Community playing golf, fundraising to help local child with special needs

Sep. 20—A family was struggling to get a new bed for their son with special needs because their insurance company claimed it was not "medically necessary." One family member disagreed and decided to take matters in her own hands.

Landon Rae, 11, was diagnosed with lissencephaly and epilepsy a few months after he was born. He was also described by his aunt as "the sweetest boy anyone will ever meet" and will be celebrating his birthday in October.

Currently, Rae is in need of a new bed that is a better fit for his medical conditions, but despite the family's arguments, their insurance company refused to pay for it. The family must also pay for a new wheelchair as well as the several hospital visits they've made for Rae's conditions. That's where his aunt, Edison Elementary teacher Holly Jones stepped in.

Jones and friends organized a golf tournament to help raise funds for Rae's medical needs. All proceeds from team registrations, food sales and donations go directly toward helping Rae's family better provide for him.

"We've never had a fundraiser for Landon or his family and they've gone through so much with him and the hospital stays and just all the things," Jones said. "I encourage people to come to the golf tournament and if you don't golf, it would be great to just have you for the lunch just because it's small, local businesses that are helping tremendously ... They're taking their time, their resources, their money and they're all coming together for Landon and I think that's awesome."

The golf tournament will begin 8 a.m. Sunday at Fairview Golf Course. For those not registered to play, there will be a silent auction, raffles and prizes. Lunch will be provided to golfers for free. Attendees who will not be playing can pay $10 for lunch with 100% of proceeds going toward Rae's medical needs.

"The community coming together for Landon, I think that that's going to be really awesome for his parents to see and myself," Jones said. "It'll mean a lot for them because they've never had anything like this ... everybody showing up now, it'll mean a lot."

To register for the tournament at $70 per player, call (816) 689-7120. If it rains, the tournament will continue as scheduled. If it storms, they will host a cornhole tournament inside Fairview. The event will not be postponed or canceled.