FORT MILL -- The stands at Gold Hill Middle School were filled with basketball fans donning red, white and bear Thursday evening in honor of player Connor McKemey, who was burned seriously in an accident just days before Christmas.
About 75 fans wore red T-shirts with white letters that read "Crusaders For Connor" and featured a picture of a bear on the front.
"Red is Connor's favorite color, and his family nickname is 'Bear,'" said Gretchen Zimmer, a middle school parent and member of the school's athletic booster club.
Principal Tommy Johnston said he was excited about the turnout for Connor.
Connor, 13, plays forward and center for the school's eighth-grade boys basketball team, coach Kevin Miller said.
"He is very active for us. He is a hustler, and he plays his heart out," Miller said.
Players wore the T-shirts to warm up and during the game and wore red bands on their shoulders bearing the initials C.M.
Miller said at every game this season, the players will wear the T-shirts during warm-ups and bands during the game.
Before the game, fans and players were led in prayer by assistant principal James White.
"Connor is with us in spirit," White said.
The booster club began selling the T-shirts at the school earlier in the week as part of its fundraising effort, "Wear the Bear," to raise money for the McKemey family.
The T-shirts are available for $20 on Gold Hill Middle School's Web site and on the CaringBridge Web site, which keeps family and friends abreast of the McKemeys' recovery. Proceeds from T-shirt sales will go directly to a trust fund being set up for the family to help with expenses.
Connor remains in critical condition at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., said hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits. Connor's mother, Karin McKemey, 40, who was injured in the accident while trying to help Connor, was discharged a little more than a week ago.
The McKemeys have received tremendous support nationwide since the accident.
Several area businesses have organized fundraisers for the family, including Carolina Paint and Design in Graystone Crossing in Tega Cay.
Owner Jamie Rudzinski said she didn't know the McKemeys, but the news of their accident reminded Rudzinski of a similar situation with her family.
"I had a son injured two-and-a-half years ago. We had a lot of community support," she said. "This is a way we can give back."
For every gallon of paint sold at Carolina Paint and Design, Rudzinski said the store will donate $1 to the trust fund set up for the McKemeys. Rudzinski said she also has put a donation can beside the store's cash register.
Rudzinski's efforts to support the McKemey family inspired the owners of the building in which the store is located to help as well.
Centurion Partners, the development company that owns Graystone Crossing, is going to match every dollar that Carolina Paint and Design donates through paint sales, up to $250, project manager Raquel Bliss said.
The company's chief operating officer, John Shell Jr., said the tenants in Graystone Crossing are local business owners who are concerned about the well-being of families in the area.
"We had numerous requests from our Tega Cay retailers to share in a community-wide effort to help a deserving family in need," Shell said.
Other community-led efforts to benefit the family will be a lacrosse tournament on Jan. 31 at Fort Mill High School and a blood drive being organized for later this month that will directly benefit Connor and other patients at the burn center.
