Sgt. Joey Jones wasn't there in person, but supporters couldn't miss him if they tried.
Two events held Saturday in Dalton and Dawnville, Ga., helped raise money for the family of the wounded Marine, a Dawnville resident who lost his legs in an Afghanistan bomb blast in early August.
Family friends Treasa West and Ginger Souther linked up to redub the annual Dawnville Day as "Joey Day." Held near the community's fire station with horse rides, crafts booths, a cake walk and dunk tank, the event attracted a flow of visitors through the afternoon, with an estimated 50 attendees at one point.
"This is a very tight-knit community," West said. "The response has been overwhelming."
The Jones family hopes to raise enough funds to add a handicap-accessible room to their home and also purchase a specially modified pickup truck the Marine sergeant can drive when he finishes his recuperation.
The one-day Dawnville Day usually is held in the spring to benefit local athletic teams, but with the blessing of the event organizers, the pair decided the event should focus on Jones.
Grandmother Barbara Jones and sister Marsha Jones were on hand in specially made "Joey Day" T-shirts, helping with face painting and greeting well-wishers.
The 24-year-old sergeant faces a long recovery and recently moved to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. after spending the first five weeks of his recovery undergoing multiple surgeries and physical therapy at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
A few miles away from "Joey Day," veterans, bikers and friends stood with signs and buckets, taking offerings from passing motorists near the Dalton Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Veterans Drive.
Jones' childhood friend Charles Heard and Terry Owenby helped organize the VFW event, with the hope that they'll be able to deliver the proceeds personally to Jones and his family.
The injuries to Jones hit particularly close to home, Heard said.
"That it's somebody you know, it hits home and hurts everybody," he said.