'It's heartwarming:' Oak Creek community comes together for student hit by car

’It’s heartwarming: ’ Oak Creek community comes together for student hit by car
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OAK CREEK (CBS 58) -- An Oak Creek family is getting much-needed help through a community fundraiser. Lily Putnam is recovering from a brain injury after being hit by a car on her way to school last September. 

Saturday's fundraiser at the American Legion Post 434 will help the family pay for in-home care and therapy. Putnam suffered severe injuries to her brain and brain stem. The family was overwhelmed by the turnout at the fundraiser. 

"It just shows the gratitude and close-knit community of Oak Creek," Lily's Stepdad Steve Koch said.

Lily was hit by a car outside of Oak Creek High School on her way to class last year. The driver was a staff member at the school. Lily is now recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair and can only communicate using her eyes. Lily had plans to go to college and become a special education teacher before she was hit by the car. 

"To see her classmates move forward and she has to start over again is definitely hard. Very hard," Lily's Mom Nikki Putnam said. "But, we will deal with it and she will eventually get to that point."

There will be another fundraiser for Putnam on September 29. There will be a poker run sponsored by the Sons of the American Legion and the Legion Riders that starts at 9 a.m. at the Oak Creek American Legion Post 434.

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