Lake George church raises funds for Mongolian woman struck by car
LAKE GEORGE -- Caldwell Presbyterian Church members have raised $3,350 in the last month to benefit a Mongolian woman seriously injured after a car struck her last summer.
Helene Horn, a member of the church, said more than $1,500 of that came from people who are not church members, some from as far away as Stillwater.
"I think people are very upset about what happened to this girl with the potential to do great things," she said. "The fact that we had help from the community made it about twice what it might have been."
Uranjargal Dovdonpurev, a 23-year-old Mongolian college student who was working in Lake George for the summer, was walking along Route 9 on July 3 with a friend when both women were struck. Called Urna by family and friends, she suffered severe brain damage that left her in a coma for months.
Urna’s friend, Oyun-Erdene Erdene, 21, called Oyuka by family and friends, suffered severely broken legs but has since gone back to Mongolia and is now attending a university in Turkey.
Before the accident, Urna had been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and was set to study in France this fall. Instead, she spent that time at Albany Medical Center, and was just recently released to the Ronald McDonald House, where her mother and brother have been staying since they were brought the U.S. to be with Urna.
Horn said the church adopts a charitable cause every month, and after reading an October Post-Star story about the women’s conditions, they decided Urna’s cause would be November’s mission. When the cause was announced, Horn said she hoped to raise $1,000.
"There were a couple of notes included with people that had been to Mongolia and writing about how great the country was," she said, "so I’m going to send those down with a letter to the family at the Ronald McDonald House."
Horn said the money should help pay for Urna and her family’s living expenses while she remains in Albany; if any funds remain by the time the family returns home, it would go toward the cost of their flights.
Urna was in the region for the summer, she said, and did not bring any winter clothing with her.
The women were required to have medical insurance when they arrived in the U.S., but Urna has exhausted that and other insurance policies. Without insurance, moving her to a rehabilitative facility has been difficult.
On Thursday, Horn said she has been in touch with staff at the Ronald McDonald House, who told her volunteers have been giving Urna physical therapy, massage, speech therapy and occupational therapy.
"She is making progress, so they’re hopeful that she’s going to have some recovery," Horn said, "so it’s looking a little more encouraging."
Helene Horn, a member of the church, said more than $1,500 of that came from people who are not church members, some from as far away as Stillwater.
"I think people are very upset about what happened to this girl with the potential to do great things," she said. "The fact that we had help from the community made it about twice what it might have been."
Uranjargal Dovdonpurev, a 23-year-old Mongolian college student who was working in Lake George for the summer, was walking along Route 9 on July 3 with a friend when both women were struck. Called Urna by family and friends, she suffered severe brain damage that left her in a coma for months.
Urna’s friend, Oyun-Erdene Erdene, 21, called Oyuka by family and friends, suffered severely broken legs but has since gone back to Mongolia and is now attending a university in Turkey.
Before the accident, Urna had been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and was set to study in France this fall. Instead, she spent that time at Albany Medical Center, and was just recently released to the Ronald McDonald House, where her mother and brother have been staying since they were brought the U.S. to be with Urna.
Horn said the church adopts a charitable cause every month, and after reading an October Post-Star story about the women’s conditions, they decided Urna’s cause would be November’s mission. When the cause was announced, Horn said she hoped to raise $1,000.
"There were a couple of notes included with people that had been to Mongolia and writing about how great the country was," she said, "so I’m going to send those down with a letter to the family at the Ronald McDonald House."
Horn said the money should help pay for Urna and her family’s living expenses while she remains in Albany; if any funds remain by the time the family returns home, it would go toward the cost of their flights.
Urna was in the region for the summer, she said, and did not bring any winter clothing with her.
The women were required to have medical insurance when they arrived in the U.S., but Urna has exhausted that and other insurance policies. Without insurance, moving her to a rehabilitative facility has been difficult.
On Thursday, Horn said she has been in touch with staff at the Ronald McDonald House, who told her volunteers have been giving Urna physical therapy, massage, speech therapy and occupational therapy.
"She is making progress, so they’re hopeful that she’s going to have some recovery," Horn said, "so it’s looking a little more encouraging."
Comments
Post a Comment