Neighbors raise funds for family of slain girl

/*Nicole Lalime*/ was struck and killed by a car Tuesday. On Friday, co-workers of Lalime's mother organized a barbecue fundraiser to help pay for funeral expenses. The co-workers say they consider each other family and they decided to hold a benefit after seeing Lalime's parents in the hospital.

"We know how devastating it was," said Christina Ridgway, a co-worker of the victim's mother. "And financially, that was going to be really hard on them. So I think on the way home, we thought we need to do a benefit. Came to work the next day and within an hour or so, we had people just more than eager to help."

The boxed lunches were sold at a bank in northwest Harris County. The line was out the door. Organizers served a thousand people and raised about $20,000.