To celebrate Juneteenth, I participated in the 2020 Joseph Maley Foundation Virtual Mile Race. I ran 4:09 for a road mile and donated $10 for every second over four minutes. Joseph Maley died from leukemia at the age of 18 and his parents created a foundation that would do for communities that which he provided; an accepting and inclusive environment for children, regardless of what they looked like or how they spoke.
The Joseph Maley Foundation provides:
-Disability awareness to schools and organizations
-Mental, physical, and emotional health understanding to children
-IEP and special education advocacy to connect families and educators
-Sibling workshops which provide an environment to discuss shared experiences
-Adaptive and inclusive athletics to all children
-Service-learning opportunities for individuals within their community
-Acceptance of all through puppets in a relaxed environment for conversation
-Comfort to parents navigating infant loss
I challenge and invite you all to join my team to raise funding to help this incredible foundation continue creating more inclusive communities! All you need to do is register at the link, lace up your shoes, and go walk or run 1 mile.