KIEL (NBC 26) — Friends, family, and strangers gathered at Edgewater Bar and Grill to help Cody Rautmann and his family with medical expenses following his recovery from a medically induced coma.
Watch the full broadcast here:
Rautmann, a Kiel man, was left in a medically induced coma after standing up for a friend during an alleged bar fight. Friday night, the community that has been rallying behind him took that support a step further.
Benefit organizer Justin Nett got to know Rautmann while working in Kiel.
"He'd come in and give me this little stupid smile and a little wave, just a dude that brightens your day," Nett said.
Nett said he wanted to find a way to help, and the community stepped up right along with him.
"The whole community stood up and donated so much," Nett said.
The benefit included more than 30 raffle baskets, live music and Rockstar Karaoke — a tribute to Rautmann, whose friends say he was always singing at Badger's Den.
Edgewater Bar and Grill manager Kevin Roehl said hosting the event was an easy choice.
"Kiel is a family. Not only do we support our own, we fight for our own," Roehl said.
Jamie Wunrow worked with Rautmann at Badger's Den, where the two became close friends.
"He became a staple at the Den, and a group of us got close; it's really nice to see him again," Wunrow said.
Cody and his family were at the event Friday night, catching up with friends, sharing hugs and thanking the people who came out to help.
"I told him, 'Get ready to give a lot of people a lot of hugs," Wunrow said.
Organizers say their goal is simple: to help Rautmann and his family during his recovery and show him the support he has from the Kiel community.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
