Clay County is a special place

I wasn’t born here.

I wasn’t raised here.

In fact, the only time I was ever in Clay County during my upbringing was driving through downtown Brazil on my way to Indianapolis or to play against Northview in 2009-2012 when I was in high school at Terre Haute North.

But when I was hired to become the Sports Editor at the Brazil Times in October 2019, it was made clear to me in a hurry that this is a close-knit community that has each other’s backs.

That was evident in January 2022 when Corbin Butts and Russell Butts were involved in a serious car accident following a Saturday afternoon Clay City boys basketball game that left them with a multitude of broken bones and a long pathway back to recovery.

Both Clay City and Northview came together to raise money for the Butts boys’ medical expenses, as well as showering them with love during the annual county rivalry game later in the year.

That love and admiration for one of Clay County’s own was on display again over the last couple of weeks when Stuart Bennett suffered life-threatening injuries in a single car accident just after midnight on June 18.

After he was life-lined to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, the community went right to work. In the following hours after the news had cycled through the various social media channels, different companies came up with fundraisers while others created a bank account at Riddell for anyone to donate monetary resources towards the family.

Shirts and bracelets with ‘Stu Strong’ on them were designed. Slushies and other beverages were sold in Bennett’s name. Gift cards and gas cards were collected to help out the family during their stay an hour-plus away from home while being by the side of their loved one. Signs around town sported the moniker ‘Stu Strong’ in support.

And then, when it was announced that he had passed away and Bennett, an organ donor, was going to take his honor walk in the hospital, over 200 members of the community made the trip up to the hospital – all wearing blue to honor him – to say their goodbyes to one of their own.

On two separate occasions in roughly 18 months, Clay County has shown its true colors. They support their people when they need it most. And they’ll continue to do so into the future because that’s the kind of community this place is.