As Bridger Hunt lay in surgery Thursday night, his friends were in Orem, hosting a party at Bonneville Park to raise money for him.

Complete with a train ride for small children, free hot dogs, cotton candy and games galore, Hunt's friends said they hoped to raise $5,000 through amusement ticket sales and a silent auction to help pay for medical bills. Hunt, 11, was critically injured when he was hit by a homemade firework in Lehi on Pioneer Day.

"We're doing this because we love him so much and want him to get better," said Hunt's friend, Jenna Jarvis.

Early in the evening, more than a hundred people from the neighborhood and even out of town crowded around the park pavilion, eating grilled hot dogs and playing games while sharing thoughts about Bridger. One friend said if the boy has to use a cane or another device to help him walk, he'll just throw it down and try to walk on his own. Organizers estimated 500 people attended the event.

Shelly Oberg said the idea for the fundraiser came from her daughter, Kaeli, who is Hunt's friend, along with Jarvis and Zach Kelling. The barbecue was originally intended to be much smaller, but Oberg said free hot dogs and other donations kept coming in.

"We were just going to do a barbecue for the neighborhood kids, and it just grew from there," she said.

Hunt's friends decided to call various local businesses, and the donations to the silent auction flowed in the form of longboards, a snowboard, gift cards and skate shoes. Shawn Lerwill, from the American Fork Massage Envy, brought a massage chair to the park and offered free massages to help get the donating juices flowing.

"We do stuff like this on occasion, but this is the first time we've had the opportunity to do it for someone who's lost something," he said.

Jim Stritikus, emergency management coordinator at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, offered train rides to children at the party. Stritikus said he offers the rides at all sorts of events, and the smiles on kids' faces are all he needs. Hunt's case is one that hits home for Stritikus because he lives in the same neighborhood in Lehi where the boy's grandparents are from, and Hunt's injuries are similar to roadside bomb injuries he sees with veterans every day.

"That's similar to what happened to Bridger," he said. "On a different scale, but the same kind of injury."

Hunt's stepfather, Travis Shaw, said the boy is improving gradually, and his heart rate and temperature have come down in the last few days. He will still be in a coma for about four more days, but Shaw said he is doing well in his recovery.

Shaw said the fundraiser put on by Hunt's friends was one example of the positive things that have come from the tragedy.

"It was so terrible, so horrible, but there's all these smiles," he said. "I can't think of anything Bridger would enjoy more."

The party itself shows how good the people in the community are, Shaw said. Without anyone trying to make it big, donations continued to pour in and make the barbecue a community-wide event. Shaw said it was amazing how many people came and wanted to help, when it would be easy to assume someone else would.

"I do want to commend this many people for coming out," he said.

Draper resident Rosemary Thomas said she and her family have been following Hunt's story and wanted to be able to help. Her extended family had planned to have a party Thursday evening, and Thomas said they decided they would move the party to Bonneville Park.

"We wanted to have a celebration with our family, but why not help someone else and celebrate too?" she said.

Thomas said the fundraiser was a good idea because many people want to help the family, but they don't know how. Hunt's story hits home for Thomas because she has sons of her own, including Ian, who is the same age as Hunt.

"If [our party] was somewhere else, we wouldn't be helping somebody," Ian Thomas said.

Karl Hunt, Bridger Hunt's father, said Bridger would have loved the party because his friends are his life. Hunt said although he knows his son's friends have good hearts, he never expected them to do such a service for the boy. Hunt said the party would have meant a lot to his son had he been there.

"He'd cry," he said. "I'm about ready to, so I know he would.