The Whitesville and Knottsville communities came together in a big way over the weekend, raising more than $100,000 for the family of Braxton Rhodes, an 11-year-old boy who lost his leg following a recent ATV accident. Michael “Doodle” Morris and his friend Adam Howard developed a plan and leaned on several volunteers to bring the fundraiser to life at Morris’ home, attracting more than 1,000 attendees.
The event featured various activities, including pre-sold meat sales, a silent auction with 110 items, a live auction with 30 items, and even helicopter rides provided by Vortex. There were also 50/50 drawings, bake sales run by local youth, and performances by six bands.
Morris initially thought the meat sales would be the driving financial force but said the auctions yielded more money than he could have ever imagined. He said people were bidding on items, winning, and then donating them back to be auctioned off again.
“The majority of the crowd was locals, but we also had a lot of people from outside the area,” Morris said. “I think a lot of it was people that work with Rodney, but the vast majority were the people from this community.”
After learning about Braxton’s accident, Morris and Howard were inspired to organize the fundraiser. The Rhodes family lives behind Morris, and the two families have been close for years.
“When we first started talking about this a few weeks ago, our goal was to raise $30,000,” Morris said. “By the end of the day, we had raised around $101,000. It’s incredible.”
For the Rhodes family, the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. Rodney Rhodes shared that Braxton is battling a fever, which is delaying his transfer to a rehab hospital, but the family remains hopeful.
“He’s looking forward to getting up and moving more once they get the fever figured out,” Rhodes said. “He’s been off the ventilator for about 10 days now, and hearing his voice again was something we didn’t know if we’d ever experience. It was a great relief.”
Rhodes recalled the moment when they were told about the $100,000 raised.
“I was just in shock. I never would have imagined it would be anything like that,” he said. “They FaceTimed us during the announcement, and we just looked at each other, almost in disbelief. It’s unreal.”
The money raised will help the Rhodes family as they navigate the challenges ahead. Braxton has a long road to recovery, and Morris knows the funds raised are just the beginning.
“Last night was just a drop in the bucket of what Braxton is going to need over the next 50 years,” Morris said. “But it’s a start, and we’re glad to help.”
The fundraiser was a genuine community effort, with many local residents contributing time, resources, and energy to make it a success. Morris credited the dedication of the volunteers, including his father, who helped with organizing and cooking, and the numerous others who helped set up the auction and other activities.
“It took a lot of work, and it took a lot of people,” Morris said. “But it was worth it to see the community come together to support one of their own.”
Braxton was able to experience the event through videos and photos shared with him throughout the day.
“We were showing him some pictures and videos of the fundraiser, and a few people FaceTimed him so he could see what was going on,” Rhodes said. “When he heard the amount raised, he said, ‘That’ll buy me a really good leg.’”
