The Great Endeavour Rally

Many of you will know that I’m joining the Great Endeavour Rally next week.

What you won't know is that while we were expecting the Little Sister, our obstetrician told us she had an unacceptable risk of having Downs Syndrome.
We were floored by the news and I spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night wondering if she’d be healthy and what her life would be like, but mostly I wondered who would look after her after we died. Would she be capable of self sufficiency?

The Endeavour Foundation was formed in 1951 when children with a disability were excluded from Queensland State Schools. In response, a group of parents started their own school, and began teaching their children – raising funds and advocating for change so that their children could have a fulfilling and active life.

Since then the Endeavour Foundation has morphed into a diverse organisation providing person-centred support for people with a disability. The thing I love most about Endeavour’s approach is that it focusses on helping people with a disability as part of the everyday community – through education, training and lifeskill development, employment, accommodation support, respite and recreation.

Today the Endeavour Foundation supports over 4000 people living with a disability across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. They employ 2350 people with a disability in their businesses - doing everything from making biscuits in Kingaroy to packaging tablets in Seven Hills.

The Little Sister didn’t have Downs Syndrome but 270 babies born in Australia each year do and the Endeavour Foundation is there to support families and provide respite to carers. 

So next week, I’m joining the Great Endeavour Rally aiming to raise dust and dollars to support the important work of the Endeavour Foundation. Our all-girl team is comprised of my mates Susan, Sonia and I. We’ll leave from the Gold Coast next Friday and finish in Yamba the following Saturday. In the style of the Great Endeavour Rally, we’ll go the longest possible distance between the two - with Dubbo being our furthest point.

We’re hoping to raise as much money for the Endeavour Foundation as we can, so if you can spare a few dollars to support the cause, I’d love it if you’d make a donation here. 

https://2018ger.everydayhero.com/au/kennys-angels

Oh goodness! The closer we get to the start line the more nervous I become.   

I’ll be documenting our trip on my instagram and on the FB page we've set up for our team, so be sure to tune in to see if our 80 series Cruiser makes it to the finish line (or if we get frozen in our swags before we do)! 

Thanks again for your support,
Amanda