Deerfield Beach teen beating victim Josie Lou Ratley is about to get a whole lot of support this weekend, with a handful of events including a "Walk for Josie" at her school.
The "Walk for Josie" will take place Sunday, at 1:30 p.m. Hundreds of walkers will start at four separate locations -- Deerfield Beach Elementary School, Pioneer Park, Westside Park and St. Ambrose Church -- and make their way to Deerfield Beach Middle School, where the brutal March 17 attack on Ratley took place.
Refreshments will be sold, with all proceeds going to the Josie Lou Ratley Fund. Also sold at the event will be "Walk for Josie" t-shirts, featuring artwork by the talented teen.
Ratley, 15, and her mother, Hilda Gotay Ratley, sported the shirts earlier this week.
The event was organized by John Esposito, whose two daughters also attend Deerfield Beach Middle School. Expected to attend are Josie's mother, as well as Deerfield Beach Mayor Peggy Noland and Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti.
Ratley suffered severe head trauma and has been in the hospital since the brutal attack, spending three weeks in a medically induced coma and undergoing at least three operations to reduce swelling on her head.
Her alleged attacker, 15-year-old Wayne Treacy, has been charged with attempted murder. His lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in court Thursday.
On Saturday, a "Car Wash for Josie" will be held at the 7-11 on the corner of Hillsboro and Lyons in Deerfield Beach between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Ratley family attorney Rick Freedman, along with Reenie Brewer, grandmother of teen burn victim and Ratley classmate Michael Brewer, will both be speaking at the Health, Safety and Wellness Expo at Del Prado Elementary School in Boca Raton.
