Hartland Mom Raising Money for Wounded Soldier From Texas

The mom of Hartland Army medic is collecting donations for a wounded Texas soldier and his family after money from an online fundraiser were stolen, she says.

Hartland resident Rebecca Oginski says more than $1,700 has been raised so far for the family of Spc. Christopher Haley, a medic who lost his leg below the knee and broke his other leg among other injuries when he triggered an IED Sept. 28 in Afghanistan.

Haley, who is friends with Oginski's son Thomas Underhill and serves as part of the Alaska-based Arctic Wolves, was treating another wounded soldier who also had detonated a separate IED, according to an article in the Killeen Daily Herald.

"It's been overwhelming," Oginski said of the response so far. "We have some very, very kind people in Hartland."

Oginski, who is the general manager at , said she decided to help she learned about the fundraising theft about a month ago. So, she created a flier and included them with the menus at O'Malley's as well as posting them around the restaurant, where she is collecting donations.

has since also started to collect money for Haley, who is recovering in San Antonio, TX. Oginski said the amount already covers what was taken, but she'll continue to collect donations through Saturday.

Haley's family is unaware of the effort, Oginski said, but they should be receiving the bulk of what's been collected soon. That group includes Haley's siblings and his parents, who are also both in the military. His father, Tom Haley, is currently in Afghanistan.

A Facebook group has been set up to give updates on Haley's progress.

"He's doing OK; he's just got a long recovery," Oginski said.