As Sandy Creek High School wrestler Kerry Ruffin recovers from his injuries and his family deals with the aftermath of the devastating fire that took their home, they are receiving an outpouring of support from the community and elsewhere.

Ruffin suffered a serious spinal injury Saturday during a wrestling meet. Shortly after his surgery Monday night, his mother returned home to find that a fire had virtually destroyed the house.

From Sandy Creek, throughout the Fayette County school system and to Atlanta and beyond, calls are coming at a breakneck pace from people who wish to help the Ruffin family financially and offer other forms of encouragement.

Counselors and staff at the high school have done a great deal of organization in a very short time, enlisting the help of other schools in the county in the process.

A program known as CARE (Children At Risk in Education) has teams of faculty and staff in place in all Fayette public schools. They are putting out the word to their students on how they can contribute to the Ruffins in the coming weeks.

“They've been a big help,” said Winkie Greenhaw of Sandy Creek.

Ruffin's mother will soon be registering at local retail stores so that interested citizens can go and find out exactly what the family needs to replenish the household, according to Sandy Creek's Kelly Floyd.

A fund for Ruffin has been set up at all Bank of America locations in Fayette County, making it easy for monetary donations to be made.

Many people are already coming forward with clothes and other household items. Anyone donating large items, such as furniture, is asked to contact Floyd or Greenhaw at the school (770-969-2840) so that an inventory can be kept and storage arrangements can be made.

Parent-teacher organizations and booster clubs around the county are already at work. A Starr's Mill parent is organizing volunteers to go out this weekend and solicit donations using buckets provided by Lowe's and Home Depot, Greenhaw said.

Some Sandy Creek students have scheduled a special prayer meeting for Ruffin and his family next Friday at 7:45 a.m. at the flag pole.

Wrestling coach Damian Belvedere has reported many people simply walking in off the street and giving him money for the Ruffins, Sandy Creek staffers said.

Help also is coming from outside the county. The principal of Harrison High School in east Cobb County has called to say that the students there are collecting items to contribute.

A travel agent in Stockbridge reported that she is gathering clothes in her area, and a lady living in a retirement home in Douglasville also is sending some items, Greenhaw said.

Contributions are coming in on the corporate level, with some companies reporting that they will be helping out through organizations such as United Way.

Atlanta radio station STAR 94 had Mrs. Ruffin on the air Wednesday morning, and she was given a furnished Post apartment for six months and a year's supply of groceries from Kroger.

Wrestling programs at schools around the state have been contacted and will be getting involved in the coming weeks, Greenhaw said.

As for the Sandy Creek students, they have been outstanding in their reponse, according to Floyd and Greenhaw.

“We've got the best students anywhere,” said Greenhaw. “It's just phenomenal the support we've had here.”

The staff also recognized Sandy Creek's principal, Dr. Charles Warr, who also has been very supportive in giving the counselors a free hand to do whatever they need to do to organize these efforts, they said.

Signs are up on the walls in the hallways at the school, and students are autographing them so that they can be taken to Kerry this weekend.

Students also have been encouraged to send messages of support to the wrestler who was competing against Ruffin when he was injured, Greenhaw said.

Ruffin is now at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where he is in good condition, according to spokesperson Kim Lathbury. He was injured at the fifth vertebrae, just below the neck.

“He has some movement in his arms, and some feeling in his legs,” she said.

He was scheduled to begin therapy yesterday, and his intensive rehabilitation starts next week.

It is not certain yet how long he will be at Shepherd, but Lathbury said that the average stay is four to eight weeks, depending upon the severity of the injuries.

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