Darien VFW Commander Lenny Hunter Out of Hospital, Fundraising Continues

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Lenny Hunter VFW 6933 GoFundMe page

From the Lenny Hunter Fund GoFundMe.com page

Lenny Hunter, as seen on his GoFundMe.com page

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Lenny Hunter, Darien’s VFW Commander and a longtime Post Office employee, is out of the hospital and continuing to recuperate, local veterans said on Veterans Day.

Hunter suffered serious injuries when a car hit him as he worked as a school crossing guard in Bridgeport on Sept. 13. Both of his legs were broken and his skull received fractures.

“He’s laid up right now, and he’s been laid up, and he will be laid up for quite a while,” Dave Polett told the crowd at the Darien Veterans Day ceremony on Saturday.

Lenny Hunter VFW 6933 GoFundMe page

From the Lenny Hunter Fund GoFundMe.com page

Lenny Hunter, as seen on his GoFundMe.com page

“I think it’s important for us to remember people that are from our town […]” he continued. Polett also mentioned Edward Carabello, 90, who recently died in a car accident in Wallingford.

Carabello, like Hunter, was a veteran who contributed time to various organizations and activities in town, Polett said.

“Just for a moment, I’d like you to ponder these two guys, and think about them” and the work they’ve done for the community, he said.

In an earlier interview, Phil Kraft, a longtime member of VFW Post 6933, said he’d recently visited Hunter. Kraft said Hunter is progressing.

“He’s home after two months in the hospital,” he said. Hunter, who remains commander of the post, has “been able to walk, using a walker, for the first time,” Kraft said.

Hunter has a rod in one leg and two rods in the other. “He’s an extraordinary man,” Kraft added.

A GoFundMe.com page was set up for Hunter on Sept. 15, exactly two months ago, and hasn’t yet reached its goal, so anyone can still contribute to “The Lenny Hunter Fund.” So far (as of late Monday night), a total of $8,420 had been raised from 106 people, with a goal of $50,000.

Here’s what that GoFundMe page had to say about Hunter and what happened to him:

On Tuesday morning, September 12, 2017, Lenny Hunter was doing his duty as a crossing guard in Bridgeport, when immediately after he crossed a group of school children and returning to his corner, a driver, having just dropped her child at school, lost control of her car [which]  jumped the curb and struck Lenny and his crossing guard partner.

Lenny took the full brunt of the impact, resulting in two broken legs and a fractured skull.  His partner was treated and released.

Lenny is a dedicated family man — he and his wife Mary, live in Bridgeport, where he provides support and guidance for his extended family.  While we are not sure yet of the financial impact this will have on his family during what is expected to be a long rehabilitation, his fellow veterans and members of the Darien VFW decided that establishing this fund as a contingency for family expenses would be the best way to go.

Lenny is truly one of those rare people who you can refer to as “beloved.”  In his 30 years at the U.S. Post Office in Darien, he touched many lives.  As a matter of fact, he saved a boy’s life while on his postal route.   A perfect example of Lenny’s character is, every day after performing his duties as a crossing guard, he would volunteer at a veterans’ center food bank.

Your donation will go toward the incidental expenses we predict will be incurred during Lenny’s long rehabilitation, as well as keeping his family financially intact during that time.

We know that were it any one of us in this situation, Lenny would be first in line to offer any help.

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