A Smile for a Child - Chris Read

We were deeply impressed by this talk - as President David said afterwards, Chris epitomises everything Rotary aims for - Service Above Self.

After a long career with the John Lewis Partnership, Chris decided he needed to do something completely different with his life - so he set up this charity "to help disabled children in the UK to participate and progress in sport and mobility".  This was in line with his love of all sports - he is a keen runner, having taken part in 106 marathons and 22 Great North Runs (phew!).  To "make ends meet" he provides sports coaching in primary Schools around the county, but his main occupation is fund-raising for his charity.  As he said, two days with a bucket - and wearing a sincere smile - in a Waitrose store can raise enough money to fund two wheelchairs.

The charity works by providing grants of up to £1000 (to quote from Chris's website) "for disabled & disadvantaged children, to allow them to participate and progress in sport, this can be to a Club, an Organisation or to an individual child. This could be funds for a sports wheelchair for a disabled child, to sports equipment for a club or organisation."  Chris emphasized that the charity has no administrative expenses so every penny raised goes to a good cause.  Although the website lists 11 "branch offices" around the country, they are, in fact, the homes of friends and relatives who help Chris in his fund-raising efforts and to make a difference.

                                             

Browse the Smile for a Child website to see the extent of support provided.