Melbourne Marathon :: run for CPEC

I confess this post is a blatant request for money. Fundraising support, that is!

As you may know from More about Jack... my son has quadraplegic cerebral palsy and attends the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Glen Waverley twice a week for therapy sessions with similarly affected children.

CPEC is extremely unique in the services it offers, and as is too often the case, is underfunded and in hot demand. Government funding to a service like CPEC covers only a fraction of the total expense required for therapist contact and planning hours, home and kinder visits, afterschool care, therapist training, counselling as well as a multitude of other requests made in order for families to be able to care for their disabled children. To make up the substantial shortfall, CPEC families must do serious fundraising throughout the year and pay considerable fees.
And so we shake the can.

CPEC is one of the major beneficiaries of funds raised through sponsoring race participants in the Melbourne Marathon on October 9th (note: monies collected for race entry don't go to charities at all) and CPEC counts on the Melbourne Marathon for a large portion of it's charitable income. In return, CPEC provides 200 volunteers to help the event be a success.

Jack's dad Rob will be running the half marathon and we have set up a fundraising page called Jack's Joggers for you to make a donation! Please have a look, and even if it's just spare change from the back of the couch, please be assured it makes a difference.

Just a few facts on Cerebral Palsy and CPEC which might help you to loosen the purse strings:

1. CP is a physical condition that affects a child born in Australia every 18 hours.
2. It is the most common physical disability in childhood.
3. CP results from damage to the developing brain before or during birth or early in life.
4. There is no pre birth test or known cure.
5. CPEC is one ot the most successful education centres in the world at enabling children with CP to become more physically mobile and able to communicate even if they are unable to speak.
6. When you fundraise for CPEC you are helping to make the lives of children with CP all around Australia brighter!