LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Whether they showed it with a card, a donation or with a hug, the love for Ally Rednour was clear to see at the Southgate Shopping Center in South Louisville.
Pretty in Pink complete with a princess crown, the 7-year-old at times seemed like she was in awe with all of the people there for her.
"She's got tons of cards – I'm going to read them every night, as many as we can get through," Ally's mother Amy Rednour said.
Getting through has several meanings for Ally's mother Amy, whose heart breaks as she watches her first grader confined to a wheelchair. The severe cuts and scrapes on her feet and legs making it too painful for her to walk.
Amy says she's grateful to have her daughter in one piece after she was dragged down the street by a JCPS school bus on May 15.
"She's kinda scared. She has a few episodes when she's been upset about it," Amy said.
Amy says she's not sure when Ally will be physically or emotionally ready to return to school. So she stays home from work trying to nurse one child back to health while keeping a sense of normality for Ally's older siblings.
"I'm trying to be strong for all three of my kids because it's hard on all of us," she said.
Luckily, they're not alone.
Amy's co-workers at Great Clips, one of the two jobs she holds to support her family pitched in to host Saturday's fundraiser.
Everything from baked goods by the hairstylists, the food from Kroger and the raffle prizes from local businesses donated. Showing the story of this young student's horrific ordeal touched more than just the people who know her.
"It hurt a lot of us and that's why we felt pretty strong about trying to get something together," Michelle Lee, a Great Clips employee said.
Amy worries Ally won't get the fun summer she'd been looking forward to.
"She's not herself and I think she's going to be missing out on a lot with summer and swimming and stuff, but I think she's going to be good," Amy said.
Amy wanted to share her appreciation to the community that's supported her and Ally with the fundraiser, to the gifts, and lending Ally a wheelchair.
