By Sophie Pappas
Joseph Maley would be 24 years old this week, had he not succumbed to a lifetime of illnesses and a final round of leukemia. But for his mother, Vivian Maley, of Zionsville, Joseph’s legacy lives on through her work at the foundation she started in his honor, the Joseph Maley Foundation.
“Joseph was born with disabilities,” Vivian said. “His brother Tony, my second child, had a desire for us to teach his friends about Joseph.”
This led to Vivian starting small disability awareness groups in local schools.
“Joseph had cerebral palsy, he was non-verbal, and he had heart problems,” Vivian said. “When he passed away six years ago he functioned as a 32-month-old. But he was so good, so sweet.”
Because Joseph looked and acted different from his four young brothers, Vivian was compelled to teach other children how to interact with him and her family.
“All of a sudden we had this ever-evolving program,” she said. “We certainly didn’t know it was grow like it has.”
For six years now, Vivian has steered the direction of the foundation and watched it grow from a tiny in-home group to a staff of more than nine people, with events like the upcoming Joseph Maley 5k.
“Our mission is serving children with disabilities but our program are so cohesive and really touch on so much more than just that,” Vivian said.
This year’s 5k will be on July 12, and is the first year that runners and walkers will be downtown at the Indiana University- Purdue University Michael A. Carroll Stadium Track.
“In the past we held it at Eagle Creek which was great but then we had more than 700 people last year so we really outgrew that space,” she said.
The Joseph Maley Foundation 5k starts at 8:30 a.m. July 12 inside the Indiana University- Purdue University Michael A. Carroll Stadium Track. To register visit www.josephmaley.org/5k.
