21KM for permanent care and adoptive families

Hi there!

This coming Sunday, 13 October, start time 8AM - I'm taking part in the Melbourne Marathon 2013 and hoping to raise much-needed funds for permanent care and adoptive families.

These families are diverse; while some children join their families directly through permanent and adoptive placements, others find their permanent families through the pathways of foster care, kith and kinship care. 

While the number of children placed in permanent care with families is growing, about one in five permanent care placements break down for a range of complex reasons.  As an adoptee, I’ve found informed support invaluable in working my head around all the questions adoption continually creates at different points of my life. More information about permanent care and adoption is available here. 

The best way to support the children who are placed with families is through a range of education, support and training services for the entire family.

Permanent Care and Adoptive Families (the trading name of Post Placement Support Service,  PPSS) is a Victorian not for profit that does really great work with permanent care (whether formed through kinship care, foster care or an adoption and permanent care organisation) and adoptive families. PCA Families has developed these services with the direction, effort and care of committed staff, volunteers and families, many of whom have lived experience of permanent care and adoption. In the last year alone, PCA Families connected and supported over 4,000 Victorian families and individuals.  More information about PCA Families is here.

This Sunday, at a time I'd otherwise be normally sipping some tea calmly,  I’ll be sweating and puffing it out, doing my best to complete my first ever half marathon course, 21kms around Melbourne. Joining me on this trot will be my best friend and partner, Alex (who also happens to be my personal trainer!), and members of PCA Families.

We've been training and and recently pottered through a 20km obstacle race on Phillip Island as a trial trot for the 21km. A little bit muddy, cold and wet (but otherwise still smiling), we're hoping the costumes will withstand another run in a few weeks! 

I am dreading  looking forward to this amazing race, and I’d really appreciate your financial support of PCA Families! ALL donations you give go directly to charity, and a tax deductible receipt will be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support and helping to make a difference!

A special thank you to those who have supported me along the way – particularly the Tonic PT personal training studio in Carlton, which really helped me take those first few faltering strides on the treadmill.