A GoFundMe campaign for the three children of Angie Khalmendik, the 31-year-old Hinsdale mother who drowned saving her 7-year-old son from the Des Plaines River on Aug. 16, raised more than $41,600 in less than 48 hours.

Teddy Wozny, Khalmendik's neighbor, friend and employer, launched the campaign on Tuesday, Aug. 18, under the title "Angie-The Hero Mom." Funds will go toward funeral costs and immediate financial support for her children: Anna, Michael and Johnny.

"She was amazing in the office and she was the same as a mother, neighbor, friend," Wozny told The Hinsdalean. "She's worked for me for the last two years and she's become my right hand."

Wozny, a Golfview Hills resident since 2021, said his family got to know Khalmendik shortly after moving to Hinsdale because their children attended the same schools. The two families lived directly behind each other near 55th and Madison, and Wozny's daughter and Khalmendik's daughter Anna became close friends.

When Wozny learned Khalmendik was looking for work, he hired her. She had been in his office for about two years and was, he said, "probably the most financially secure" she had been.

What happened

As we reported Aug. 18, Khalmendik had taken her three children on a fishing trip to Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville while her husband was out of town. At about 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, her son Johnny needed help in the water near North Bay. Khalmendik entered the river and guided him to a family member, then went underwater herself.

Family members and nearby visitors helped pull her from the water. Libertyville Fire Department paramedics treated her at the scene before she was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center, where she died.

Lake County Forest Preserves Police Chief Ron Davis said persistent rain in the week before the incident had made the river far more dangerous than it appeared, with high water carrying debris, fallen trees and rocks hidden beneath the surface.

'The family is beside themselves'

The response stunned Wozny. He described Khalmendik's relatives as being in tears when he shared the fundraising total.

Khalmendik had been raising her three children on her own. Her extended family lives in the Colonial Gardens apartments. The children's father is in Miami and may move back, but their living situation remains uncertain.

On the GoFundMe page, Wozny wrote: "Johnny is alive today because his mother chose him, without hesitation, in the last moments of her life. Anyone who knew Angie knew someone kind, wonderful, hardworking and deeply selfless. In the end, Angie gave everything to save her son."

Residents who want to contribute can donate at gofundme.com/f/angiesthehero. The Lake County Forest Preserves police and the Lake County Medical Examiner's Office continue to investigate the incident.