VIDEO: Athens Students Smash $24K Fundraising Goal During Charity Week

On Friday, students at Troy Athens High School held a pep rally to celebrate a very successful end to Charity Week, during which students raised tens of thousands of dollars for “I’ve Got Your Backs” – a local charity that assists anyone in need.

The charity was founded in honor of 21-year-old Isaac Loughrige, who died two years ago as a result of complications after contracting the H1N1 virus. Loughrige was known as an athlete and an especially generous individual who would do anything he could to help those in need.

"Isaac was known for taking the shoes off of his feet or the coat off of his back to give to other people," said Kathleen Loughrige, Isaac's mother.

Kathleen and Shawn Loughrige, Isaac's father, were present at the pep rally and personally thanked the students who worked to raise money in their son's honor.

"They're incredible kids," Troy Athens Principal Lara Dixon said. "They want to give as much as they possibly can."

Students could participate in a number of charitable activities organized by the school's student congress all week long in order to raise money for I've Got Your Backs.

"We did a Mr. Athens pageant, a raffle, we sold bracelets, we had a volleyball tournament. ... It's ingrained in our kids that this is a big week," student congress adviser Kristy Pierce said.

After counting down from five, members of the Troy Athens Student Council peeled away a large sheet of paper to reveal the stunning Charity Week fundraiser total: $34,198.96.

"It's incredible to see us beat our total by $10,000," Student Council Vice President J.D. Sterba said.

"We were confident that we could do well, (but) we had no idea we could do this well," Student Council President Rasika Karnik added.

"We've never reached the heights of this total before," Troy Athens varsity football coach and pep rally emcee Josh Hepner said. "This is unbelievable; $34,000 is amazing, and I can't say enough of the student body and this community."

Once the very last donation was counted after the pep rally, the final total rose to an incredible $35,113.41 – a new Charity Week fundraising record for Athens.

"Like I said to the kids, they really exemplify what it means to stop for a week, take time out of their own schedule, their own money, their own efforts, and think about someone else," Shawn said. "That's what the foundation is about."

For more information or to donate to I've Got Your Backs, visit www.ivegotyourbacks.org.