard to talk about it."
But all the events and all the support have shown that the department is not going through this alone.
"Our community has been completely behind them," Yarbrough said. "I can't ask for a better response. "