Beth Vecchione, Founder of the social enterprise Care to Dance, is running an ultramarathon to raise money for the care-experienced young people the organisation supports.
Since a car accident left her with a broken back and a narrow escape from paralysis, Beth has been on a determined route to recovery. As a very active person, ranging from dance to power-lifting and running Care to Dance, this presented a tough physical and mental battle, and all without being able to do the things she would usually rely on to process and destress.
Beth, CEO and founder of Care to Dance, says “Breaking my back really brought home for me how hard it must to be to go through dark times alone without anyone to turn to or support networks to rely on. But this is often the case for care-experienced young people. I’ve seen the transformational impact the Care to Dance community has for them, the improved mental well-being, motivation and self-belief. I want to show all our young people just how much is possible if you put your mind to it, what you can overcome with mental strength and determination, and people backing you. And to raise money to enable us to support more young people across the country, at a time when so many young people are struggling.”
Care to Dance is a social enterprise that uses dance to support care-experience young people – to help them feel a sense of belonging and freedom, but also to process what they’ve been through. By building inclusive communities where young people feel safe, are among people they trust and can express themselves freely, it aims to provide the stability and consistency they likely missed growing up and help them develop relationships built on trust so they have people to turn to.
Lucy, a young person who attends Care to Dance, says “Life was a struggle until I came to Care to Dance. I started to express myself and trust the staff. Learning new skills and being part of a team made me a brighter person. Care to Dance supported me at my worst, and inspired me to be my best. It made me a better human.”
With young people’s mental health is at an all-time low, school truancy and exclusions at an all-time high and more children than ever going into care, combined with funding cuts to support services, organisations like Care to Dance have never been more vital.
You can find out more about Care to Dance on their website, and support Beth’s fundraising efforts via her Just Giving page. Beth can be contacted directly at beth@caretodance.co.uk.
