ROUND ROCK, Texas — On Sunday morning in Round Rock, the community came together to raise money for the family of 6-year-old Jeremy, who was attacked in his Georgetown home on Sept. 11. Jeremy has been fighting for his life in the hospital since then.
"This is what Georgetown, Round Rock is all about," said Will Williams, one of the event’s organizers.
Several Georgetown and Round Rock community members, including Williams – a veteran with the Share the Will organization – and the YMCA of Central Texas helped put on this fundraiser. They started planning the event last week to raise money for Jeremy’s family during this difficult time.
"I just thought about his parents, you know, what they're going through," Williams said.
Their goal was to sell 250 barbecue plates and raise $10,000, but they exceeded those goals and sold out of barbecue twice. They also raised money by selling “Jeremy Strong” shirts. The slogan on the shirts was an idea from Peyton Rinkin – one of Jeremy’s friends in his jiu-jitsu class.
"Jeremy had our back, and now we have his,” Rinkin said.
Another jiu-jitsu friend, Zoey Flanery, said these past few weeks have been very difficult on her.
"My mom said what happened about Jeremy, about somebody breaking in his house, and I started crying," Flanery said. “I bawled my eyes out and I pretty much cried myself to sleep … I didn't feel happy anymore. I felt devastated and sad.”
But together, the community and Jeremy’s friends have been praying for his recovery and working hard to do everything they can to support his family – all so Jeremy can continue fighting for his life.
"When our brothers are down, we always say they're strong, we always tell them how strong they are, and when a 6-year-old young boy can fight, he definitely has the heart of a soldier," Williams said.
Organizers say they plan to hold another fundraiser for the family soon. Those plans are still in the works.
If you want to make a contribution to Jeremy's medical bills, you can donate through their GoFundMe. Jeremy’s dad, Arturo, also posts daily on Jeremy's condition on the site.