Two-year-old Hoyt Lambert had his photo taken with Maple Lake Firefighter Aaron Fobbe inside a fire truck at a fundraiser in his honor, Saturday, Aug. 7 at the Maple Lake Community Park. Hoyt has a rare degenerative disease called KAND (KIF1A Associate Neurological Disorder) and his family is raising money to help find a cure. Despite some early rain that postponed the event for an hour, the fundraiser attracted at least 400 people and raised $33,404 for Hoyt and others like him. Hoyt’s mother, Bryn said their goal was $10,000 but the generosity of the community, friends and family blew that out of the water. “I couldn’t believe it when we got the final count,” Bryn said. “It’s beyond my expectations.” Bryn said 100 percent of the proceeds will go to KIF1A.org, the non-profit relentlessly fighting to find a cure before it’s too late.
To see more photos, see the front page and Page 8 of this week’s Messenger.