Ray Ray McElrathbey

Ray Ray his 11 year old brother Fahmarr (www.imarawoman.com/images/Nov06-Features.jpg)

A hero to me is someone who is there to guide you, be there for you, love you, and do anything for you. Ray Ray McElrathbey is all these things. He’s intelligent, athletic, and responsible. He cares for his family, friends, and team as he goes through a rough time at home and college. This is why I believe that he is a hero that only comes around once in a lifetime!

Ray Ray as a Student at Clemson University (graphics.fansonly.com/.../231691.jpeg)

Ray Ray’s Childhood was a constant nightmare as his parents fought their addictions. As the addiction took hold, his mom was no longer able to care for her children. Ray Ray says he was just 6 years old when he saw his mom smoke crack for the first time. Ray Ray and his siblings where split up and placed into foster homes. Both brothers went through foster-care programs in their hometown, Atlanta, and neither liked it. But as a high school student, he excelled at sports and received a full athletic scholarship to Clemson University.

Ray Ray McElrathbey, a 19 year old freshman cornerback at the University of Clemson, is raising his little brother while his mother continues to struggle with an addiction to crack cocaine. Ray Ray is 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs 190 pounds. He knows he has his hands full, but he has not shirked the responsibility. Because of their mother’s continuing drug problem, the elder McElrathbey said he wanted his younger brother near him and not returned to foster care.

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The McElrathbeys share an off-campus apartment and live off Ray Ray's scholarship funds and what he can pick up cutting grass or doing other odd jobs. They have no car so they rely on rides from friends. An NCAA waiver allowed Clemson personnel to help with Fahmarr's transportation to R.C. Edwards Middle School and around town, and to offer care while Ray Ray was traveling with the team. The NCAA also agreed that Clemson could set up a trust fund for the McElrathbeys, where money donated by well-wishers could be withdrawn to help Ray Ray raise Fahmarr. About $50,000 was donated within the first few weeks. The team has kind of adopted Fahmarr, and the other players take him out for hamburgers and try to help Ray Ray any way they can.

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When the family’s story was first circulated in the news media in mid-August, people from around the country called and wrote to offer financial assistance. But beyond the feel-good vibes and the nice, tidy endings that have been applied, Ray Ray remains afflicted with worry and grief. Because he still has siblings who are stuck in the same unpredictable hell that he and Fahmarr managed to escape.