Meet Joe Rae
Manchester Marathon update - 29 April 2012
Martin is ready for the off! He hopes to raise £2000 for the Joe Rae Trust - and break four hours. The training schedule should get him to the second target, and he has high hopes for sponsorship. Please do all you can to help by clicking on the donate now post it. You will be asked for your details - and if If you put 'Martin Marathon' in one of the fields we will be able to tell when Martin crosses the fundraising line. Thank you very much.
-o0o-
March 2012
Joe began college life at the National Star College in September and has settled in very well indeed. He is very lively and the staff there are pleased with his progress. They talk about his capacity for development all the time - and we have just placed an order for a batch of communication equipment that Joe will use at home and at college. he will be able to turn lights and equipment on and off and tell people what he wants quickly and easily.
The fund raising continues. Spurred by his success at the Liverpool Marathon last year ... Martin does Manchester on 29 April! Anyone on the coast road between Southport and Formby or at Rivington Pike up on the West Pennine Moors may see Martin in training.
The Joe Rae Trust was set up in April 2011 to help make sure that Joe has access to the best possible education.
Joe is 19 years old and like many people of his age hoped to go to college. But unlike others, Joe may not have had the opportunity for any further education at all because he is profoundly disabled and the local authority seemed very unlikely to fund the specialist education that he needs. So Joe's mother, Edel, set up a trust fund and began a fundraising campaign to pay for Joe’s time at college. Fantastic support from family, friends and complete strangers saw more than £8000 pour into the fund in a matter of weeks.
And then - almost out of the blue - Joe's local authority decided to fund a place for Joe at the National Star College in Gloucester. After recovering from this wonderful news, Joe's family decided to use the funds raised already to buy equipment that will help Joe at college.
Joe's friends carry on fundraising
Delighted as they are with the local authority's decision, Joe's family and friends have decided to continue the fundraising effort. They know that funds may be withdrawn in the future, that Joe may need extra support - for example, more speech and language therapy than is included in the funding deal, and that Joe may need specialised equipment. So the campaign goes on - more friends for Joe!
News about Joe and the trust
On this site you can find about about Joe's college days and campaign progress on Edel's blog, learn about the people and organisations helping the trust and the fundraising events they are planning - and find out how to make a donation yourself.
Be Joe's friend
Be a friend to Joe. You can – click here to donate or check the 'how to make a donation page' to send a cheque or make a bank transfer. Whichever you choose, you'll be in great company!
