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Uniontown Fundraising Benefit Held In Local Veteran's Honor

UNIONTOWN (KDKA) – Thanksgiving was last Thursday, but in the community of Uniontown, the idea of giving thanks spread into the weekend. Hundreds showed up to say thank you to a local veteran and raise money for worthy causes.

Retired Marine Corporal Brandon Rumbaugh served the United States in Afghanistan. It was there he lost both legs.

"This man did a lot for us," Rylee Murray with Air Force JROTC said. "Thank you, Brandon."

Over the weekend, Uniontown held a benefit fundraiser dinner in his honor.

"The way that everybody came together and the way that everybody is working together…" Rumbaugh said. "We have all kinds of different organizations here that decided to put everything aside and come together for this fundraiser to kind of end things on a good note."

Rumbaugh was there to help raise money for homeless veterans and the City Mission.

The homeless vet issue is close to Rumbaugh's heart.

"People want to help, they just don't know how to," he said. "If we can point them in the right direction, things around here will start to change and that's what we want. At the end of the day, we want a community that is together and not divided."

The Fraternal Order of Eagles hosted the all-day affair.

"There were people who came out of the woodwork to offer up their services for food, for time, for gifts, for fundraising," said Todd L'Hommedieu with the Uniontown Fraternal Order of Eagles.

And they are not done yet. Rumbaugh says there is another event coming up.

"We have another fundraiser in Philadelphia on December 12th, and we are hoping that will get us closer to our goal of $50,000," he said.

The Uniontown event raised $15,000.

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