Friends and the community have rallied to support Jacob Dake and his family after the Oglethorpe County High School senior was severely injured in a traffic accident on Sept. 15.
Fundraisers have been scheduled and a fund has been established for Dake, 17, who remained in stable condition (as of Tuesday) at a Macon hospital.
“I’m really amazed about how my community has stepped up,” said Rhonda Pilgrim, Dake’s mother. “And we’re blessed for the people who were there at the scene — the first responders. They’re the ones who started saving my son, and I’m just blessed about the doctors and the surgeons … because he’s a miracle to be here.”
Dake, who was on a motorcycle, was injured in the accident on Highway 78, near Amber Lane, according to Cpl. Neal Frankel of the Georgia State Patrol. Dake and the driver of the car involved in the accident were taken to Piedmont Athens Regional, where Dake was stabilized before being airlifted to Macon for surgery.
Pilgrim has remained at the hospital since the accident, sending out occasional updates on Facebook.
Dake will undergo more surgeries, but Pilgrim remains optimistic.
“He’s a strong-willed boy,” she said. “He’s determined to get through this; it’s how he’s always been. He’s always had that character about him, and I’m super proud of how he’s handling this.”
To show their support, the OCHS football team and cheerleaders wore Dake’s initials on their helmets and cheeks during Friday night’s victory at Greene County.
Several of Dake’s friends drove to Macon, said Erich Forschler, a teacher and boys soccer coach at OCHS. Dake has played soccer for OCHS for three years and is a two-year letterman.
Pilgrim asked Board of Education Chair Becky Soto and Charley Wisby to take the lead on organizing fundraisers.
“We are tight-knit, you know, and when something happens to one of us, it's full on,” Soto said. “The entire community moves to help, and we see it consistently over and over, anytime someone goes through a hard time.”
Soto and Wisby established an account for donations at The Commercial Bank, which has branches in Oglethorpe, Oconee, Clarke and Madison counties.
Other fundraising efforts led by community members include a barbeque on Oct. 1 at Bell’s Food Store in Crawford. Sadie Dake, Jacob’s sister, works at the store, and all food and supplies have been donated to allow proceeds to go directly to Dake’s family, Soto said.
Oglethorpe County Fire Rescue will hold a gun raffle to support the family.
Tickets for the raffle can be purchased from any of the consolidated fire department members and are available to all ages with the stipulation that those under 21 take $400 instead of a gun. Winners 21 and older can also choose to take the money if they prefer.
“They wanted Jacob’s teammates and classmates to have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket,” Soto said.
Two more fundraising efforts are being led by Dake’s soccer coach and teammates.
A car show has been scheduled for Oct. 29 and a 3-on-3 soccer tournament is still being planned.
The car show will take place in the parking lot of the OCHS gym and will include hamburgers and hotdogs cooked by the consolidated fire departments, along with music and a bake sale.
“I know that Jacob likes cars,” said Forschler, Dake’s soccer coach. “He got an old car and has been fixing it up for a while. That’s a passion of his. He’s very much into vehicles and working on them and fixing them up and driving them. So, I thought, maybe a car show.”
Forschler passed on the idea and community members with experience setting up car shows and similar events took over from there.
“I’ve never done one; I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to do it, but people want to help and somebody knows somebody, and so we’re going to make that a reality,” Forschler said. “We’re going to make that car show happen.”
Several of his soccer teammates were among the group who stayed in Macon over the weekend as Dake went through his first surgeries, and the team proposed the idea of a 3-on-3 soccer tournament to raise support.
Forschler is looking to host the event in either November or December and plans to open it up to allow more people and donations.
“And then it’s not just going to stop right there,” Forschler said. “Because Jacob’s a part of our soccer family, whether he’ll be able to join us on the field this season or just come and join us on the sidelines or in the locker room or whatever level of involvement he wants. And we’ll do whatever he needs so that he’s comfortable and definitely feels like he’s a part of it.”
To give to the Jacob Dake fund, visit a branch of The Commercial Bank or mail a check to the Jacob Dake Fundraiser, P.O. Box 306, Crawford, Georgia 30630.