Robert Isleib is fundraising
CJs Ride-Supporting Children's Speech Disabilities
Imagine that you traveled through life struggling to be understood because of severe speech disabilities. Speech disabilities in children can stunt social growth and create misunderstandings, loneliness, and many other challenges. We are learning more each day about how to help these children, but more support is needed.
Why do we care so much? Our son CJ was a very special young man who had several disabilities including a severe speech disability. He struggled all his life to be heard and to be understood. We saw first-hand the challenges that he faced. We saw the turmoil that his disability created for him. We could only imagine the loneliness.
CJ passed away in 2016 after a valiant struggle against testicular cancer at too young an age.
One of the things that CJ loved the most was riding with me on my bike – the wind across his face, not needing to talk - it was his perfect place.
As we thought about the legacy that our family would like to build in his honor, we both agreed that of all the challenges that CJ faced, life would have been so much better if he could have communicated the beauty in his soul – his love of butterflies, sunrises, reading, being an Area 13 Special Olympic athlete, volunteering at his be-loved Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire and Rescue Co., raising money for various organizations like St Jude... giving back to his community. In honoring his memory, we want to help with research and support for other children who struggle to communicate.
And so we thought about what we could do to raise funds and his favorite pastime provided the answer – an Iron Butt Ride.
For those of you unfamiliar with this type of event it requires a rider to complete a challenging 1000 miles in 24 hours. Challenging, yes, but not as challenging as living with a speech disability.
I am planning an Iron Butt ride the week of August 12th, 2019 to raise funds for children just like our son who struggle with speech disabilities.
All funds raised will be given directly to the Mason's RiteCare Scottish Rite Speech and Hearing Program for Children. It offers programs for children with speech disabilities free of charge to their families; and it funds scholarships for graduate students studying Speech Pathology at Old Dominion University, James Madison University, and Radford University.
Please consider joining in this fight for other children like our son CJ.
UPDATE: Thank you for the support! Unfortunately, only a short while into the start of our ride, we ran into intense rain with no road visibility. We made the decision for our safety to stop and turn back due to this weather and the changing forecast. We are rescheduling the ride for September. We are extremely disappointed, but have to look at the silver lining that we now have more time to raise even more donations for the Scottish Rite. We will continue to keep everyone updated on our fundraising progress and the new ride dates! Thank you again for all your support!
Why do we care so much? Our son CJ was a very special young man who had several disabilities including a severe speech disability. He struggled all his life to be heard and to be understood. We saw first-hand the challenges that he faced. We saw the turmoil that his disability created for him. We could only imagine the loneliness.
CJ passed away in 2016 after a valiant struggle against testicular cancer at too young an age.
One of the things that CJ loved the most was riding with me on my bike – the wind across his face, not needing to talk - it was his perfect place.
As we thought about the legacy that our family would like to build in his honor, we both agreed that of all the challenges that CJ faced, life would have been so much better if he could have communicated the beauty in his soul – his love of butterflies, sunrises, reading, being an Area 13 Special Olympic athlete, volunteering at his be-loved Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire and Rescue Co., raising money for various organizations like St Jude... giving back to his community. In honoring his memory, we want to help with research and support for other children who struggle to communicate.
And so we thought about what we could do to raise funds and his favorite pastime provided the answer – an Iron Butt Ride.
For those of you unfamiliar with this type of event it requires a rider to complete a challenging 1000 miles in 24 hours. Challenging, yes, but not as challenging as living with a speech disability.
I am planning an Iron Butt ride the week of August 12th, 2019 to raise funds for children just like our son who struggle with speech disabilities.
All funds raised will be given directly to the Mason's RiteCare Scottish Rite Speech and Hearing Program for Children. It offers programs for children with speech disabilities free of charge to their families; and it funds scholarships for graduate students studying Speech Pathology at Old Dominion University, James Madison University, and Radford University.
Please consider joining in this fight for other children like our son CJ.
UPDATE: Thank you for the support! Unfortunately, only a short while into the start of our ride, we ran into intense rain with no road visibility. We made the decision for our safety to stop and turn back due to this weather and the changing forecast. We are rescheduling the ride for September. We are extremely disappointed, but have to look at the silver lining that we now have more time to raise even more donations for the Scottish Rite. We will continue to keep everyone updated on our fundraising progress and the new ride dates! Thank you again for all your support!
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