MILLSBORO, Del.- Just three days after 10-year-old Garrett Rogers was hit by a van allegedly driven by a drunk driver south of Millsboro, the community is coming together in support of the family. While Garrett remains in "critical but stable" condition in the hospital, people across Sussex County are fundraising for the family.
Garrett's coach Josh Wharton, who is a close friend to the Rogers' family, said he knew something had to be done to help Garrett and his mother. It was just in November that Garrett's father passed away.
"It's been hard man," he said. "Every day is hard. It's tears every day. A lot of praying, and a lot of faith."
In order to help, Wharton has started posting on Facebook about a fundraising effort. He has called on community members to donate gift cards to the family, so that they can pay for travel and eating expenses while staying with Garrett at the A-I Dupont Children's Hospital in Wilmington.
"His recovery is going to be a long one," he said. "And there's going to be a lot of eating out. A lot of trips back and forth from AI Dupont. And other doctor's offices. And (we want to) just to try to relieve that stress - that burden. We're just going to try and help by collecting gift cards and pass them on to the family."
This call for action has been well-received, with hundreds of likes, dozens of comments and well-over 225 shares.
Dozens of baseball teams have also started posting photos on social media with the hashtag #gmoneystrong in support of Garrett. Notable participants in this include The University of Virginia baseball team, Minor League players from Norfolk and Greenville, and even lawmakers, including the Governor Jack Markell.
On top of that, dozens of businesses and local Little League teams have posted photos as well.
In Laurel, Sportz Tees created a fundraiser of its own to help out the family. Owner Chris Otwell, who was a close friend of Garrett's father, is creating shirts to be sold for $15 each. All of the proceeds will go to the family.
"I posted it on Facebook at midnight," he said. "I got up this morning, got my kids on the bus, and when I checked Facebook there were probably at least 50 or 60 shares on Facebook."
From there, the number only grew. As of 8 p.m., there were more than 250 shares. He said there have been more than 250 shirt orders so far. Employee Alison Christophel said it is emotional to see the community rally behind Garrett.
"It's overwhelming," she said. "It's amazing. I mean the amount of people that can step forward for a child is just mind-blowing."
In order to buy a shirt, you can email Otwell at sportztees@gmail.com .
Drop-off locations for the family can be found at the Millsboro Little League Park and at the Millsboro Daycare.