Winkler's London Marathon 2023 Fund
Donation protected
Hello,
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jodie and I am running the London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April. You can follow my progress on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/jodie_winkler
I have never run any race longer than a 5k Park Run before, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm hoping it will be a great opportunity to raise some money for two fantastic organisations…
The Children’s Society
I recently started working at The Children’s Society as a Trainee Well-Being Practitioner for Young People with Autism and/or Learning Disabilities.
The Children’s Society is a national charity that has worked with some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged children and young people in the land. Thousands of young lives are made better because of the work of The Children’s Society. They passionately believe that every child should feel safe and loved, and empowered to be the best they can be.
The Children’s Society has a bold and audacious vision for a country which is built for all children, where no child is left behind and every child can thrive not just survive. The charity works alongside children battling mental health issues, living in poverty, and facing exploitation or grooming from county lines gangs. They enable young people to disrupt the cycles of multiple disadvantages by helping them to break free and find hope for a brighter future.
Your donations will help to transform the lives of children living through abuse, exploitation and neglect. To find out more about The Children’s Society and what a huge difference your donations could make to a young person, please visit their website:
J7 Community Health Centre
J7 Community Health Centre is not your average gym and its owner, Javeno McLean, is not your average gym owner. Far from it. Javeno empowers people with disabilities to access and engage in physical activity by providing person-centred, ability-specific training sessions. What’s more, he does this completely free of charge. As a Learning Disability Nurse who is passionate about health and fitness, this is a cause that is very close to my heart.
As well as poorer health outcomes and lower life expectancy, individuals with a learning disability are more likely to have lower levels of physical activity than people without a learning disability. As such, this inactivity can contribute to an increased risk of morbidities and excessive rates of mortality in this population.
Regular physical activity can: improve health; strengthen muscles and bones; support weight management; improve sleep; build confidence and social skills; and improve mental health. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of health conditions that commonly affect people with learning disabilities, such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and certain cancers.
Unfortunately, individuals with a learning disability may encounter barriers to physical activity that are out of their control, such as accessibility, stigmatisation and financial issues. The work Javeno is doing at the J7 Community Health Centre removes these barriers and uses fitness as a way to empower people with disabilities to push themselves to believe they are more than just their disability. In doing so, he is helping to reduce health inequalities, promote longevity and improve the lives of so many people.
To see Javeno in action, watch this heart-warming video…
Your donations will enable Javeno to provide more inspiring sessions like this one
Organizer
Jodie Winkler
Organizer
England