Keeley’s Cause giving day raises $3000 for families

AN ANNUAL giving day has raised close to $3000 for disability families in the Greater Geelong region.

Keeley’s Cause was held at the Federal Mills last Sunday and included a charity car and bike run and plenty of fundraising.

All funds raised from the event went towards buying iPads to help children with disability with their learning.

Three iPads and multiple LEGO sets were presented on the day to local children as a result of last year’s event.

Keeley’s Cause was founded in 2013 by Ballan teenager Keely Johnson as a result of her struggles at school.

The then 13-year-old was very reliant on her iPad; however her school would not allow her to use it for her education.

Keeley decided she would not let autism and mild intellectual disability stop her from making a difference, and set out to bridge the gap for children with similar diagnoses.

With neither government funding nor NDIS support, she started Keeley’s Cause to support the delivery of technological aid for students like her.

Her mother and Keeley’s Cause chief executive officer, Sharon Murphy, said the fundraising outcome from the Geelong event was “mind-blowing”.

“This was our first year out of Geelong and it was a huge success,” she said.

“We had plenty of new families from the area who we could support on the day.

“The event also received great support from other local organisations, which in itself was phenomenal.”

A range of clothing, toys and other gifts was also distributed.