Community holds fundraiser to help Prince family

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A day after divers found the body of a missing teen in Lake Lanier after a deadly crash, a Gwinnett County community came together to raise money to help his family.

Divers found the body of 13-year-old Griffin Prince Wednesday evening. His 9-year-old brother Jake also died in the boat crash on June 18.

"Even though this happened, we can still love them and show them that we're still there for them," swimmer Abby Hulsey said.

Hulsey was one of scores of young swimmers from several Gwinnett County teams taking part in a last-minute fundraiser showing their support for the Prince family.

"It's just one small thing out of the entire accident that we could help with and I was very happy to do it," swimmer Emily Hulsey said.

Several members of the Prince family were there with their own message.

"We love them and we feel their love. And we have felt the prayers of so many people. It's just an amazing thing," the boys' grandfather, Gary hensen, said.

Organizers said they expect to raise several thousand dollars to help the Prince family cover funeral costs.

"Anytime children are in an accident, it wrenches your heart, so we felt inclined to do something from the beginning," organizer Sheri Bevil said.

The event comes just 24-hours after the Hall County Sheriff's dive team recovered Griffin Prince's body after nine days of searching.

"It was relief. I knew that I was fixing to give a family back their son. That's why we all do this," Dive Team Commander Sgt. Kelley Edwards said.

Edwards told Channel 2's Aaron Diamant despite all the dangers he and his team faced at depths over 100 feet, there were no plans to call it quits when searching for Griffin.

"None of us would want our child down there," Edwards told Diamant.

And the boys' grandfather said the entire family is grateful.

"All of us have had our estimate of humanity and the goodness of people's hearts to a much, much higher level," Hensen said.

A public memorial service has been planned for the Griffin boys. That service will take place Tuesday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel at 3481 Hamilton Mill Road in Buford.

The family said it is having a private burial for the boys.

A memorial fund has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses. If you would like to help, you can make a donation to the Jake & Griffin Prince Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank location. The account number for the fund is 7581668121.

A memorial Facebook page has also been set up in honor of the two boys.

Donations can also be made via PayPal to the address GriffinAndJakePrince@gmail.com.

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WSBTV