Josie Lou Ratley's road to recovery will be made a little easier when she's presented with a $20,000 check Thursday from the "Ride for Josie" charity event in June.
Ratley and her family are expected to be at the Cove Restaurant and Marina in Deerfield Beach this afternoon to accept the check, which will help fund her extensive rehabilitation.
More than 400 people participated in the June 27 "Rally for Recovery" fundraiser, called "Let's Break the Cycle...A Ride for Josie." The event, sponsored by Team ZMotion, included the ride up A1A and a raffle and auction.
Ratley and mother Hilda Gotay attended the event, in what was the 15-year-old's first public appearance since her hospitalization.
Ratley was nearly beaten to death on March 17 in an attack at a bus stop outside her Deerfield Beach Middle School. The suspect, 15-year-old Wayne Treacy, beat and stomped her with steel toed boots, giving her serious brain damage. After 40 days in intensive care, Ratley was released and now must undergo months and possibly years of rehab.
"The fight isn't over for Josie yet," said ZMotion President Pat Patregnani in a statement. "She still has a long road ahead of her. zMotion is proud to partner with the community to show our support, and help her with her recovery in any way that we can."
