Campaign For Family Of Toddler Killed By Dog Raises $26K In 1 Day

AURORA, IL — More than 200 people from around the region contributed $26,000 in just a day to the family of a 17-month-old Aurora girl who died over the weekend after being attacked by a dog in Joliet.

Benjamin Wright and Angie Wojcik organized a GoFundMe campaign to support Marley Grace Wilander’s parents “in hopes to make this time of need as easy as possible for a grieving family recovering from a terrible tragedy.”

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Marley died Sunday morning after a pit bull mixed-breed dog bit her while she was sleeping at a home in Joliet. Marley’s parents were at the home for a 4th of July house party, police said.

“Marley loved life and everything she was able to experience,” Wright and Wojcik wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Beyond intelligent, intuitive, and calming, this child has so many traits of a wonderful human being and had a big purpose. Marley was not only the whole world and universe of her parents, but a sign that hope, love, innocence, and purity was always more powerful than the negative.”

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The fundraiser’s organizers said all money donated to the campaign will be used to pay for funeral and other related costs, and to help the family cover expenses while they grieve.

After an outpouring of support on the day the fundraiser was created, Wright thanked everyone who donated and included pictures of Marley and her family “to show how much she was truly loved.”

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“We are so overwhelmed and thankful for all the support this family has received over the last 16 hours,” Wright wrote. “I can’t thank you all enough for every single last donation to help this family through this extremely tough time.”